It's difficult to keep embracing the promise of "April showers bring May flowers" when the rain is spitting in your face as you try to go about your run-around day. And in these days of increasing concerns about future water shortages I am thankful for our rain as much as I do wish for sunshine. When it's grey outside, my inclination turns to comfort food. A hearty stew, a roasted chicken, a braised osso bucco. But when it's April, these foods don't seem so comforting, they seem... weighty.
Fish tacos make me think of Sayulita and cervezas.
I had True Cod on hand having made an initial slight lean towards fish and chips. I made a salad dressing and the marinade for the fish at the same time, using similar ingredients. For the dressing, I combined olive oil, fresh squeezed orange juice, champagne vinegar, honey and freshly ground pepper. For the marinade, I combined olive oil, fresh squeezed orange juice, lime juice, honey, chopped cilantro, chopped garlic, freshly ground pepper and chili powder.
Cut fish into 3-4" strips and place in marinade 15-20 minutes before cooking. With the cod being a light, flaky fish, I was afraid of grilling it on the outdoor grill. So, I brought up my cast iron grill that lays on top of the stove burners. I heated the grill to smoking hot and seared the fish on each side for 1-2 minutes.
Our favorite sauce for this is just a chili crema made of sour cream and Tapatio hot sauce.
I prefer flour tortillas to corn. Heat the tortillas in a pan or griddle. Place the fish along with some shredded cabbage, cilantro sprigs, chopped scallions, diced bell peppers and the chili crema.
For the salad, I used a spring mix, to which I added mangos, slices of Cara Cara orange, pieces of grapefruit and some toasted pistachios. Toss with dressing.
As I was thinking of how to prepare this meal, the sun made an appearance. The fish was delicate, the flavors bright and clean.
No comments:
Post a Comment