Easy Fish Tacos
I have been experimenting a lot with fish tacos lately. I love fish tacos and only recently tried making them at home. Wow! They are so good and so easy! I don't like following recipes closely and measuring out ingredients (other than for baking), so I've been trying to come up with a "throw together" fish taco recipe that is easy. I think I've done it! And I'm eager to share the results of my experimentation.
I have been using fresh halibut because my husband orders it online from Alaska and we always have it in the freezer. But I'm sure you could use tilapia or whatever white fish you like. The important thing is to get very fresh, good quality fish.
I have a flat iron skillet (like you would use for fajitas) that I like to use in the oven. If you like to use a marinade, I have found that one little can of Bud Light Lime A Rita is a great marinade. But I like it better than my hubby does, so tonight I skipped the marinade. If you like a strong lime flavor and don't mind a subtle hint of alcohol flavor, try it. I think it's amazing. And the alcohol content cooks out.
Tonight I sprinkled a little olive oil on the skillet and then covered it with sliced mushrooms, thinly sliced rings of sweet onion and chopped cilantro. I sauteed them on top of the stove for a few minutes, just to get them started and get the skillet nice and hot. I laid the fish on top of the onions and cilantro, moving the mushrooms to the edges of the skillet. Then I sprinkled the fish with garlic salt, fresh ground pepper, lime juice and a little more olive oil. I measured nothing. Don't be intimidated. You can't mess this up. And it's so much easier when you just sprinkle and don't worry about following a recipe exactly. It's much more fun that way!
I popped the skillet into the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. I used one halibut steak and one halibut fillet. The steak cooked more quickly than the fillet (I think the fillet might have been still just a tiny bit frozen in the middle when I put it in the oven). So after using up the steak and the end of the fillet for our first serving of tacos, I popped the fillet back in for another five minutes or so.
The combination of the mushrooms, onions and cilantro added such a nice flavor to the fish. I would make it this way even if I were just going to eat the fish and not make tacos with it.
While the fish was baking I chopped up some sweet onion and fresh cilantro, which I combined. I took a package of shredded cabbage out of the fridge. I sliced an avocado and drizzled some fresh lime juice over it.
John likes soft warmed flour tortillas. I like grilled corn tortillas. So we had both. But once you have heated your choice of tortilla and the fish is done, simply fill a tortilla with chunks of fish, some onion/cilantro mixture, a little cabbage and a drizzle of both lime juice and Marie's Cole Slaw Dressing (which closely resembles the sweet white sauce on restaurant fish tacos).
I don't like sour cream, but John does. He added both sour cream and taco sauce to his. But I like mine more authentic. Just the fish, onions, cilantro, cabbage, avocado and sweet white sauce. I never put cheese on a fish taco, but you can add cheese if you want to.
I think this is the fourth time I have made fish tacos in a little over a week. I guess you could say I'm on a fish taco kick. But they are so good and so healthy. And I'm so pleased with the results of my experimentation. Here are a few pictures for inspiration!
This third picture was from a few nights ago. I used two corn tortillas for this taco and guacamole instead of sliced avocado. Sliced avocado is quicker and easier and tastes just as good!
I have been using fresh halibut because my husband orders it online from Alaska and we always have it in the freezer. But I'm sure you could use tilapia or whatever white fish you like. The important thing is to get very fresh, good quality fish.
I have a flat iron skillet (like you would use for fajitas) that I like to use in the oven. If you like to use a marinade, I have found that one little can of Bud Light Lime A Rita is a great marinade. But I like it better than my hubby does, so tonight I skipped the marinade. If you like a strong lime flavor and don't mind a subtle hint of alcohol flavor, try it. I think it's amazing. And the alcohol content cooks out.
Tonight I sprinkled a little olive oil on the skillet and then covered it with sliced mushrooms, thinly sliced rings of sweet onion and chopped cilantro. I sauteed them on top of the stove for a few minutes, just to get them started and get the skillet nice and hot. I laid the fish on top of the onions and cilantro, moving the mushrooms to the edges of the skillet. Then I sprinkled the fish with garlic salt, fresh ground pepper, lime juice and a little more olive oil. I measured nothing. Don't be intimidated. You can't mess this up. And it's so much easier when you just sprinkle and don't worry about following a recipe exactly. It's much more fun that way!
I popped the skillet into the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. I used one halibut steak and one halibut fillet. The steak cooked more quickly than the fillet (I think the fillet might have been still just a tiny bit frozen in the middle when I put it in the oven). So after using up the steak and the end of the fillet for our first serving of tacos, I popped the fillet back in for another five minutes or so.
The combination of the mushrooms, onions and cilantro added such a nice flavor to the fish. I would make it this way even if I were just going to eat the fish and not make tacos with it.
While the fish was baking I chopped up some sweet onion and fresh cilantro, which I combined. I took a package of shredded cabbage out of the fridge. I sliced an avocado and drizzled some fresh lime juice over it.
John likes soft warmed flour tortillas. I like grilled corn tortillas. So we had both. But once you have heated your choice of tortilla and the fish is done, simply fill a tortilla with chunks of fish, some onion/cilantro mixture, a little cabbage and a drizzle of both lime juice and Marie's Cole Slaw Dressing (which closely resembles the sweet white sauce on restaurant fish tacos).
I don't like sour cream, but John does. He added both sour cream and taco sauce to his. But I like mine more authentic. Just the fish, onions, cilantro, cabbage, avocado and sweet white sauce. I never put cheese on a fish taco, but you can add cheese if you want to.
I think this is the fourth time I have made fish tacos in a little over a week. I guess you could say I'm on a fish taco kick. But they are so good and so healthy. And I'm so pleased with the results of my experimentation. Here are a few pictures for inspiration!
This third picture was from a few nights ago. I used two corn tortillas for this taco and guacamole instead of sliced avocado. Sliced avocado is quicker and easier and tastes just as good!
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