Add a seafood delight to your summer cookout menu with this Baja Fish Tacos recipe. Grilled mahi mahi, catfish or other mild white fish pairs well with our crisp Grilled Napa Cabbage Slaw; a dash of Red Hot Blackened Seasoning will give your seafood some zing. This recipe is excerpted from Chapter 5, “Meat, Poultry & Fish,” of The Gardener & the Grill(Running Press, 2012), the ultimate all-year-round grilling guide.
Baja Fish Tacos Recipe
Fish tacos don’t get any better than this. The Red Hot Blackened Seasoning makes 1 1/2 cups, but for this recipe you only need 1/4 cup. So make a half recipe or better yet, start using it to give some zip to sauces, vinaigrettes, soups, stews, and other grilled vegetables and meats. Grill the “flesh,” or cut side of the fish first (not the skin side) because it is more delicate. Then turn the fish, and finish on the skin side, which has more connective tissue, and will hold together better on the grill.
Serves 4
Grilled Napa Cabbage Slaw
• 1 large head Napa cabbage, cut in half lengthwise
• Vegetable oil, for brushing
• 1 cup assorted baby greens, such as spinach, oak leaf, or Boston lettuce
• 8 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
• 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fine kosher or sea salt
Baja Fish
• 1 1/2 pounds mahi mahi, catfish, halibut, or other mild white fish
• 1/4 cup Red Hot Blackened Seasoning
• 8 flour tortillas, for serving
• 8 lemon wedges, for serving
• 1 1/2 cups salsa of your choice, for serving
1. Prepare a hot fire in your grill.
2. Brush the cut sides of the Napa cabbage with oil. Coat the fish fillets with the Red Hot Blackened Seasoning.
3. Grill the cabbage, cut side down, directly over the fire for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cabbage has good grill marks. Remove from the grill.
4. Grill the fish directly over the fire, flesh side down first, for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Turn only once to grill the skin side, halfway through grilling.
5. To make the slaw, thinly slice the grilled cabbage and place in a large bowl. Stir in the greens and green onions. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, sour cream, lemon juice, and salt to make a dressing. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to blend.
6. To assemble the tacos, place some of the grilled fish on each tortilla. Top with about 1/3 cup of the slaw and roll up, soft taco-style. Serve Baja Fish Tacos with a lemon wedge and a small ramekin of salsa.
This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from The Gardener & the Grill, by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig, published by Running Press, 2012.
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