So my friend Kelly and I started a weekly dinner together which I've not so creatively named "Sunday Suppers." Since she moved to SF, we figured it would be fun to hang out after Sunday service with a run/hike/rock climbing/yoga and then end the day with a delicious dinner so we can catch up on our week.
I've been pulling recipes from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, It's All Good - Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great. The recipes in this book are actually pretty good. Last week I made her Teriyaki Chicken recipe and this weekend I made her "Crazy Good Fish Tacos" recipes. The fish tacos were pretty darn good. I'm not sure if I'd call them "crazy" good, but they were good. Kelly and I were much satisfied after we completed our meal.
What inspired me to make these fish tacos were -
1) the weather - it's been a warm winter and this past weekend I felt it was like summer!
2) work - so at work we've been highlighting a new South American fish called Paiche (pronounced "pie-chay") that we sell exclusively in our stores and we sponsored 2 bloggers JoyFoodly and ChezUs to create recipes with this fish. Chef Hollie Greene from JoyFoodly created these delicious looking fish tacos so I thought I would try
3) and just a craving for some guac and queso fresco.
And lastly, I believe there were 2 factors that made these fish tacos pretty good -
(one) the fish, I purchased a new South American fish called Paiche (pronounced "pie-chay!" from the Whole Foods Market in Oakland and it's the perfect fish for fish tacos. It has a mild taste and buttery texture and it's hard to overcook! Hence, making it a great fish to use for fish tacos. I'm not saying this because I work for Whole Foods Market. I usually would use tilapia, but tilapia is super easy to overcook or dry out. Paiche on the other hand is a solid fish that holds its texture and flavor when cooked and is super delicious wrapped in a warm tortilla!
(two) the roasted poblano pepper in the sauce that Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe calls for. It makes a well-rounded sauce to go with the fish taco and enhances the freshness of the entire meal.
Anyways, long story short - these fish tacos were delish! Check out the recipe below.
CRAZY GOOD FISH TACOS
Serves 4
Recipe adapted from It's All Good - Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great
The Roasted Pepper Sauce
1 small poblano pepper
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
1/4 fresh jalapeno, seeds removed
The Fish Part
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of Paiche (or other mild white fish), skin removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
sea salt
black pepper
warm tortillas
Extras (this is what makes it all delicious and completes the meal!):
guacamole
red cabbage
'Have'A Corn Chip' Tortilla Chips
Queso Del Valle Queso Fresco
Roberto's of Santa Cruz Salsa
extra limes for that extra zest
Set an open gas flame to medium-high heat and roast the poblano pepper. Using tongs, rotate the pepper every now and then until all of it is roasted black. If you don't have an open gas burner, broil the poblano pepper in the oven and move the oven rack to the middle of the oven. Roasting the pepper should take about 15 minutes. Don't rush this process - you will want to make sure the pepper is cooked and charred on the outside. Once this is done, put the pepper in a paper bag and close the bag so it can naturally steam and it will be easy to take the skin off. After it's cooled, slip off and remove the burnt skin, stem, and the seeds. Rinse the pepper with a little bit of water to remove any charred remains. Then puree the pepper in a blender along with the onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeno and set the sauce aside.
Take a large skillet and the put the olive oil in it and set your stove to high heat. Then add the Paiche to the pan and add some salt and pepper to your fish. Saute the fish until cooked - this takes about 6-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve the fish!
I served the sauce on the side. The original recipe called to mix the sauce with the fish. Do as you prefer.
Then I placed the fish, sauce, tortillas, and extras on the table so we could build our own fish tacos! It's fun and delicious! Hope you enjoy it too!