Tonight's dinner was absolutely wonderful. Arizona is starting to get its first taste of 90 degree weather, which makes for superb evening temps and lazy dinners on the patio. I've never made grilled fish tacos, so I figured tonight was the night. (Thanks to Lauren and Terra for your suggestions on a marinade!)
As with most of my cooking ventures, I experiment with whatever is in my cupboard to find flavor combinations I like. For these tacos, I made a marinade of really high quality lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil (thanks to Greg's aunt Ana and uncle Steve), lime juice, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, onions, salt and pepper. It sounds complicated, but all you have to do is see what spices you have at your disposal and start sprinkling. I didn't have cilantro, but I would have added that too.
Pour whatever marinade concoction you have over the fish. I used fresh talapia.
Chill the fish, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
In the meantime, I made guacamole. My organic avocados were not quite fork "mush-able," so after cutting them in half, removing the pit (but don't throw it away!), scooping the flesh out with a spoon, and cutting it into chunks, I put it in my hand-held food processor (which is also an immersion blender).
Scooped and cut up:
In the processor:
This is becoming my new favorite kitchen tool, especially when I don't want to chop a whole lot.
Keep the pits to place in the guacamole if you're saving any. It will prevent it from browning.
Next, add chopped onion and tomato to taste. I like really chunky guac, so I'm not shy with the add-ins.
Now stir in the magic: lime juice, garlic (fresh or powdered), salt, and a bit of cholula or tobasco. Delicious!
I like to serve it with Trader Joe's vegetable flax-seed chips. Trust me, these chips have passed the taste test with even the most discriminating eaters (KIDS!), so I'm sure you'll like them. They're slightly healthier than regular tortilla chips because of the various vegetable powders and flaxseeds. Make sure to avoid the soy flaxseed chips, which TJ's also carries, since they have so much processed soy.
Now, while my wonderful hubby put the fish on the BBQ for about 4-5 minutes a side, I prepped the tortillas and fixins. I picked organic whole spelt tortillas (from Sprouts) because spelt is a little higher in protein than wheat and has a great texture. Additionally, I don't eat a lot of spelt, so they're good to add to the mix for some variety in taste and nutrients. These tortillas are thick yet soft, and they're durable enough for a big burrito or taco. If using corn tortillas, choose organic, as most conventional corn is genetically modified. Just wrap them in foil and heat in the toaster/convection oven. Without the foil, they get dried out.
I heated black beans in the toaster/convection oven and put diced tomatoes, a cabbage mix, salsa, guacamole, organic cheese, and a "crema" sauce in bowls. The "crema" is actually organic sour cream, lime juice, and cholula (not exactly authentic), but it's really good.
Once the fish was done grilling, I shredded it into small pieces, and the taco-building began. I couldn't even finish one taco because it was so big and full of goodness! We took our dinner out on the patio for some dining al fresco.
Here are two other family members (plus one temporary transplant) who also wanted tacos...too bad they just got a few black beans.
I think my little boy dog Waldo thought he could lick some guacamole off my face if he got close enough.
Sunday night dinners are a great time to regroup and relax before a big week. The best part? Leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Just bring a tortilla!
Here's to a happy, healthy week.
*M*
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