Been helping a friend work out a menu for a 4th of July party next week (where has the first half of summer gone!), and he and his lovely wife have settled on a grilled fish taco for the main event.
Tacos are great any time, and can be shaped around just about any protein you can imagine, though we’re particular fans of the much-adored and appreciated fish taco. These 4th of July Grilled Fish Tacos can even pull off a classic red, white, and blue theme using blue corn tortillas (delicious, nutritious, and novel).
After fiddling around the past few weeks with different rubs and marinades, they like this citrus-based one the best, flavored up with chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Just don’t leave your fish in there too long as the citrus will begin to cook the flesh a bit. And a host of firm, white-fleshed fish work here – my buddy is a big fan of snapper and will cook that for his party, but tilapia actually plays really well here (not expensive, easy to find, grills well, and makes a great platform for the other flavors).
Fish tacos, at least in our world, end up being about all the other flavors on the table – a spicy slaw, great salsas (make at least one spicy fruit salsa), real crema, and a pile of the toppings of your choice (see the link for toppings in the ingredient list below).
It’s taco time.
2 lb lean, firm white fish fillets (i.e. halibut, tilapia, snapper)
2 limes, juiced
3 tbsp EVOO or avocado oil
1 tbsp chili powder
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp good ground cumin
1-2 tsp paprikaThe rest of the goods
Blue Corn Tortillas (easy to make at home)
Southwestern Fish Taco Slaw
Grilled Pineapple Habanero Salsa
Maribel’s Mango Salsa
Crema
The rest of the fixin’s (final paragraphs in this post)
Run through the list above and see what other recipes you’ll want to stir together for your taco festival – a great fresh slaw is essential, as are the crema and a great salsa.
When getting ready to eat, stir together the marinade and combine with the fish fillets in a resealable bag, and throw in the fridge for 20 minutes or so. (Not much longer as the citrus can begin to cook the fish).
Fire the grill, and grill over medium-high heat for 2-4 minutes per side (pending how thick your fillets are), turning once, until cooked through. Pull and let rest a couple of minutes, then gently flake/break apart, and build those tacos.
Enjoy.
