Cooking Chemist

I am a big fan of fish tacos – they are easy to make, healthy and muy delicioso! I’ve been noticing more and more restaurants adding tacos to their menus – and not just your standard chicken or beef options but really interesting combinations of ingredients and flavors. No doubt the following recipe is likely just one of many taco recipes that will eventually be posted on this site.  The recipe I’m sharing today is a mix of a some different fish taco recipes courtesy of a few of my favorite Food Network chefs.

On another note, I know part of the premise of this blog is to focus on the science of cooking which I haven’t really done yet. I promise that there will be some great upcoming posts which will be more focused on the science of cooking but at this point I’m still working on generating content and defining the personality of this blog. Please bear with me and keep checking back. Also, if you haven’t done so yet subscribe to my RSS feed so you’ll never miss a new Cooking Chemist post.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons tequila
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (I used McCormick’s – Old Bay makes one too)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) portions tilapia (or any flaky, white fish such as mahi mahi or halibut)

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce
• Juice of one lime
• 8 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas
• Shredded cabbage or lettuce
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
• Lime wedges for serving

Directions

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the tequila with the lime zest and juice, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, seafood seasoning, salt and chili powder.  Gentle toss the tilapia in the dressing and let stand for 15-20 minutes.  Remember, you don’t want to marinade fish for too long, particularly if there is citrus in your marinade.  The citrus will begin to “cook” the fish (think ceviche) and you may end up with an unpleasant texture to your fish.

For the chipotle sauce, combine the yogurt, mayo, adobo sauce (*) and lime juice in a small bowl and set aside.  * Note on the adobo sauce – you will find this ingredient in the Spanish food section of your local grocery store.  It will be a small can containing chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  For this recipe I just used the adobo sauce, not the actual peppers.  However, if you like things spicy finely mince one of the chipotle peppers and add it to your sauce for some extra heat and texture.

Remove the fish from the marinade and grill on a preheated grill or nonstick grill pan (coated with cooking spray) over a medium-high heat until cooked thorough, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Set the fish aside and gently flake with a fork into bite size pieces and squeeze with lime wedges if desired.

Heat the tortillas directly on the grill for about 30 seconds or if you have you have a gas range you can heat the tortillas directly over the flame until they begin to slightly blister (just be careful to use tongs and don’t burn the tortillas!)

Assemble your tacos with the fish, chipotle sauce, cabbage, cilantro and enjoy!  Especially delicious when served alongside a freshly made margarita.  Here is a quick recipe for my favorite way to drink margaritas – on the rocks!

Margarita recipe

• 2 ounces tequila
• 1 ounce Cointreau (or triple sec)
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• Coarse salt
• Lime wedge

Blend the first three ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker – shake vigorously for 20 seconds.  Pour into a chilled cocktail glass with a salted rim and garnish with a lime wedge.

Tags: chipotle, fish, margarita, tacos

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