Taco Tuesday

As anyone who worked with me in the last year knows, we have taco night once a week in our house. It is usually held on a Tuesday or Thursday to take full advantage of the whole "TT" thing that seemed to rule my life there for a while. Really, though, it has a lot to do with our enthusiasm for meat and cheese and liquor. See, BoW makes quite a mean margarita using fresh lime, top-shelf silver tequila, Cointreau, and agave nectar. And while pork is not usually on our list (like chicken, turkey, and fish are), the utility of the taco for delivering meat to your eating hole has been noted here previously.

These are from a previous meal, but they give you an idea of what I'm after when I make fish tacos.

The key is good, fresh fish. Lately, the fish guy at the Culver City market has had a lot of fresh stuff flown in from Hawai'i. I have gotten some really nice opakapaka and lehi (pictured here) from him. I also like to use mahimahi or opah, which are usually available at WFM. I used to be very into shark, but they have had problems with overfishing, so you don't see thresher for sale very often anymore.

Marinade is important, as is making sure to grill the fish through to make it diceable but lightly so it doesn't dry out. Steaky fishes can be cut into thinner strips to help with this. Lighter fillets will work well on their own. For two, marinate about 12 oz of fish for 2-4 hours in: 

1 Tbs each avocado oil (it's like olive oil that won't burn!), lime juice, and tequila 

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground red chile or cayenne 

I like garlic powder more than garlic because of the limited marinade time. I will also sometimes add fresh Jalapeños to spice it up. You can grill them, too, but I recommend seeding and veining them then. Right now, they're at the beginning of the season (if you buy local at the markets), so you can just dice them as use them as a topping like radishes and cabbage. Make the effort to get queso fresco, if you can.

I've also been known to use leftover tortillas as a delivery device for other leftovers for breakfast and lunch. In this case, various vegetables and grains cooked for meals gone by find themselves suspended in an egg mixture and treated as if they were meat. It's the next best thing.

This was going to launch into a review, but I've gone on too long, so you'll have to wait. Eat me.