Fish Tacos

This weekend (August 18, 2007) we headed for San Diego so I could run in the America's Finest City Half Marathon. While it is a nice city, being a San Francisco native, I would argue about the descriptor "finest".  

After the race, we spent the day at Sea World, which, of course, got me thinking about Fish Tacos! (Surprisingly, there was no fish to be had at Sea World...for lunch, that is.)

Fish Tacos are big here in Southern California, and throughout Baja, where it was first popularized by the good people of Ensenada.  This thriving seaport town has been a popular destination since prohibition, when it was frequented by  the gambling, boozing Hollywood elite.

Many vendors will insist that the fish should be shark, but really, any firm, mild fish will do. They say the batter recipe, which is very tempura-like, was brought by Japanese fishermen.

INGREDIENTS

3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

3 scallions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 jalapeno chilies, chopped

Juice of 3 limes

1 TB. ground cumin

1 tsp. pepper sauce

1 tsp. salt

1-2 lb. firm white fish sliced into 1-inch strips

Juice of 2 limes

2 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

[1/2] tsp. black pepper

2 cups peanut oil for frying

2 cups cabbage, shredded

1 cup sour cream

1 recipe Guacamole (see recipe below)

12 corn tortillas

METHOD

1.  In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, scallions, garlic, cilantro, jalapenos, lime juice, cumin, pepper sauce, and salt.  Mix well and set aside to macerate.   Rinse fish, pat dry, drizzle with lime juice and set aside.

2.  In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs well, and flour, salt and pepper, whisk until smooth and refrigerate 20 minutes.  Wrap the tortillas in tin foil and warm in a 200˚ F oven.

3.  Heat oil over high heat until it reaches 375˚F.  Add the fish to the batter and stir to coat.  Drop the fish into the hot oil piece by piece, and fry until golden brown, 2-3 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

To serve, fill tortillas with fried fish, salsa, shredded cabbage, and a dollop of sour cream.

Guacamole

Mash-up 2 ripe avocados; add 1-2 tablespoons of lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a pinch of cumin, pepper sauce, and minced onion to taste.

 

 

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