Fish Tacos

Fish tacos are so light, easy, and delicious that I think of them often when the weather turns nice. The fish is especially nice when grilled, but the frying pan works fine as well.

Monday was a long day and I wanted something easy for dinner so I grabbed some catfish on the way home. I have a standard catfish marinade which goes along the lines of rubbing the filets with a touch of oil, ancho chile powder, freshly minced garlic, lime zest, and finely, finely minced stems of cilantro. Then on to a very hot grill for 2-3 minutes per side and done.

Catfish Grills Extremely Well

With my grilled meat tacos, I always want a zippy, fresh, and herbaceous salsa or pico de gallo. Here you see that I have roughly busted up some tomatoes and then added minced cilantro, green onion, garlic, jalapeño, salt, and lime juice to taste.

Salsa or Pico de Gallo: Fresh by any Name

Add tortillas and you're done! Light, simple, refreshing, and pretty good for you too.

Tacos de Carne Asada

Skirt Steak, Grilled Onions and Poblanos, Guac, Cheese, and Pico

Call them fajitas, tacos al carbón, tacos de carne asada, or anything else that pleases you. I just know that tender bits of grilled steak wrapped up in a tortilla with some freshly made guacamole, grilled poblanos and onions, and topped with queso para frijoles and pico de gallo is one of the great feeds of all time, especially for that very first time of the new year that it is nice enough to grill out.

And yesterday was that day!

Before (Note Chef Lube in Background)

Note the freaking awesome skirt steak from Bill and Holly at Martin's Angus Beef! I cannot say enough good about this meat. It is incredible, incredible as in the best I ever ate, and you need to run to a farmers market where they sell their beef and get you some. Do not stop, do not pass Go, do not collect $200! Hie thee to the market! You will not regret it.

After!

The Fixings

Above you see the red plate with the sliced beef, the peeled, seeded, and sliced poblanos, and the chopped onions. Above that, the pico de gallo: diced grape tomatoes, sliced green onions, garlic, minced jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Then the queso para frijoles in the middle: it's a little more rubbery and less salty than feta, but the idea is exactly the same. You could even use ricotta salata. And then on the right, the guacamole: avocado, minced jalapeño, crushed red pepper paste, lime juice, green onions, cilantro, and guaje seeds. And last, the flour tortillas. Me, I'm a big fan of corn tortillas, but the only one in the house and I'm not going to get a stack of fresh corn tortillas just for me.

Semillas Frescas de Guaje

Guaje seeds, come again? They're seeds from a pod of a locust-like tree from Southern Mexico that have a great green garlic flavor. I love them in guacamole: I don't add garlic to my guacamole when I add guaje seeds. I bought a bundle at the market and when the afternoon heat proved to be too much to be outside, I shelled them out while Ann and I sat in the sunroom under the ceiling fan, chewing the fat.

You'd be Smiling Too if You Were About to Feast!