Salsa » The Saucy Coq

SAUCY CODFISH TACOS

I don’t have a story behind these fish tacos, I just love the flavors in them. And who’s not in to deconstructed meals that you have to piece together yourself? Seriously, who? Give me their name. I won’t say I got it from you. It’s a great family-style meal to serve, and if you have kids for some reason, this will get them in to eating some fish!

It’s always so much more rewarding when you have to work to eat your food. Work up a bit of a sweat; kick your salivary glands in to overdrive as you agonize about how much of each ingredient to pile in to that taco shell. How much can you pile in to that shell?? Oh, wait! Do I even want to fill it as much as I can? Maybe I want to have four smaller tacos instead of two huge tacos.

When I made this, I actually wanted to use Mahi Mahi, but there was none left at the fish counter. On top of that, the cod was super cheap. Really, any flaky white fish will do, but Cod is generally the easiest on the wallet.

I served this with a Peach Radish Salsa.

Cod Fish Tacos

1 lb flaky white fish (mahi mahi, cod)
¼ cup vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 bunch of cilantro, divided
1 tbsp chili powder
1 Serrano chili
Flour tortillas
Shredded white cabbage
Thinly sliced red onion

Saucy’s Mayonnaise (adapted from Tyler Florence)

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotles in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, cilantro, chili powder and Serrano and pour over the fish. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

I used a cast iron pan to cook this fish cause I didn’t feel like going up to the roof to use the BBQ. Both would work great, but you might lose some of the flaky fish in the BBQ unless you have a fine grill. And skills. Heat the cast iron pan on medium-high until just barely smoking. Remove the fish from the marinade and get it in the pan. Sear the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.

Prepare the Mayo:

Put the chipotles in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, adobo sauce and lemon juice and continue to process until the mixture is creamy & saucy. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Warm the tortillas in the pan for 20 seconds, or better yet, over an open flame (I use my gas stove).

I like setting up the tacos “family-style”. Assemble the fish in a pile on a plate, hanging out with the pink chile mayonnaise and peach-radish salsa. Arrange a pile of shredded cabbage, cilantro leaves, chopped red onion and lime wedges next to the fish.

Go to town!

PEACH RADISH SALSA

Tomato and chili sauce has been called salsa since the mid-16th century . In 2000, salsa surpassed ketchup as America’s favorite condiment. In fact, the study that garnered this data went even further to show that Salsa lovers may, loosely translated, be more exciting people than ketchup enthusiasts. They tended to be more extroverted, sociable, competitive and athletic; in short, risk takers. So, naturally, I’m making a salsa.

Sometime in recent history, somebody decided that salsa could stretch beyond tomatoes. Good for them. And, good for us. The peaches here can be substituted with any pitted fruit (mangoes, apricots, plums, nectarines) and be just as delicious and versatile.

I served this particular salsa with some fish tacos that I made, but I can almost taste how great it would be with grilled shrimp or jerk chicken. Oooo, I’m gonna write that down…

Peach Radish Salsa

1 lime
3 ripe peaches, diced
2-3 red radishes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 Serrano chili, finely diced
1 tsp chili powder
handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp orange juice
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Remove the peel and pith from the lime and cut between the membranes to remove the segments. In chef-speak, this is called “supreming”. Put the supremes into a bowl and squeeze over the juice from what’s left of the lime. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.