The first time I ever had a fish taco I was living in San Diego. Some friends and I went to the boardwalk to go to a little pub called Lahaina’s. The place was great; it even had its own pier out onto the sand. When we ordered lunch, one of the girls ordered a fish taco and I looked at her like she was crazy. I was from Ohio; we don’t put fish in our tacos in Ohio — well, at least not back then. She made me try it and it was one of the best things I ever ate. Ever since I have been trying to recreate the dish. I have never been able to match the taste of that taco, however, this recipe comes very close.
Now in trying to keep with some healthier recipes when I made this dish I use fat-free everything. The canola oil is better for you than vegetable oil, and fat-free sour cream is a better choice in terms of fat and calories. Other than those two alterable ingredients, this dish is very, very good for you. With all fresh ingredients and lots of veggies it is hard to go wrong. For those of you who have never tried or maybe heard of jicama, it is from the turnip family and can be found at all of our local groceries. It has a peppery bite to it, is wonderfully crunchy and very fresh tasting, making it perfect for a Mexican meal.
I have noted in the recipes below that the slaw and salsa should be made at least an hour ahead of time. Really, they can be made the day before. The salsa, especially. It really does taste better the next day.
Let’s cook and grab a bite south of the border!
Equipment List
Food Processor or sharp chef’s knife
Large skillet
Covered container for marinating
3 plastic containers for slaw, salsa and sauce
Sheet tray for tortillas
Ingredient List
4 Mahi-Mahi Fillets
10 corn or flour tortillas
For the slaw
1 jicama
¼ head red cabbage
½ red onion
¼ c lime juice
2 tblsp honey
1 tblsp of chopped chipolte pepper in adobo
¼ c canola oil
¼ chopped cilantro
¼ c rice wine vinegar
Cilantro Lime Sauce
½ c sour cream
1 tblsp lime juice
¼ c chopped cilantro
1 tsp garlic powder
Zest of a lime
¼ tsp each salt and pepper
Mahi Mahi marinade
¼ orange juice
¼ c pineapple juice
3 tblsp lime juice
1 tblsp honey
¼ canola oil
3 tblsp rice wine vinegar
¼ tsp each salt and pepper
Black Bean Salsa
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red onion diced
2 jalepenos, diced and deseeded
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 avocado, diced
1 ½ c corn
5 tomatoes, diced
¼ chopped cilantro
½ tsp salt and pepper
¼ c rice wine vinegar
¼ c canola oil
Putting It All Together
Make the marinade for the fish. Add all the ingredients to a bowl or right into the container that you will be marinating the Mahi Mahi in. Save the oil; you want to drizzle that in so that it combines with the acids. Drizzle in the oil, whisking the whole time. Now add the fish and turn to coat. Hint: A plastic bag works great for marinating fish. Make the marinade in a bowl and then dump it into a bag and add the fish. Set aside in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
Make your slaw and salsa first; they just get tastier as they sit. To make the slaw, shred the jicama and red cabbage, cleaning out the food processor after each, otherwise your whole slaw will be purple, which I found out the hard way. Now you can do this without the food processor. Just cut the cabbage and the jicama into thin strips. Once they are shredded, add the rest of the ingredients right on top. Give them a mix and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Same goes for the salsa. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
The cilantro lime sauce takes about two minutes to make or it can wait until the end or be done ahead of time. Just add all the ingredients to the serving bowl and stir.
To make the fish: Add about two tablespoons of canola oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high until the oil is hot. Carefully add the Mahi Mahi to the skillet and cook until brown and crispy on both sides — about five minutes a side. Remove from the skillet and set aside for a few minutes, then flake with a fork before putting into the tacos.
For the best tortillas, take a little oil and rub it on your hands. With the oil on your hands, rub the tortillas (front and back) and lay them on a sheet tray. Pop in a 400-degree oven for about seven minutes, less if your oven runs hot.
Build the tacos with the fish on the bottom, then the cilantro lime sauce, then the jicama slaw. Serve with chips and black bean salsa on the side.
