Grilled Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Crema

*Post by Angela.

Yesterday afternoon after a fruitful trip to Big Planet Comics in Georgetown, Mark and I narrowly decided against partaking in the fish tacos at Tackle Box in favor of an option closer to home (Mourayo in Dupont, an imminent post).  Mark later took himself off to work, leaving me to ruminate on what seafood delight I would make myself for dinner. I had initially decided on mussels, but they were out of the shellfish at Whole Foods. Instead, I transported myself back in time, superhero-style, in order to partake in the meal I had missed out on at lunchtime, fish tacos (albeit from a recent checkstand-side purchase, America's Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers). While they weren't the best fish tacos I've ever had, they were pretty darned tasty and simple, with a nice blend of tangy, smoky, creamy, and bright flavors.

 

List of ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp grated lime zest
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, evenly divided
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• salt and pepper
• 4 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 jalepeno peppers
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb skinless halibut fillets, cut into thick strips (you can use any firm-fleshed white fish)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 6 corn tortillas

First, I stirred together the sour cream, the lime zest, 1 tbsp of the lime juice, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, and the cumin, then seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. This crema is as delicious as it is easy to make, and I have to admit that in "tasting" it for seasoning, I may have eaten a fourth of it on its own. Don't judge me, I know how you "check" to see if that cookie dough is "just right." I set it aside in the refrigerator while I put the rest of the components together. I also preheated the oven to 450 degrees.

 

Next, I rubbed the tomatoes and jalepeno peppers with 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, placed them on a foil-lined baking pan.

I roasted in tomatoes and peppers the oven for about 10 minutes, until the skins started to blister. I let them sweat in a sealed plastic bag for about 10 minutes (helps loosen the skin), then peeled off the skins and removed the stems from the peppers. Once they were naked, I pulsed the tomatoes and peppers in the food processor with the remaining 1 tbsp lime juice and 1/4 cup cilantro, until just slightly chunky. The recipe suggests you seed the peppers first, but because I like the heat that the seeds add, I left them in. I poured the mixture into a container, then seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. I love roasting tomatoes and peppers like this - it really deepens and intensifies the flavors of the produce.

I drizzled the halibut with a tbsp of the vegetable oil, then seasoned with salt and pepper. At the last second (after I had taken the photo below), I decided to add a sprinkling of paprika for a little extra seasoning kick and color.

 

I heated my grill pan over high heat, then threw the halibut on, about 4-5 minutes per side (until golden brown and just opaque). While the fish was cooking, I covered the tortillas loosely with plastic wrap and microwaved them for about 1 1/2 minutes, just until warmed through. My long-neglected microwave was happy to have something to do.

 

I spread each warmed tortilla with about 1 tbsp of the tangy cilantro-lime crema, flaked the halibut on top, then finished each taco off with about 1 1/2 tbsp of the tomato mixture.

Now, I'm not one of the mutants I love so much in my comic books, so I can't teleport to San Diego whenever I want top-shelf fish tacos. Fortunately, this quick and flavorful recipe will more than suffice in a pinch.