I don’t know about you, but we’re trying to find ways to eat more fish each week. So one Friday afternoon I set out to create fish tacos for our dinner. Those tacos turned out to be a tasty entree by themselves, but when I topped them with some leftover Cilantro Jalapeno Dip I had made earlier that week, those fish tacos turned into something to RAVE about!
Click HERE for our son Nick’s recipe for that Cilantro Jalapeno Dip. (You won’t be sorry!)
For the tacos, I started by thawing a 16 oz. package of Sea Queen Frozen Haddock from Aldi. I wiped the fillets dry and I placed them in a dish filled with buttermilk. (Regular milk would work too.)
After a thirty minute soak in the milk, I dredged the fillets in a mixture of Wondra Flour, salt and pepper, and chili powder…
I dipped the fish fillets in the flour mixture and I shook off the excess. Then I fried the fish over medium heat in canola oil, but any light-flavored oil would work. I removed the fillets from the skillet when they were golden brown and I let them drain on several layers of paper towel. I quickly sprinkled the hot fish with some coarse kosher salt while they were still hot…and I sprinkled them with some chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley.
I prepared a dish of Pico De Gallo…a combination of chopped tomato, chopped parsley, finely diced onion, finely minced garlic and lime juice…
I heated a small non stick skillet, and I warmed some small corn tortilla shells over medium heat, flipping the tortillas several times. I removed the warm shells to serving plates and I added chunks of crispy fish, some of the Pico De Gallo, some chopped lettuce and some of that amazing leftover Cilantro Jalapeno Dip I found in the refrigerator.
And that dip, Dear Readers, was the icing on the cake…(or in this case, the fish.) It was absolutely DELISH!
So take the time to make that dip BEFORE you get a craving for fish tacos…then put it all together into your very own culinary masterpiece. And you’ll discover, like I did…that those two recipes combined will create a match made in heaven!
- 1 16 oz. pkg frozen haddock, thawed
- 1 pkg soft corn tortillas
- 1 C. buttermilk or plain milk
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 lime, or fresh lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 C. Wondra Flour (or regular white flour)
- 1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
- salt and pepper
- Canola oil for frying
- MAKE PICO DE GALLO
- In a serving bowl, combine chopped tomatoes, diced onions, minced garlic, chopped parsley and juice of one lime. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine
- PREPARE FISH
- Thaw the fish and wipe dry.
- Place in a bowl and cover with the buttermilk.
- Allow to soak for at least 30 minutes, then discard the milk
- Place flour, salt and pepper and chili powder in a flat dish
- Dredge fish fillets in the flour mixture and shake off excess
- Heat oil in heavy skillet over Medium heat
- Fry fish, turning several times, until golden brown and until it flakes easily with a fork
- Remove from the skillet and place on several layers of paper towels to remove excess oil
- Sprinkle with salt and chopped parsley and set fish aside.
- PREPARE TORTILLA SHELLS
- Heat a nonstick skillet over Medium heat. Place soft corn tortilla in skillet and flip several times to heat through. Remove to serving plate. Repeat with more shells.
- PREPARE TACOS
- On hot corn tortilla shell place chunks of crispy fried fish
- Top with chopped lettuce
- Add Pico De Gallo
- Top with Cilantro Jalapeno Sauce (can substitute shredded cheese and sour cream)
- Take the extra step and make the Cilantro Jalapeno dip/sauce to top your tacos! The dip keeps for at least a week in your refrigerator and it's also delicious as a dip for veggies or pretzels or chips. You'll thank me later!
Meemaw… is that dip real spicy?
Hi Nancy! Thanks for your question! I am a WIMP when it comes to spicy foods…and it was fine for me! I used 6 jalapenos and I removed ALL of the seeds and membrane inside each pepper since that is where the heat lives in those darn peppers! If you’re stll afraid, just use only 4 or 5 peppers the first time you make it… and you can learn from that! Good luck and ENJOY! 🙂
XOXO
Meemaw