NATALIE’S SUMMER TACO

NATALIE’S SUMMER TACO

My wife and I are both huge fans of Tacos, and of course in Mexico it is an institution! When we were last there, all along the Baja Coast we found vendors selling every variety of Taco you can imagine… one of my wife’s favorites was the Fish Taco.

As she is a huge fan of this dish and she lives for summer I thought up the Taco with her in mind…

1 Fillet John Dory or White fish

¼ Long red chili stemmed, deseeded and finely diced

½ Lime Juiced

1 tbsp Olive Oil

½ Mango Diced

1/3 Jalapeño Chili stemmed, deseeded and finely diced

5 tbsp tinned Cannellini Beans drained

2 Pinches of Finely Chopped Coriander

2 Cloves Roasted Garlic

3 Long Red Chilies stemmed and deseeded

1 Tin Whole Peeled Tomatoes

¼ Red Onion

Pinch Fresh Coriander

½ Cup Chicken Stock

½ Teaspoon Cumin Powder

2 Large Pinches Brown Sugar

2 Handfuls Chopped Cos Lettuce

1. Okay, first thing we need to do is marinate the fish. Check it for any bones and make sure the skin is removed (you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you). Lay it in a dish and keep in the fridge until needed.

1. Now we need to chop the chilies… We want a really fine dice (or Brunoise) if you don’t know how to do that then here we go…Get you long red chili and cut the stem off, then cut it down the length so it opens up. Scoop out the seeds and white ribs inside the chili then lay it down flat. Start cutting long thin strips until ¼ of the chili is in long matchsticks… reserve the rest of your chili for later. Place all of chili matchsticks together and carefully dice into small cubes. Put into bowl.
2. Grab some coriander leaves and chop finely then place in bowl
3. Add the olive oil and the lime juice to the bowl and mix together

Pour over the fish coasting well cover and place into the fridge for about 30 minutes.

6. While the fish in marinating let’s make the Red Chili sauce. First we need to roast the garlic. Grab a skillet and heat to high. Place on unpeeled garlic and cook until skin blackens. Remove from heat, peel and reserve

6. Get out your blender and add garlic, roughly chopped chilies, tomatoes, red onion, coriander and chicken stock.
7. Blend together until pureed.
8. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve and press through with a spoon or plastic pastry scrapper.
9. Heat a saucepan to medium heat then and the add sauce so it sizzles. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer

Add cumin, salt and brown sugar, seasoning till flavor is balanced. Cook for 10- 15 min stirring frequently, reserve.

12.  Almost there… so lets make the salsa! Cut ½ a mango into ½ centimeter strips and then dice, ensuring you remove any skin.

12.  Drain tin of beans and add 5 or so tablespoons to the diced mango. This amount may vary so its up to you!
13. Stem and deseed you Jalapeño and use the same method of chopping we used for the marinate to finely dice the chili. Make sure there are no big chunks! When your done add them to the mango.

Finely chop some coriander add to the bowl and squeeze the limejuice over the top. Mix and reserve.

16. Heat a grill to high temperature and add the fish…. Make sure the fish is cooked through but not over cooked… mine took about 4-5 minutes but this will vary on your fillet size… Cook until ready and remove from heat and cover with foil.

17. Heat a pan and add the flour tortillas. These wont take to long to cook so dry fry them for about 30 – 40 seconds a side.

Now lets put the taco together. On the tortilla lay the Cos lettuce. Flake the fish with a fork and scatter the chunks over the top. Drizzle the Chili Sauce and then spoon on some the Mango & Bean Salsa… and just like that… time to eat!