Sunday Paper Dinner Table: Fish Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce and Pico de Gallo
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When I was writing the novel “Groundswell,” I spent a month in Mexico to “research.” Translation: I spent a month in Mexico eating fish tacos and surfing. I tried almost every taco stand in town, except one, because I thought it looked too touristy. It was always packed, so finally I decided to give it a shot. Wow wow wow: It was off- the-charts good. They served their tacos with a variety of sauces in squeeze bottles, and my personal favorite was a chipotle sauce. It was creamy, slightly spicy, tangy, with a hint of sweetness. As soon as I got back home, I set off to re-create it. This is pretty darn close. Fish tacos are typically made with fried fish, but I like cooking the fish in a skillet to keep it lighter, although you could certainly fry yours if you wish.
Ingredients:
For the chipotle sauce:
- 1 cup (240 ml) mayonnaise
- 2 chipotle chiles in adobo
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Pinch of salt
For the fish:
- 1½ pounds (680 g) flaky white fish, such as mahi-mahi or cod, cut into 4-ounce (115-g) fillets
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
For serving:
- White corn tortillas, warmed (see note, page 84)
- Purple cabbage, shredded
- Fresh cilantro
- 1 recipe pico de gallo (below)
Directions:
- Make the chipotle sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Transfer to a squeeze bottle, if you like, or a container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make the fish: In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil, the lime juice, chili powder, and garlic salt. Toss with the fish and marinate for 15 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and flake with a fork.
- To build each taco, spoon some fish onto a tortilla. Top with sauce, cabbage, cilantro, and pico de gallo.
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 white onion, finely diced
- ½ jalapeño, minced
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro (leaves only), minced
- Juice of ½ lime
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
This recipe was featured in the June 21st edition of The Sunday Paper. The Sunday Paper inspires hearts and minds to rise above the noise. To get The Sunday Paper delivered to your inbox each Sunday morning for free, click here to subscribe.
