Pan Seared Mahi Mahi Soft Tacos

Or, Our Best Attempt At Getting Healthy

Lunch
Dinner

My Thoughts

When you usually think of fish tacos you think of deep fried fish. That's a lot of mess, a lot of time, and to me completely hides the flavor of the fish. So, skip the fry. Pan sear the fish. It's healthier, and to me and The Crew, taste so much better. It gets nice and crispy around the edges, the flavor of the fish really gets to come through, and there's a whole lot less mess (and cooking time). Seriously, with these tacos you have one cast iron skillet to clean up (okay, one small mixing bowl and your cutting board).

These tacos work great with any firm white fish you can get you hands on. On this particular day we had frozen mahi mahi on hand. As I've mentioned before, I live in Tennessee, so access to fresh seafood is really a luxury and, to be honest, I really don't have a problem with the flash frozen fish. The cilantro, shallots, and red cabbage really give the tacos a nice crisp flavor. There's also something about about crema (Mexican-style sour cream that's not quite as sour) that goes particularly well with the cabbage. I'm not sure why but it does. As does the sriracha (couldn't find any other hot sauce when I first decided to try making fish tacos and I took a chance and I'm never going back). Yes, that's right sriracha that gives them a nice kick of peppery, garlicky heat. The Cotija cheese, think Mexico's version of Parmesan but with it's own special funkiness, cools down the spice and the whole thing just comes together into a wonderful little package.

A couple of notes on searing fish that I have learned (and ruined many a piece of fish). One is you want the fish completely dry. Second you want the pan/skillet screaming hot. If the fish is wet and/or the skillet is not hot enough that it sounds like 4th and Goal in the Super Bowl when the fish hits the pan you run the risk of having fish hash. Not a problem for fish tacos, but it will look better and have a nice crunchy texture around the edges if you do it right. Again, that's all if you're not using non-stick. If you are using a non-stick pan then follow your manufacturers recommendations for how much heat it can take.

The How To Do It

  1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with two tablespoons of canola or avocado oil.
  2. Cut the red onion and cabbage into into very thin slices, and then cut those slices in half (we're not dicing here, just creating little strips).
  3. Place a tablespoon of honey, the red wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt into a bowl and combine. Then add the onion to do a quick pickle.
  4. Grate the cheese if you have found a block of it. I can only ever find bagged/pre-grated Cotija cheese and it works just fine. We're not melting it, so any anti-clumping agents won't matter.
  5. Give the cilantro a quick, rough, chop. You don't have to be too precise here. You just want smaller pieces than the leaves are on their own.
  6. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Please be very careful when removing the pit. I use a spoon to pop it out. I know you see on TV chef's using their knife to stick-and-twist the pit out. They're professional chefs and I'm not (and I am assuming you're not if you're trying to learn from me how to make my food). That works, and it also works to give you a trip to the emergency room. The pit is surprisingly hard, and the surface is very slick. A glancing blow to it will lead to your knife sticking in your thumb (or any other of your digits - or phalanges if you're a Friends fan).
  7. Mix the spices, plus the salt and pepper, together in a small bowl.
  8. Pat the fish dry (this is key to searing fish, the surface must be absolutely dry or it will stick!) and lightly coat the fillets with oil (same as you used in the skillet).
  9. Sprinkle the flesh side of the fish with the seasoning. Since The Picky Eater says fish skin cracklings are no bueno, I just let them go. If you don't have your own Picky Eater, you can salt the skin side before cooking and they will get really crispy and you can crumble them up and use them in the tacos like little fishy tortilla chips.
  10. Sear the fish on the flesh side for 1-2 minutes. It cooks quickly. You'll know to flip it when it starts to get brown looking around the edges.
  11. Flips the fish and sear the skin side for another 1-2 minutes or until it gets nice and crispy.
  12. While the fish is cooking, place the tortillas under the broiler, with the top rack at the top of the box, and broil the tortillas until they are warmed through (about 30 seconds or they'll dry out). If you are grilling, you can grill the tortillas and get a little bit of char on them as well, but I'm cooking inside with an electric range and oven.
  13. Once the fish is cooked, set the fillets aside to cool slightly (they're too hot to touch and remove the skins at this minute).
  14. While the fish is cooling, mix the crema and sriracha together in a small bowl.
  15. Once the fish has cooled enough to touch, remove the skins and chop into bite-size pieces.
  16. To assemble the tacos (or you can let your guests do it themselves) spread a small amount of the crema/sriracha mixture on the tortillas, add the cabbage, pickled onion, and avocado. Then add the fish, Cotija cheese, and lastly the cilantro.

Ingredients

Pan Seared Mahi Mahi Soft Tacos
3 filets
mahi mahi
6 tortillas
flour tortillas
1 avocado
avocado
2 tbsp
cilantro
1 cup
red cabbage
*finely copped
¼ cup
red onion
1 tbsp
cotija cheese
2 tbsp
Mexican Crema
1 tsp
sriracha
1 lime
lime juice
1 tbsp
honey
1 tsp
granulated garlic
¼ cup
red wine vinegar
1 tsp
smoked paprika
½ tsp
Old Bay seasoning
¼ tsp
ground cumin
½ tsp
kosher salt
¼ tsp
black pepper
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