Grill season is upon us! And for the occasion, I wanted to create a grilled taco recipe that delivers what I love about classic, Baja-style, fried fish tacos, without breaking the caloric bank. For a healthy and tasty way to get lots of flavor I grilled the fish instead of battering and frying it and nixed the traditional mayo-based sauce. The result? A supremely tasty and surprisingly simple springtime meal. (Yields four servings.)
Ingredients
Quick-Pickled Vegetables:
-1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
-¼ onion, thinly sliced
-¼ zucchini, thinly sliced
-¼ yellow squash, thinly sliced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp cumin seeds
-½ cup rice vinegar
-1 tbsp lime juice
-1 tsp salt
Grilled Fish:
-½ cup fresh citrus juice
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp cilantro, minced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp cumin
-1 tsp salt
-1 large pinch black pepper
-1 lb whitefish * fillets (halibut, snapper, mahi-mahi, sea bass, sole, etc.), cut into 8 pieces
-corn tortillas
-wooden skewers
Avocado-Jalapeño Crema:
-2 tbsp crema or sour cream
-2 tbsp milk
-¼ avocado
-1-3 jalapeños
-2 cloves garlic
-1 tbsp cilantro
-1 tbsp lime juice
-1 tsp cumin
-½ tsp salt
Consider some garnishes:
-Cotija cheese
-Hot sauce
-Lime wedges
-Cilantro
-Avocado slices
*I have purposefully left out tilapia, perhaps the most commonly used fish in traditional, Baja-style fish tacos, for health reasons. If nobody told you yet, eating farm-raised tilapia is as bad for you as eating bacon—some say worse. Don’t believe this? Google it and prepare to have your mind blown.
Method
1. Make the quick-pickled vegetables first. I used a combination of red onions, zucchini, yellow squash, and assorted heirloom tomatoes I had on hand. I encourage you to use whatever you have at home or whatever is readily available to you locally—the trick is to choose firm vegetables with a nice crunch and slice them up very thin (you should end up with 1/2 cup total). Also, toss in some fresh herbs if you have any—I threw in a couple pinches of dill. Combine the vegetables, garlic, herbs and cumin seeds in a medium bowl. Mix the vinegar, lime juice and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Pour over vegetables and herbs. Let stand at room temperature while preparing the rest of the dish.
2. Now, prepare the marinade. You can use any fresh citrus fruits. I like a combination of very sour and sweet; lime and orange is a great duo, but don’t forget about grapefruits, tangerines, clementines, lemons, yuzu… Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to combine. Pour over fish fillets and marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes (if you need longer, place fish in the refrigerator).
3. Next, prepare the avocado-jalapeño crema. Combine crema ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
4. Preheat a gas grill * on high for 10 minutes, covered, prior to grilling. Thread each piece of fish onto a skewer and discard marinade. Wrap exposed part of each skewer in heavy-duty foil to protect it from charring. Wrap corn tortillas in aluminum foil and heat on the grill while cooking your fish. Oil grill rack, then grill fish, covered, turning once, until opaque and just cooked through, about 10 minutes total if you're going with the Chilean sea bass.
5. Lastly, assemble and serve your fish tacos with corn tortillas, the avocado-jalapeño crema, pickled vegetables and optional garnishes. Enjoy immediately.
*If you aren't able to grill outdoors, cook fish in a well-oiled, ridged grill pan. Heat grill pan on high heat until it is smoking to ensure that you get a crisp sear on the outside of your fish. Warm the tortillas in a foil package in grill pan 2 to 3 minutes or in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes.
—Amy Kothari
*Amy Kothari](http://intothegloss.com/2014/01/amy-kothari-big-city-small-batches/) is the founder of the artisan jam and jelly company Big City, Small Batches and shares her recipes and food photography on her blog, Tastes Like Chicken.
