Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and Spicy Sriracha Sauce

My son lives in San Diego, which is basically America’s home to fish tacos. Personally, I’ve never had a fish taco before and was curious to see what all the fuss was about. After all, when I’m ready to move in with my son, I want to be familiar with his food favorites. (Just kidding, Mark….I’m not moving in…..yet…LOL.) There are literally thousands of recipe variations from spicy Mexican to grilled Asian infused. As my first attempt, I chose a grilled version with a cabbage slaw flavored with toasted sesame oil. I then topped it off with a spicy Sriracha sauce (similar to what I made for my SpicySweet Potato Fries, but I increased the Sriracha to pump up the heat a little). Hubby was not at all happy when I announced what I was making for dinner. He literally pouted all day, because he had made up his mind beforehand that he wasn’t going to like it. But, I plunged ahead anyway, and convinced him to give it a fair shot. As it turned out, Mike scoffed down 3 of them, didn't hesitate to eat leftovers the next day, and ended up praising my meal choice. See? You can teach an old dog new tricks!

Ingredients for Cabbage Slaw

 

Ingredients for Fish Tacos. Use smaller Taco-sized tortillas (not Burrito-sized as shown above).

Prepare veggies: If not using pre-packaged slaw mix, shred Napa or Savoy cabbage. Chop cilantro and tomatoes. Thinly slice green onions. Juice limes (you’ll need 5 Tablespoons total). Mince garlic (for sauce).

Prepare spicy Sriracha sauce: Combine sour cream (or Greek yogurt), garlic, lime juice, Sriracha, salt and pepper. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

 

Ingredients for Spicy Sriracha Sauce. (Missing from pic: lime, for juice)

Prepare cabbage slaw: Combine shredded cabbage, tomatoes, green onions and cilantro in a large bowl. Add lime juice, olive oil, sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Toss well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare marinade for fish fillets: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

I used cod fillets, which I find to be a little too oily without rinsing first. So, I lightly rinse it under cold water, then pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels.

Place fish fillets in resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over the fillets. Seal bag and let marinate in refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Remove fish from the marinade and grill on a preheated grill, or nonstick grill pan, over medium-high heat until cooked, and fish flakes easily with a fork, about 3 minutes per side. Set the fish aside.

Heat the tortillas on the grill, or grill pan, for about 30 seconds on each side. 

Flake the fish with a fork.

Top each tortilla with cabbage slaw, fish and spicy Sriracha sauce to taste. Serve with lime wedges.

FISH TACOS WITH CABBAGE SLAW AND SPICY SRIRACHA SAUCE
Source: Kelchner Food Products
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

Spicy Sriracha Sauce:

• 1 cup sour cream, or 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 4 teaspoons Sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Cabbage Slaw:

• 4 cups pre-packaged slaw mix, or very thinly sliced Napa or Savoy cabbage
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 Tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 cup chopped plum or Roma tomatoes
• 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
• Pinch of salt

Fish Taco:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds white flaky fish fillet, like tilapia, cod or halibut
• 8 taco size flour tortillas
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lime, sliced for garnish (optional)

             
DIRECTIONS:

Spicy Sriracha Sauce Directions:
1. Combine all sauce ingredients in small bowl. Whisk to combine. Cover and refrigerate.

Cabbage Slaw Directions:
1. Combine shredded cabbage, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add lime juice,
     olive oil, sesame oil and a pinch of salt; toss well to combine. Refrigerate before use.

Fish Taco Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Pour over the fish fillets and
    let marinate for 20 minutes.
2. Remove the fish from the marinade and grill on a preheated grill or nonstick grill pan over a medium-
    high heat until cooked, about 3 minutes per side. Set the fish aside.
3. Heat the tortillas on the grill or grill pan for 30 seconds on each side. Flake the fish with a fork. Top
    each tortilla with cabbage slaw, fish, and Spicy Sriracha Sauce to taste.  Serve with lime wedges.

Roasted Jalapeno Patty Melts

This weekend I decided to satisfy a craving. It’s been years since I had a patty melt and even longer since I had seeded rye bread. Recently, I came across this recipe on Mrs. Happy Homemaker, for a patty melt with roasted jalapeno peppers. Sold! Right then and there I knew I was going to try this. The only thing I needed to add was a good thousand island dressing. Thanks to Creole Contessa I found the perfect dressing, better than any I have ever tried before. It combines mayo with Sriracha, Sambal Oelek (chili paste), ketchup, relish and seasonings. (Actually, until yesterday, I didn’t realize that Sambal Oelek is manufactured by the same company that produces Sriracha. There was a very interesting article on Huffington Post yesterday on the CEO and founder of Huy Fong Foods and the history of Sriracha.)  Anyway, back to the patty melt, the final result was amazing, just as I had expected it to be. I don’t usually get excited about burgers (especially without bacon), but this was, by far, the exception to the rule. The roasted jalapenos and spicy thousand island dressing put a modern spin on this All-American classic. My rating of this patty melt, 5 stars; this is a yummy delight!

The slices of rye bread were on the large side; so I ended up putting 1-1/2 burgers on each sandwich. Also, I cut up more onions than necessary, about 5 or 6 onions, as Mike loves his caramelized onions. We opted for white American cheese, and doubled up, as the cheese was thin cut and we wanted it cheesier.

To prepare thousand island dressing: In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, Sambal Oelek (chili paste), Sriracha, ketchup, relish, black pepper and minced onion (slight variation from original). Mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate.

To caramelize the onions: heat oil over moderately high heat (until hot but not smoking). Sauté onions, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

To roast the jalapenos: Set oven to broil. Place jalapenos on a baking sheet. Cook, flipping occasionally, until the jalapeno is 80% blackened. Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove from bag. Peel off skin. Remove stems and seeds.

Cook burgers, either on outdoor grill or on stovetop to desired doneness. Keep warm.

Butter one side of each of the slices of rye bread. Put buttered side down in large skillet. Top each slice with one (or more) slices of cheese. When bottom of bread is toasty brown, divide the caramelized onions between half of the bread slices. 

Top with burger. Top with roasted jalapenos. 

Top with dressing. Top with other slice of cheesy bread. 

Cut in half and serve with plenty of napkins!

ROASTED JALAPENO PATTY MELTS
Sources: Mrs. Happy Homemaker, Creole Contessa
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

Thousand Island Dressing:

• 1 cup mayonnaise - do not use Miracle Whip
• 2 Tablespoons Sambal Oelek (Ground Fresh Chili Paste)
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 Tablespoon ketchup
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons relish
• 1/2 Tablespoon minced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper        

Patty Melts:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 small  onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
• 4 large jalapenos, whole
• 4  beef patties
• 4 to 8 slices seeded rye bread (quantity depends on size of bread slices)
• 4 to 8 slices cheese (Cheddar, American or Swiss), quantity depends on size of bread

           
DIRECTIONS:

1. To prepare thousand island dressing: In small bowl, combine mayo, Sambal Oelek, Sriracha, ketchup,
    relish, minced onion and black pepper. Mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate.
2. To roast jalapenos: Set oven to broil. Place jalapenos on a baking sheet. Cook, flipping occasionally,
    until 80% blackened. Place in a resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove
    from bag. Peel off skin. Remove stem and seeds.
3. Cook burger, either on outdoor grill, or on stovetop in grill pan, until desired doneness. Keep warm.
4. Butter one side Butter one side of each of the slices of rye bread. Put buttered side down in large
    skillet. Top each slice with one (or more) slices of cheese. When bottom of bread is toasty brown,
    divide the caramelized onions between half of the bread slices. Top with burger. Top with roasted
    jalapenos. Top with dressing. Top with other slice of cheesy bread. Cut in half and serve.