I love fish tacos. Simple basic, fried, grilled or poached.
This is a poached method freezer to fork that I oddly picked up in Alaska. Their recipe calls for their local beer, but I switched out lime juice for the acid as more traditional.
Mexicorn side dish is a play on the roasted street corn slathered in mayonnaise and crusted in cotija cheese. I added some sweet mini-pepper for color and nutrition.
Fish from the freezer, lime, mini red pepper, feta, cabbage, corn from frozen and a couple corn tortillas. For frozen vegetables you don’t need a fancy bag clip. Go to your dollar store or office supply store you can get a dozen for about 50 cents each.
Start with a little cabbage slaw. Thinly shave a slice from the cabbage.
Next the limes. We wont be using the zest of the limes but never waste it. There is so much flavor in the zest, and if you want the bright flavor but not liquid or acid just use the zest. It preserves with salt … and if you are a margarita person … well yo know what to do.
Squeeze 1/2 of one lime over the cabbage, add about 1 teaspoon dried cilantro and just let it hang out while you poach the fish.
Clean and dice a mini sweet pepper to have that ready.
Prep the poaching liquid – juice of one lime, chipotle powder, cumin, coriander. Bring to a low simmer. This cooks very quickly as both the heat and the acid will be cooking the fish.
If you look closely you will see there is a sheet of ice encasing the fish. This is why you buy frozen unless you are getting it directly off the boat and cooking it fresh. Most commercial fish is flash frozen on the boat, or on a processing boat at sea. That sheet of ice actually protects the delicate fish. Gently rinse the fish in cold water just to remove the ice sheet.
Trim the cod to fit into the pan. Gently slide the fish into the pan, turn once to coat with the seasoning. Cover tightly and simmer 2-3 minutes then turn off the heat and let rest in the liquid.
Melt some butter in a small cast iron. Add in the corn and peppers. Start with a hot pan to get some good char brown color on the corn. The reduce heat.
Mix in a teaspoon each mayo and yogurt, and a couple teaspoons of feta. Stir until creamy. Char a couple corn tortillas over a hot burner or gas flame. Just until pliable and nice color. Fill the tortillas with the poached cod, and top with the lime slaw. Serve the sweet corn on the side. Delicate flakey fish, tangy slaw, sweet creamy corn.
I have always cooked, I was that person who could make a meal from an empty fridge. I have lived alone and with large and small families, I have cooked for camps on wood stoves, and in professional kitchens. I have lived and worked all over the west from Montana, to Seattle to Arizona to San Diego. I have traveled, maybe not 'all over the world', yet, and have collected tastes recipes and techniques everywhere, and every one I meet.
