Chicken Tacos / Fish Tacos

spice rubbed fish and vegetable taco with tequila lime aioli

Our version of "Spice-Rubbed Chicken and Vegetable Tacos" from Bon Appetit June 2006. For a long time we ate these ALL THE TIME and recently we made a new adaptation by adding a fish option.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1 Tablespoon smoked hot Spanish paprika (Pimenton de la Vera) or really any hot paprika
2 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

2-4 small zucchini (ok, the recipe says 2 but we like zucchini), quartered lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut lengthwise into 3/4 inch-thick strips (or just 4 to 5 pieces)
pam cooking spray
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves

1 pound flounder fillets (or any light flaky fish that you like)

12 5- to 6- inch diameter flour tortillas, warmed
2 limes, each cut into 6 wedges (optional)
tequila lime aioli (recipe follows)
salsa

Directions
Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Whisk brown sugar and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl to blend for spice rub.

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place zucchini and bell pepper on sheet. Spray with Pam, sprinkle spice rub over the vegetables, turn them all over and spray and sprinkle the other side. Sprinkle spice rub on both sides of the chicken as well (I recommend you keep the veggies and chicken separate, then you can bring the cooked veggies in on the same tray you took them out on without having to worry about salmonella). Prepare a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil to grill the fish on - that way you won't have to worry about it sticking to the grill and falling apart. Fold the foil to make a space large enough to hold the fish, then spray it with non-stick spray. Place the fish on the foil and sprinkle it with the spice rub.

Place chicken and veggies on barbecue. Grill until vegetables are tender (or tender-crisp) and browned in spots and chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally. Veggies cook more quickly than the chicken. When you take the chicken off the grill, slide the foil with the fish onto the grill. It will only take a few minutes. 

Slice the chicken into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Separate the flounder fillets in half. Cut vegetables crosswise into 3/4 inch pieces. Serve with warmed tortillas, tequila lime aioli, salsa and lime. We also like to grill corn on the cob to go with this.

Tequila Lime Aioli:
3 tablespoons premium tequila
1 lime, juiced
8 ounces sour cream (we use fat-free)
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper

In small bowl, combine all ingredients and chill for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Thomas's Big Bite Take Two

Fish Tacos!

Egg Sandwich Saturday may be on the way out in favor of Food Network Saturday. For the second week in a row, T cooked an entire meal based on an episode of Guy's Big Bite. This week I got to join in the fun! And it really was an adventure. I had never fried anything at home before. It's as messy as you'd imagine, but lunch was outstanding.

First we made the sangria perea, black bean salad, tequila lime aioli, and pico de gallo, and then we got to work on the fish. Here it is in the marinade:

And here are our three dredges (from bottom to top - tempura flour, tempura batter, panko bread crumbs):

T and I getting the fish ready to fry:

Frying the fish. Like our fancy new thermometer? (We didn't have a candy/frying thermometer at all.)

Lunch = Yum! The aioli is in the blue bowl, tortillas in tin foil, black bean salad in the green bowl and pico de gallo in bowl with blue lid. 

Tex Wasabi's Koi Fish Tacos

Ingredients
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon tequila
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces cod or firm white fish, cut in 1-inch pieces
16 (8-inch) corn tortillas
Canola oil
4 ounces tempura flour
8 ounces prepared tempura batter made with cold water
6 ounces panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded white cabbage
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion

Directions
In medium bowl, combine lime juice, tequila, cumin, salt, and pepper; mix thoroughly. Add the fish and toss to coat. Marinate for 10 minutes.

Warm tortillas on grill or pan. Cover with a towel to keep warm.

In a medium Dutch oven, heat the canola oil to 350 degrees F.

Remove fish from marinade, shake off excess, dredge in tempura flour, and dunk in cold tempura mixed batter. Roll in panko bread crumbs, pressing panko onto fish. One by one add fish to oil, making sure to keep the fish pieces separated. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Mix cabbage, cilantro and onion. Stack 2 tortillas; place 1/8th of fish on top of each, and top with cabbage mixture, Pico de Gallo, and Tequila Lime Aioli. Serve immediately.

Pico de Gallo:
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 red onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper

In a bowl, mix all ingredients, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for 1 hour for flavors to meld.

Tequila Lime Aioli:
3 tablespoons premium tequila
1 lime, juiced
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper

In small bowl, combine all ingredients and chill for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients
2 cans black beans, drained, about 30 ounces
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced green onions
1/4 cup diced pineapple
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons salt (this MUST be a typo; try 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch ground cumin

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.