fish tacos: not bad

but not super dooper delicious, either.

one tidbit i remembered in the wee hours of the morn–funny how the brain works–is the spice i thought was chipolte or some such spicy chili, was actually sumac. sadly, they aren’t apt substitutes, and i imagine that mix-up was one factor in the less than delciousness of the dish. note to self: unmarked spices are not reliable.

however, i’m willing to try it again. this particular dish was easy to make, and easy to tinker with. here’s what i did:

the sauce

a creamy white sauce is key for fish tacos. this sauce had lime juice, minced spicy green pepper i picked up from a mexican market, mayo, plain yogurt, cayenne (mistake number one), cumin, oregano, and dill. i didn’t add the white pepper to taste–just forgot about that, too (mistake number two).

the fish

i used tilapia fillets i picked up at trader joe’s. still haven’t figured out where to buy fresh fish, and since i’m such a novice at fish cookery, it’s nice to get frozen stuff i can mull over. i used a batter i found online that included only flour, beer, and salt. i added more of what i thought was cayenne [read: sumac] (mistake number three), fresh ground pepper, and corn meal. the corn meal invites some crunch and flavor which i prefer over a plain tempura-ish batter. i fried it on high with some olive oil and butter. i never use as much oil as recipes call for–especially when frying. it worked out just fine with less grease and fewer searing splatters.

the presentation

i’m a big fan of DIY tacos and burritos, so i warmed the flour tortillas on our old-fashioned stovetop griddle, placed the fish on a warmed plate (again, the stovetop griddle!), and served with chopped cilantro, chopped purple cabbage, and the sauce.

next time i’ll serve with guacamole.