Baja Style Fish Tacos

Sometimes the simple things are the best.

I am a big fan of fish tacos and I think that the fried ones are the best.  I was reminded of this when I drove through a Del Taco and ordered two fish tacos (no, I wasn't also contemplating suicide).  They were simple and surprisingly good.  It inspired me to blog my go-to fish taco recipe.There are only four steps here. Make the sauce, make the batter, prep the sides, and fry the fish.

You'll need;

• 4-5 oz firm white fish per person (Cod, Mahi, Tilapia, Snapper, Marlin, Swai, etc)
• 1/2 cup flour (plus some extra for coating the fish)
• 1/2 cup panko crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 of a Mexican cervesa (Dos Equis Amber esta mejor pero yo prefiero Pacifico)
• 1 lemon (for zest and juice)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
• 1/4 cup mayo
• salt and pepper
• dash cayenne
• shredded cabbage
• chopped cilantro (opt)
• limes for garnish
• a sliced avocado for garnish
• corn tortillas

First step; make the sauce.

Combine the sour cream, mayo, the juice from half a lemon, 2 tsp lemon zest, a healthy amount of pepper and a dash of cayenne in a bowl and stir to combine.

Cover and refrigerate at least 30 min.

Second step; prep the accouterments.  Shred the cabbage and slice the limes and avocados.  Chop the cilantro and ready the tortillas.  Street tacos usually get a double tortilla treatment.  I recommend it as well unless you  are cutting down on carbs.  The wife doesn't like the raw taste of corn tortillas so they can be cooked either briefly in oil or on a griddle.

Step three; prep the fish. Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper.  

Cut your fish into strips that will fit into your tacos.  I go about 1in x 3/4in x 3in.

Dredge the fish in flour to help the batter stick.

Step four; make the batter. Combine 1/2 cup flour, the panko, the chili powder and one egg in a bowl.

Add in half a can/bottle of beer while stirring. We are are looking for a pasty batter here.  Mine was too pasty. If yours is too use a little more beer.  

  
At this point you should get your oil heating and set up a post-fry paper towel plate.

Batter the fish and fry in small batches for about 2 min per side.

Remove the fish to a cooling plate for one minute and salt them.  Trust me, you must salt the fish fresh from the frypan.

Make the tacos by putting the fish into the tortilla, adding a bit of cabbage and a spoonful of the sauce.  Garnish with cilantro and avocado if desired.  Serve with a lime wedge for each taco.

Pressure Cooker Chile Verde

Low psychological pressure, high barometric pressure.

So I broke down and bought a pressure cooker.  I got the 6 quart Instant Pot. This thing kicks ass!

What to make for the maiden voyage? Just as I asked that question I got into a discussion about who makes the best Chile Verde around here.  (La Casita, but that is for another day.)  It was then that I realized that Chile Verde was the best thing with which to inaugurate my pressure cooker.

Here's what you'll need;

• 3 to 4# Boneless Pork Shoulder (pork butt) cut into .75 to 1 in cubes (discard anything with too much gristle or fat) 
• 4 to 5 tomatillos (leaves and stems removed – quartered)
• 2 Poblano peppers (seeded and membranes removed) coarsely chopped
• 2 Anaheim peppers (as above)
• 2 Jalepenos (as above)
• 1 med onion (yellow) coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced) or 3 in from the squeeze tube
• 1.5 Tbsp cumin seeds
• ½ Tbsp oregano (chop up fresh Mexican oregano if you can get it)
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce (or ½ tsp salt)
•  ¾ cup chicken stock
• 1 bunch of cilantro (chopped)
• 2 Tbsp flour
• salt to taste

Chop the pork into 1 in cubes. Season with salt and pepper and half a Tbsp of the cumin.

Put 1 Tbsp oil into the bottom of the pressure cooker set on saute.

Brown the pork cubes in batches in the pressure cooker.

Add all the ingredients, but only half the cilantro (and not the flour) to the pork in the pressure cooker and stir to combine.

Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.

After the cook, allow the cooker to naturally cool for at least 10 minutes.

Vent the cooker and open the lid.

Add most of the remaining cilantro and sprinkle the flour over the contents. Use a potato masher to gently mash the ingredients.  We just want to slightly break up the pork and mix in the flour.  Or use a spoon if you want to leave the pork in the big chunks.

Be careful! This dish is hot!

Taste for salt and spice. It usually needs another 1/2 tsp salt.

Serve with rice, tortillas, or over a quesadilla and garnished with cilantro and lime.

My preferred serving is to make a quesadilla with Mexican cheese and then put a spoonful of Chile Verde over the top.

On another note, one could up the ante by charring and peeling the peppers and/or tomatillos...

Chicken Pot Pies

Nostalgia Alert!

We recently made a Chicken Pot Pie Casserole and it turned out bad.  The filling stayed watery and loose which made it difficult to serve.  The taste was good and it introduced me to a product called Better Than Bouillon which is great.  

So as a result of that miscue I dug up my old standby Chicken Pot Pie recipe and tweaked it a bit.  You'll need:

• 2-3 chicken breasts (cooked) cubed into 1/2 in pieces. (I sous vided mine at 145F)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup each chopped onion, celery, carrots, frozen corn and frozen peas
• 1 clove garlic (or 1in from the squeeze tube)
• 5 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp Better Than Bouillon (chicken flavor) (or 2 chix bouillon cubes)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp fresh thyme (picked off the stems) (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 1 pop-open can of croissants

Put the olive oil in a big skillet and set to med  to med high heat.  Add the onions and garlic and cook for 4 min.

Add the garlic, celery and carrots.  Cook another 3 min.

While that is cooking melt the 5 Tbsp of butter in another pan.  We will make a roux for thickening.

Once the butter melts, add the flour and stir to remove lumps and cook at least 3 min to get rid of the raw flour taste.

Add the chicken to the skillet and heat through gently.

Now add the milk products, corn, peas, bouillon, and seasonings.  Bring to a simmer.

Add the roux. Stir to combine.  Simmer 5 min at least.

After 5 minutes it should have thickened enough that a spoon leaves a clear area behind.

Turn off the heat, preheat your oven to 400F and ready your bowls.  This recipe features dough over the tops of the bowls only. If you are a fan of the totally encased, frozen pot pie you might be disappointed.  The difficulty of pre-baking the shells is totally not worth it.

On another note, keep the salt on the low side for this mix.  The dough has a surprising amount of salt in it and could push the sodium into the red once you smash the dough and mix it with the filling. 

Now cut the dough into equal portions and roll it out into thin sheets that just cover your bowls.

Fill the bowls and place a dough sheet over each one.

Notice that my bowls are on a sheet pan.  Trust me, this is the way to handle them.

Bake these in the 400F oven for 15 or until the pastry browns.

This is what they look like when they come out.  Let 'em rest for 5 minutes at least.

Smash the pastry into the bowl, stir and eat!