Blogs, Recipes

Blackened Fish Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce

I’d have to say I am an avid taco lover.  I eat tacos of some sort at least twice a week.  

This is one of my favorite taco recipes! 

The fish is so flavorful and spicy, but the heat is mellowed out by the slaw and creamy avocado sauce.  All together it has a ton of amazing tastes and textures. These tacos are perfect for a hot summer’s day spent by the pool. 

You can choose any white fish, such as grouper, tilapia, snapper, whatever fish you like. 

The slaw recipe is so easy! Just buy the pre-made Tri-color Coleslaw bag, drop it into a large bowl and toss in the onions, cilantro and lime. 

A glass of Scout & Cellar 2019 CONTE DE LA TERRE VERMENTINO is the perfect pairing for these tacos and a pool day! 

BLACKENED SEASONING

  • 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼  teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

FISH

  • 6 (4 ounce) white fish fillets 
  • 2-3 sticks unsalted butter
  • 1 lemon cut into wedges
  • 8 to 10 (6 inch) flour or corn tortillas

THE SLAW: 

  • 1 Tri-color Coleslaw bag
  • ½ medium-sized onion, diced
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Pinch of salt

AVOCADO-CILANTRO SAUCE:

  • 1 avocado
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ¼ cup cilantro leaves
  • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 3 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp. Sriracha, optional
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ to ½ cup water (depending on consistency)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried Italian seasoning, onion powder, cumin, sea salt, and red pepper flakes. Set aside. 

Heat a heavy cast iron pan on high heat until extremely hot, about 10 minutes.

Pour 3/4 cup melted butter into a shallow dish. Dip each fillet into butter, turning once to coat both sides. Sprinkle both sides of fillets with spice mixture, and gently pat mixture onto fish.

Place fillets into a hot pan without crowding. Carefully melt about 1 teaspoon melted butter and spoon  over each fillet. Cook until the fish has a charred appearance, about 2 minutes. Turn fillets, spoon 1 teaspoon melted butter over each, and cook until charred. Repeat with remaining fish. You may need to add more butter to the pan, as you cook remaining fish. Squeeze lemon juice onto fish.

No one said this was healthy. LOL

To make the avocado sauce, combine the avocado, garlic, cilantro, yogurt, lime juice, sriracha and salt/pepper in a food processor and pulse until combined. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and water until smooth until you have your desired consistency.

Combine all of the Slaw ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Heat the oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add in the fish (a few at a time if you can’t fit them all at once). Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the outside is blackened and the fish flakes apart easily.

Remove the fish from the heat, and if desired, warm the corn tortillas in the same skillet over medium heat, cooking for about 30 seconds on each side.

Break up the fish into pieces. 

To assemble the tacos, place chicken in a tortilla and top with slaw and a drizzle of the avocado sauce. 

Serve with a fresh squeeze of lime and enjoy!

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Recipes, Small Bites

Three Fresh Salsa Recipes

There’s nothing better than a Taco party! Not only does everyone love tacos, but you can make it all ahead of time and be able to sit down with your guests and eat. You can’t have a Taco party without SALSA! And your chips, tacos and meats deserve the best! 

These fresh salsa recipes are super simple and crowd favorites! 

Let’s get the Fiesta preparation started!

Pico De Gallo is a classic Mexican recipe made from fresh tomato, cilantro, red onion, and lime juice..

Fresh Pico de Gallo Salsa

  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • I clove garlic, minced 
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • Salt & Pepper to taste 

Stir all together in a bowl.

Serve. 

Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde is really easy to make from scratch, all you need are tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, lime, and cilantro. This salsa Verde is fresh, bright, and not too salty like store-bought versions.

  • 4-6 tomatillos
  • 1/2 cup chopped white onion
  • 2 cloves garlic 
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 Jalapeño pepper
  • Salt to taste

Preheat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches below the heat source. Place the tomatillos and jalapeño on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until they’re blackened in spots, about 5 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully flip over the tomatillos and  jalapeño with tongs and broil for 4 to 6 more minutes, until the tomatillos are splotchy-black and blistered.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the chopped onion, cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. 

Once the tomatillos are out of the oven, carefully transfer the hot tomatillos, jalapeño and all of their juices into the food processor or blender.

Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth and no big chunks of tomatillo remain, scraping down the sides as necessary. Season to taste with additional lime juice and salt. 

The salsa will be thinner at first, but will thicken up after a few hours in the refrigerator. 

Cilantro Lime Sauce

This Cilantro Lime sauce has incredible flavor and only requires a handful of ingredients. It’s a fresh, creamy!

  • 1 small bunch cilantro 
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 1  medium avocado 
  • 2 tbsp water
  • ½ tsp each salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. 

Refrigerate and Serve.