This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown's fish tacos. Kristian and I are in love with Alton Brown ever since Mark and Sariah introduced him to us. He's become somewhat of an obsession. If ever we are looking for a recipe we first see if Alton Brown has one. It's become somewhat problematic because typically you need three or four days to cook something from one of his recipes and all of the sudden we feel like that must be the only right way to do it. Anyway, we adapted this recipe, not because it took three or four days, but because I didn't have any tequila on hand. Wierd, I know.
We had this for dinner tonight and it was quite delicous. All of the kids liked it, though they are pretty fond of fish as a rule, so not too surprising. As I'm typing this I can hear something banging around in the dryer that surely should not be in there. I'm not getting up to check it out or anything, but I can guarentee I will be sorry later. That being said, let's get back to the tacos.
This recipe calls for tilapia. For those of you who aren't fish crazy, tilapia is a very mild flavored fish. Combine that with the marinade and throw it in a taco and I would go so far as to say it doesn't taste fishy. Jessica always tells me, "you can't taste that in there because you like that. If it was something you didn't like you would be able to taste it." So, if you don't like fish, you may disagree with me. If you do try this one, post a comment so the non fish lovers can know what you think.
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
2 limes, zested
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teasopon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound tilapia fillets
8 tortillas
crema, recipe follows
shredded cabbage
lime wedges
Crema:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions:
1. Put the garlic, cilantro, lime zest, cumin, salt and pepper in a small food processor and pusle until combined, approx 20 seconds. With the processor running, add the olive oil a little at a time. Put tilapia fillets into a 1 gallon resealable bag, add garlic mixture and move around to coat each fillet. Set aside at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
2. Heat an electric nonstick griddle to 375 and brush with olive oil. Cook the fillets until just cooked through and opaque (about 3-4 minutes per side). Cut into strips and serve in warm tortillas with crema, shredded red cabbage and lime wedges.
Crema:
Put the heavy cream in a 16 ounce microwave safe glass jar. Microwave on high until the cream is just under 100 degrees F. About 30-40 seconds. Add the buttermilk. Close the jar and store in a warm place for 24 hours. The cream will have thickened to the consistency of thin yogurt.
Add the chipotle chile and salt and process with an immersion blender in the jar until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
ENJOY!
Oh, as a side note, I like the uncooked tortillas you get at costco that you fry up at home. They are Tortillaland brand. So good, if you haven't tried them you really should. I was out of those tonight, so I made my own, they weren't great. If you have a good tortilla recipe, I'd love to hear it.
