by amvandenhurk | Dinner, Seafood
Go wild on Taco Tuesday with Fish Tacos
Not only for Taco Tuesday, but maybe Fish Friday, these fish tacos will satisfy everyone. We’ve never done Taco Tuesday in our house. The local Mexican place offers $1 tacos on Tuesdays. We would go and eat our tacos, but honestly they were pretty sorry tacos. Only two kinds: chicken and beef. Always leaving unsatisfied, we stopped going. Why pay for that wasn’t meeting your expectations? Even if it was a dollar.
I decided this past Tuesday that we needed to do Taco Tuesday. Mainly because I was bored and wanted to cook something new. And I rarely cook anything from south of border. Decided to make fish tacos. I’ve eaten them in restaurants and while they were tasty there was something that never worked for me. Best way was me to make them.
Made with cod, homemade salsa, and fiery sauce, they are delicious, fast, and simple. Perfect for busy weeknights. I make my own tomato salsa and mix my own fiery sauce. The extra effort will reward you in flavor and freshness. I keep the cod very simple by seasoning it with salt and pepper cooking it in a little bit of olive oil for it to get brown and lightly crispy.
My guys are already requesting them for next Taco Tuesday, but with shrimp. So our first Taco Tuesday was a success!
I used cod, but other flaky fish would work as well as shrimp. Per request by my guys, they wanted both fish and chicken. I agreed to have both. While I seasoned the fish with salt and pepper, I seasoned the chicken with a spicy mix of pepper and chili.
Fish Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pieces cod
- Salt and pepper
- Salsa – see recipe below
- Lettuce thinly sliced
- Small flour or corn tortillas
Fiery Sauce
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
Mix together in small bowl.
Addictive Salsa Recipe
- 4-6 plum tomatoes, diced small
- 1 bunch of Cilantro, chopped small
- 1 Jalapeño pepper, chopped small
- 1/2 white onion, chopped small
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Mix all ingredients together. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temp and stirring a couple times.
Preparation
- Prepare the salsa and fiery sauce allowing the blend flavors at room temp.
- Salt and pepper the cod or shrimp.
- Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
- Cook cod until flaky and/or shrimp until they are pink.
- Warm up tortillas.
- Serve with salsa, fiery sauce, lettuce, and tortillas.
Serves 4.
by amvandenhurk | Asian, Dinner
Coconut milk poached cod with peppers and spinach
This may surprise folks, but fish does not have to be fried. Poaching fish is a very nice alternative. And poached cod is my favorite fish to do this with especially if it is coconut milk poached cod. Poached is cooking in a small amount of liquid. It sounds posh and difficult, but it really is very simple. Poaching infusing lots of flavor in the cooking process.
I have a few recipes for poached cod. While most of them are more European in origin, I’ve tried one with an Asian flavor. The broth or sauce is amazing on this recipe. I could just pour it over rice and lick the bowl. I regress. For my recipe, I used two different peppers; because, that’s what I had on hand.
I have to admit this was one of those meals, which came out the pantry and the veggie bin. My pantry is always stocked with frozen fish, citrus, coconut milk, broth, canned tomatoes, canned beans, bottled minced garlic, and squeezable ginger, but that’s for a totally different post that I should write about decent pantry stapes. I regress. Again.
Coconut Milk Poached Cod Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red pepper diced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 13.66 fl oz can coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cod filets
- salt and pepper
- 1 container baby spinach
Preparation
- Dice peppers, zest the lime and juice the lime.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the peppers and lime zest, until tender.
- Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, juice from half a lime and ½ tsp. salt bringing to a boil.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on each side of the cod filets.
- Place the filets into the broth. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip cooking for another 3-5 minutes, until the fish flakes.
- Remove the filets from the broth and place each in a bowl.
- Add the spinach to the skillet cooking until tender. Add the rest of the lime juice stirring to combine.
- Spoon the broth into each bowl.
Serve with rice.
Serves 4.
Here is that gorgeous broth worthy of licking the bowl.
by amvandenhurk | Seafood
Poached Cod with Tomatoes and Beans
Poached Cod with Tomatoes and Beans makes me think of the coast of France. Perhaps a cafe on the beach in Normandy. This is the perfect dish for gray skies and a rough sea. Or in my case a summer evening inland on the flatlands of eastern North Carolina. Anywhere you prepare this dish, it will be good.
It is a healthy, simple, and quick dinner that looks like you slaved over the stove for hours. You could even serve this dish to company to rave reviews. And I have.
Simple ingredients make for a clean rich flavor. The ingredient list is short and easy to find which is always helpful depending on where you live and how busy you are.
Recipe
Serves 4. Takes about 45 mins to cook so it give time to check Facebook and Instagram. At about 400 calories, your waistline and heart will thank you.
Olive Oil
1 Red pepper, chopped to your liking, but I do chunky making it more rustic
1 Onion, chopped
1 Yellow squash, chopped and pick a large one
3 Tomatoes, chopped
2/3 teaspoon salt, I use kosher
1/4 teaspoon pepper, I never measure pepper, but a few good turns of the grinder should do
1 can cannellini beans, wash and drained
4 cod fillets
Parsley, chopped
Cooking
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven then add the red pepper and onion over medium heat. Cook until they are soft then add the squash and tomatoes with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes have broken down and squash has softened stirring a few times. Add the beans stir until mixed. Place the cod fillets on top of the mixture. Turn down heat to simmer covering and letting cook until the fish is flaky. Sprinkle with parsley.
Add buttered toast if you want. Being able to pile the bean mixture on the toast is very yummy and satisfying. Serve with a fork or a spoon.
There you have it. Poached Cod with Tomatoes and Beans. A little taste of France in 45 minutes.
This recipe was adapted from Real Simple.
by amvandenhurk | Seafood
We love fish in this house. I’m always on the lookout for new, simple, and yummy fish dishes.
I tried a new one tonight from Real Simple: cod with marinated tomatoes, polenta, and sautéed spinach. It was wonderful! Quick and easy make… under 30 minutes. Plus it is healthy coming in under 400 calories per serving and using all fresh ingredients.
It is a keeper. All of us enjoyed it.
PS – The tomatoes were from our garden and they were the best.
Hello! I'm Ann Marie and I wear the well-worn apron. Join me as explore plant-based eating while I live on an island off the U.S. state of Rhode Island.