I LOVE TACOS!

If you know me, you know that I'm a serious taco connoisseur. I love tacos. I don't discriminate either. Well, unless its something weird like lengua or cabeza. I know, I know.... It's all a mental thing to me though. I just can't bring myself to do it.

Growing up, I have never really been a fish person. As an adult, I tried really hard to incorporate fish into my diet. I started out with mild fish like Tilapia or Cod  then moved on to stronger, richer fish like Salmon. I am still a little bit picky about the way they are prepared. I really only like the way that I prepare Salmon. I like it broiled in the oven with a honey mustard glaze or grilled on the bbq. Mmm! Delicious! However, is seems like the grocery stores are carrying a bigger variety of fish now. A new one that I like is Swai or Basa. If you have never tried it, give it a go. It's a very mild fish like Tilapia.

Over the past couple years, I have been working on perfecting a recipe for fish tacos, and I have finally done it. My husband isn't a real big fan of fish, but he loves my fish tacos. I must warn you, it is a fairly time consuming process. It is definitely a weekend meal. It is also NOT gluten, dairy or egg free. Sorry! If you haven't been scared away yet, keep reading.

Panko-breaded Fish

2-3 fillets of Basa/Swai or Tilapia

Panko bread crumbs

1cup flour

2 eggs, beaten with 2 tbsp of water

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt (I prefer ground sea salt)

Enough oil for frying (I used Canola oil) 

Pat your fillets dry between paper towels.

Cut your fillets into taco size pieces of fish. Each fillet should give you 3-5 pieces of fish- good for 3-5 tacos each. 

Next, in three deep containers, add flour, salt and pepper to the first one and combine with a whisk. The second container will have your eggs. Make sure your eggs and water are well beaten. The third will contain your Panko bread crumbs*. 

Dredge each piece of fish in flour, then egg and then in Panko. Make sure you pat the Panko on, so each piece is evenly coated. Transfer each piece of fish to a dish or a cookie sheet to get them ready to be fried. 

I  used 3 fillets of Swai/Basa, and it made enough for 15 tacos. 

Next, prepare all of your other condiments for your tacos. I serve my tacos on corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, homemade salsa and chipotle sour cream. The recipes for my salsa and sour cream are below. 

You can buy shredded cabbage in a bag, or you can just shred it yourself by slicing it very thinly with a knife or using a food processor with the slicing attachment. 

Shred your cabbage and set aside in the refrigerator to keep it crispy until you are ready to serve it. Next, make the Chipotle sour cream. 

Chipotle Sour Cream

2-3 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 1 tsp of adobo sauce from the can

1 cup sour cream (regular, light or non-fat)

Juice of 1 lime (use fresh limes) 

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. This is what it will look like. I used 2 chipotle peppers, but you can use less or more, according to how much heat you can handle. If you have never had chipotle peppers before, I highly recommend tasting the adobo sauce in the can first before you start adding too much. They have a very smokey taste, but are really hot. Makes about 1 cup. 

Next, make the salsa. Here is my recipe for my Chipotle Salsa. Of course you can use your favorite salsa, you don't have to make this one. 

Chipotle Salsa

1 can Rotel Tomatoes with Chiles (mild or hot) 

1 clove of garlic, smashed

3 chipotle peppers in adobo

1 handful of cilantro

2 green onions (scallions)

1 tsp ground cumin

Juice of 1 lime

salt to taste

Put all ingredients in your blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 

Again, you can use less or more chipotle peppers according to your preference. I used three, because that is the perfect amount of heat for me. 

This is what your salsa will look like, when you are done. Makes 2 cups. 

Now that all of your prep work is done, its time to fry the fish! I have a Presto CoolDaddy deep fryer. If you don't have one, and you do a normal to large amount of frying, I highly suggest adding one to your collection of gadgets and small appliances. They are super easy to use and cleanup is a snap. If you don't really do a lot of frying, a deep pot with oil will work just fine. Just be careful! If you are using an electric fryer, I turn my oil up to 350°F. If you are using a pot with oil in it on the stove top, use a candy thermometer to make sure your oil is at 350°F. Fry fish 2-3 pieces at a time. 

Frying too many pieces at once will cause the temperature of the oil to drop, resulting in greasy fish. You want to keep you oil as close to 350°F as possible. When the pieces are a nice golden brown, carefully remove them from oil and place them on a plate or cookie sheet lined with paper towels. 

Warm your tortillas in a tortilla warmer. After all the fish is done, assemble your tacos. Place one piece of fish on your warm tortilla and top with cabbage, cheese, salsa, sour cream and cilantro. Serve with sliced lime wedges on the side. 

I really hope you enjoy these tacos as much as we do! 

xoxo

Note: If you have leftovers, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and reheat in the oven to maintain crispiness. 

*If you have never had Panko before, you are in for a treat. Panko are Japanese style bread crumbs that add tons of crunch to your fried foods. They are much more crunchy than your standard bread crumbs. A lot of Japanese restaurants use Panko for Chicken Katsu. Most major grocery stores sell Panko bread crumbs where they have all the other bread crumbs, or in the Asian aisle.