NuM NuM

Blackened fish


I must tell you about these amazing tacos!! Mexican food and I never really got along but if Mexican food tasted like this, I would eat it all the time...ALL THE TIME! These are not your greasy, fatty, full of lard kind of tacos. Oh no, these are made with fresh tilapia fish and kicked up a notch with a spicy blackened rub, tangy corn and topped off with a sweet and salty salad. With all those flavor combinations, it literally is a party in your mouth...makes you want to do the happy dance. These tacos are not only delicious, but they're healthy for you too. I hardly used any oil and flavored the corn with non-fat plain greek yogurt instead of creme fraiche. I know it sounds weird to cook with yogurt - I thought so too, but the flavor wasn't as strong and tangy as I thought it would be. It just added an extra element to the dish. I also learned a cool trick from another blog and made some hard taco shells too. You simply put however many tortillas you want to eat and wrap them in a damp paper towel and zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds. Once they're pliable put them in a pre-heated 450F oven and slide out the middle rack. Then drape the tortilla between two grates and bake until they become nice and hard and they'll turn out just like the ones in the photo.

Lobster was going nuts over these tacos too. At one point we were almost fighting over one of them and I thought I was going to have to take him out and stab his hand with my fork.

I served these with a grilled corn salad, grilled onions and stuffed them inside the taco shells too. Also make sure you squirt some lime over the top of your tacos because it adds a nice bit of freshness and really makes them POP!! Next time I would also serve these with black beans, rice and pico de gallo to round out the meal. You must try these! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did.


Fish Tacos with Mango and Jicama Salad
Adapted from Cooking Light March 2009
Serves 4

Salad
3/4 cup (3-inch) julienne-cut peeled jicama
1/2 cup sliced peeled ripe mango
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar (may not need sugar if mango is ripe)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and adjust seasonings to taste.


Blackened Tilapia Fish
Adapted from all recipes

1 pound tilapia
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix together paprika, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, cumin, black pepper, white pepper, thyme and salt; set aside. Rub fish all over with spices so every bit of the fish is seasoned. Heat a heavy cast iron pan on high heat until extremely hot, about 5 minutes. Sear and cook fish on both sides until opaque and flaky which will probably be a few minutes per side.

To prepare soft tacos preheat oven to 250 degrees and wrap a stack of tortillas in a damp paper towel in a casserole dish and cover with a lid. Place in oven for 20 minutes.


GRILLED CORN SALAD WITH LIME, RED CHILI AND COTIJA – 2 SERVINGS
Adapted from Bobby Flay

• 2 ears fresh corn , husk on
• Canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbs to 1/4 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 lime juiced and zested
• 2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tbs crumbled feta or cotija cheese

Directions
Pre heat oven to 350F. Place corn on sheet pan and roast for thirty minutes or heat an outdoor grill to high and grill corn until charred on all sides, 10 or so minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the kernels with a sharp knife. While you are cutting the corn, put a cast iron skillet on the grill to heat.
Add the corn and the remaining ingredients to the hot pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until creamy and heated through.

**For this recipe I eye-balled most of the ingredients and seasoned for taste. I ended up using a lot more chili powder, salt and cheese.