My husband and I LOVE fish tacos. We order them every chance we get. But since we live in a small community roughly 700 miles from the nearest ocean, a great fish taco is hard to come by.

When Patio Daddio’s Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos recipe popped up on Tasty Kitchen, I knew it might just be our lucky day. Patio Daddio (John) has a proven track record for wonderful recipes. Plus the recipe included some of my ingredients:

Corn tortillas. Check.
Grilled fish. Check.
Cabbage (with a twist). Check.
Lime. Check.
Cilantro. Check.
Spice and FLAVOR. Check.

I couldn’t wait to give them a try.

Guess what folks? These tacos rock. Yes, they are a little unconventional. But that’s what I love about them. The spicy recipe also includes a cool and delicious Avocado Cream instead of plain old sour cream. Yum. Patio Daddio also recommends topping the tacos with his crazy good chipotle and adobo Southwest Slaw.

I was surprised to see Frank’s Hot Sauce making an appearance on the fish but it really works. Buffalo Frank goes south of the border this time.

So if your mouth is watering like mine, here’s a step-by-step:

Start by making the marinade for the fish. Since they only need to marinate for 30 minutes, this meal is doable for a weeknight meal. Yeah!

The marinade is simple enough. Add canola oil, juice of two limes, and garlic salt into a small mixing bowl. Open up a can of chipotle peppers in adobo. Measure two tablespoons of the sauce and don’t worry, you’ll use more of the can for the Southwest Slaw.

Whisk it all up…

Pour it over your fish in a gallon zip-top bag. John recommends tilapia fillets for the fish and that’s what I used. I love tilapia for its mild flavor and texture and because it’s very budget-friendly, but you could also use mahi mahi, halibut or any white flaky fish.

Set it aside to let it work its magic, about 30 minutes.

I’m not sharing the step-by-step photos for Patio Daddio’s Southwest Slaw, but trust me on this one and just make it. Adding the slaw really completed the taco. The chipotle in adobo is spicy and smoky all at once. I could (did) eat it by the spoonful.

Now for the avocado cream. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe to smash the avocado on the cutting board with the side of a knife. The next time, I did it right in my mixing bowl with a fork. My way might take a little longer on the smashing part but I liked having less mess. A ripe, soft avocado works best.

Add the juice of one lime, sour cream, garlic salt…

And your favorite hot sauce. I opted for milder jalapeño Tabasco since I wanted the avocado cream to cool down the spiciness of the slaw and fish. I also liked the idea of a green sauce in the green cream.

Stir it up and set it aside.

Remove the fish from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Then brush the fish with Frank’s Hot Sauce and canola oil.

Oil the grill and toss them on. Cook them until they are just cooked through and flaky but still moist.

Once off the grill, I poured a bit more Frank’s on my husband’s and my fish but left it off of the kids. ‘Cause they’re wimps. Break up the fish into nice-sized chunks.

Quickly grill the corn tortillas to warm them up.

We serve our tacos family style. I love sliced up limes, cabbage for the kids, rough chopped cilantro, and the Southwest Slaw and avocado cream, of course. Everyone gets to build their own just the way they like them. And like them we did, right down to the youngest.

Thank you John for bringing the perfect fish taco right into my own kitchen! Check out his blog Patio Daddio BBQ for more of this man’s incredible work. (I’d say more, but just … just go there. You’ll see.)

Printable Recipe

Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos

by patiodaddio on May 25, 2010 in Fish, Main Courses May 25, 2010 FishMain Courses

See post on patiodaddio’s site!

4.95 Mitt(s) 21 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

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At the risk of being ridiculed by those in the know, I will call these “somewhat authentic.” Or, you might think of them as “Authentic Gringo Fish Tacos.” I was going to use that for the post/recipe title, but I had second thoughts.

Shoot, call me and the recipe whatever you want. Let’s get cookin’!

Ingredients

• 6 whole Talapia Fillets (or Other Mild Flaky White Fish)
• 2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce (I Use Frank's Red Hot)
• Canola Oil
• Lime Juice, To Drizzle On Grilled Fish
• 12 whole Corn Tortillas
• 1 cup Southwest Slaw (see My Recipe Box)
• ¼ cups Cilantro, Chopped Medium-fine
• _____
• FOR THE MARINADE:
• ⅓ cups Canola Oil
• 2 whole Limes, Juiced
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Adobo Sauce (from A Can Of Chipotles In Adobo)
• _____
• FOR THE AVOCADO CREAM:
• 1 whole Large Hass Avocado, Peeled, Seeded And Diced (I Recommend Calavo)
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 2 teaspoons Your Favorite Hot Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt

Preparation Instructions

Important: Make sure the fish is fresh! It should be firm, with good color, and a clean briny (not fishy) smell.

If you can’t find talapia, any mild white flaky fish would work. Mahi mahi, cod, red snapper, or halibut would be fine.

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Put the fish in a gallon zip-top bag and add the marindade.

Slosh the fish and the marinade gently in the bag to ensure that all of the fish is coated.

Seal the bag (removing the excess air) and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

Mash the avocado on a cutting board with the side of your knife.

Combine all of the avocado cream ingredients in an medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine, then cover and refrigerate.

Tip: The marinade and/or avocado cream can be made up to a day in advance.

Start your grill and prepare for direct cooking over a hot fire (450-500º).

Remove the fish from the marinade and drain well.

Pat each filet dry with a paper towel.

Smear each side of each filet with a teaspoon of hot sauce, applying it as evenly as you can.

Oil the grill grate and both sides of the fish lightly with the canola oil. The oil on the grate will smoke, so wait for it to dissipate.

Put the fish on the grill and cook for three minutes.

Flip the fish over and cook for another minute.

Move the fish to a warm platter, drizzle the fish with lime juice, and cover the platter with plastic wrap.

Quickly warm each tortilla on the grill.

To serve, offset two tortillas by half, smear the inside with avocado cream, add some fish chunks (separated with forks), then top with about two tablespoons of slaw and some cilantro.

Or, serve it family-style so that everyone can build their own.

Enjoy!

 
 
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Calli is truly a woman of many talents, from cooking, sewing, crafts, beautiful photography and gardening. Her blog, Make it Do is a treasure trove of recipes, household tips, crafts projects, sewing patterns … you name it. It’s also peppered with photos of her beautiful kids. Go visit her site, and visit it often. There’s always something new to learn there!

 
In this hot, hot weather, I rarely want to turn the oven on, so this Spicy Margarita Shrimp from TK member Damelio called my name because most of the cooking happens in the marinade. Plus I love a good margarita and was intrigued by the idea of using some of those same ingredients to flavor the shrimp!

To make it you will need: cilantro, shrimp, orange, lime, avocado, curry, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, olive oil, tequila, triple sec (if you have it—I didn’t and it still worked wonderfully with just tequila), salt and pepper.

Combine the shrimp with the orange and lime zest in a small bowl.

Then add the acidic marinade ingredients to help cook the shrimp. First the orange juice …

Along with the olive oil …

And tequila and triple sec.

Next add all of your spices and give it a stir.

Toss in the cilantro last, stir, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour but not much more than that, so you don’t overcook it.

While it marinates, prepare a grain or salad to serve with your shrimp. You could use couscous, quinoa, rice, or a big green salad. Chop up the avocado and add it to your base.

Then when the shrimp has been well marinated, add it to a skillet and cook it for a few minutes on each side, depending on the size of your shrimp, until reddish and firm.

Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and reduce the marinade by about half to drizzle over your salad or grains.

Add the shrimp and sauce and serve!

This is a wonderful tangy and flavorful dish and would work well in so many forms. Even try skewering the shrimp and adding it to a summer barbecue! It will be bursting with flavor. Thank you to Damelio for sharing it with us!

Printable Recipe

Spicy Margarita Shrimp

by Damelio on July 1, 2010 in Fish, Main Courses July 1, 2010 FishMain Courses

4.46 Mitt(s) 13 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 2

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This marinade is easy and versatile; this dish can be made using shrimp, white fish, or chicken. Serve this as a meal on a bed of rice or greens, or serve alone on skewers for an appetizer.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Shrimp, Raw, Peeled And Deviened
• 1 whole Avocado, diced
• FOR THE MARINADE:
• 2 whole Limes
• 2 whole Oranges
• ¼ cups Olive Oil
• ⅛ cups Tequila
• 1 Tablespoon Triple Sec
• ½ teaspoons Curry Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Turmeric
• ½ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ¼ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
• ¼ teaspoons Black Pepper
• ¼ cups Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

For the marinade: Zest the oranges and limes into a bowl. Juice the oranges and limes into the same bowl. Add remaining marinade ingredients. Whisk together, then add the shrimp. Refrigerate for about 1 hour (try not to go over, as the acid will start to “cook” the shrimp).

At this point I make a pot of rice, couscous, or quinoa (instead of cooking the grain in water, I cook in vegetable or chicken stock).

To cook the shrimp, remove from the marinade and either skewer and grill, or saute in a frying pan with a little olive oil. If using a pan, pat shrimp with paper towels first so the extra marinade doesn’t scorch in the pan. Remove shrimp from grill or pan and set aside.

Pour remaining marinade into the pan and cook until reduced by about half, about 5 minutes.

To serve: cover a plate with rice, couscous, quinoa, etc., or a bed of greens. Top this with the diced avocado, then the shrimp. Pour sauce over entire dish. This dish can be eaten hot or room temperature.

 
 
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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful books Girl Hunter and Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.

 
I just love chickpeas. Or is it garbanzo beans? Well, I love them either way. Sometimes, when I’m in a rush, I just empty a can of them into a bowl, add some of my favorite dressing and any herbs I can find and it’s a meal. They are so versatile. I’ve noticed that people are finding yet another great way to make them at home by turning them into a crispy snack. This spicy Moroccan style by Nika really caught my eye. Spicy, crispy, Moroccan chickpea-garbanzo beans? I’m sold.

You begin by combining all of these wonderful and aromatic spices into a bowl. The fresh ginger is particularly wonderful in the way it smells. Close your eyes for a moment, inhale, and imagine yourself in the spice stalls of Morocco …

Okay, open your eyes. In a separate bowl you’ll need a can of chickpeas.

You’ll also need a bit of olive oil to help you coat the mixture onto the beans thoroughly.

Give your spices a mix.

It looks a bit like a work of art, all of that color.

Pour the olive oil into the chickpeas and toss with a spoon.

Add the spice mixture and stir it well.

As you mix, the ingredients will go from dry to a spicy syrup and begin to coat the chickpeas evenly.

When they look well-coated, pour them all into a baking dish.

Spread them evenly with a spoon, and pop them into the oven.

When they are ready, they will be golden brown with a vaguely soft inside, which should dry out and become crisp as they cool. If that doesn’t happen, you can pop them back in for a bit longer. I found that mine needed about 45 minutes total rather than 30. I also would suggest cutting the salt amount in half. You can always add more later, when they’re done.

They’re quite a delicious snack to have sitting at your fingertips. You could also try other favorite beans. I had toasted black-eyed peas not long ago and they were great as well.

Give these a try! And thanks to Nika (who blogs at I’m Not Quite Sure What You Are Saying) for contributing them to Tasty Kitchen.

 
Here are some other wonderful roasted chickpea recipes from TK members:
 

• Roasted Curry Chickpeas by With Style and Grace
• Roasted Chickpeas by The Healthy Housewife
• Roasted Garbanzo Beans by The Culinary Chronicles
• Roasted Garbanzos by MissAmy

Printable Recipe

Spicy Moroccan Roasted Chickpeas

by nika on July 20, 2009 in Appetizers, Snacks, Special Dietary Needs, Vegetarian July 20, 2009 AppetizersSnacksSpecial Dietary NeedsVegetarian

5.00 Mitt(s) 2 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 7 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

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This is a delicious and healthy alternative to the usual “I’m watching (insert favourite show) and need a really tasty snack.” It can be made with a combination of your favourite herbs and spices. This recipe is just one example.

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 Oz. Can) Chickpeas
• ¼ cups Olive Oil
• ½ teaspoons Curry Powder
• ½ teaspoons Allspice
• ½ teaspoons Ground Cloves
• ½ teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional... If You Have It In Your Spice Rack, Use It!)
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoons Cayenne Powder (or More... If You Are The Spicy Type!)
• 2 teaspoons Fresh Grated Ginger
• 2 teaspoons Sea Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Toss the chickpeas in oil, then put them into a bowl. Combine all the spices in a separate little bowl for your spice blend. Give it a good mix, then sprinkle over the chickpeas, and toss to coat evenly.

Put the chickpeas onto a baking sheet and into the oven for about 30 minutes. About halfway through, give them a bit of a shake. At the end of the 30 minutes, taste! If they are still soft, back in they go! You want them to have just a little bit of a soft center. When they cool, they will crisp up more.

 
 
_______________________________________

There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful book Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.

Mexican food and I have a special bond. I love it, it understands me and I can’t ever turn it down. It’s my food kryptonite. So when I saw Serena’s recipe for Spicy Pulled Chicken Sliders with Bacon Queso Guacamole, I just swooned.

The list of ingredients wasn’t overly complicated, and it helped me use up a lot of the veggies that I already had on hand.

To start, dice an onion and simmer in dash of olive oil until translucent. Add in the ketchup and reduce until the onions are soft.

Once the onions and ketchup have reduced, pour in a bottle of beer for the braise. Serena recommends not using an IPA, because it will turn bitter after simmering, and I agree. For this I chose a lager that I had on hand and it was perfect. Add in the chicken breasts, cover and braise until cooked through.

While the chicken is braising, get started on your guacamole. In a medium bowl, mix your avocado, cilantro, red onion, and all the other fixin’s.

And don’t forget your bacon! Priorities friends, priorities.

When the chicken is cooked through, shred it with a couple of forks until pulled apart. Once shredded, add the pulled chicken back into the braising sauce and stir to coat it completely. Cover and keep warm until you’re ready to put your sliders together.

When you’re ready to put your sliders together, slice the slider buns and toast them until golden brown. Top with some pulled chicken and then a hefty dollop of bacon-loaded guacamole. Finish it off with the toasted golden brown top of your slider and devour it immediately.

Thank you to Serena for her fantastic recipe. Be sure to check out Serena’s Recipe Box for other inspired food, and see her site, Domesticate Me, for other great stuff—-like this Grilled Pita Pizza with Prosciutto and Chanterelles. Wowzer!

Printable Recipe

Spicy Pulled Chicken Sliders with Bacon-Queso Guacamole

by Serena Wolf @ Domesticate ME! on November 19, 2013 in Appetizers, Snacks November 19, 2013 AppetizersSnacks

See post on Serena Wolf @ Domesticate ME!’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

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These chicken sliders topped with the world’s most epic guacamole are guaranteed to spice up your life and your game-day festivities.

Ingredients

• FOR THE SLIDERS:
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Yellow Onion, Minced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 whole Chipotle Pepper Canned In Adobo, Finely Chopped (only Use 1 Pepper If You're Not Into Spicy)
• ½ cups Ketchup
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 18 ounces, fluid Beer Of Your Choice (Do Not Use An IPA, As It Gets Very Bitter When Reduced)
• 4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 36 whole Slider Buns (I Love Martin's Party Potato Rolls)
• FOR THE BACON-QUESO GUACAMOLE
• 3 whole Avocados
• 1-½ whole Limes, Juiced
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• ¼ cups Red Onion, Minced
• 4 slices Cooked Thick-cut Bacon, Crumbled
• ½ cups Crumbled Queso Fresco
• 3 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

For the sliders:
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven (or whatever large saucepan you have with a lid) over medium heat. When hot, add the minced onions and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add the chipotles, ketchup, lime juice, honey and beer. Bring the mixture to a boil and then add the chicken breasts. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Then remove the chicken breasts from the cooking liquid, place them on a cutting board and allow them to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken using two forks (or your hands, whatever).

Bring the cooking liquid to a boil and cook until it has reduced by about half and thickened slightly. This should take about 15 minutes. While your sauce is reducing, make your guacamole.

For the Bacon-Queso Guacamole:
Slice your avocados in half and remove the pits. Score the flesh of each avocado half with a knife and spoon the flesh out of its skin into a mixing bowl. Squeeze lime juice over the avocado and mash it with a fork. Mix in the minced garlic, red onion, crumbled bacon, queso fresco and cilantro. Boom. Cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to use. If you leave your guac hanging around uncovered, it will oxidize and turn brown. Party foul.

When your sauce has reduced, mix in the shredded chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes until heated through. Remove from heat.

Spoon your spicy pulled chicken onto slider rolls and top with bacon-queso guacamole and serve immediately. Game day just got a whole lot fancier, people.

 
 
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Megan Keno is the writer and photographer of Country Cleaver, a food blog fueled by Nutella and images of June Cleaver—if June wore cowboy boots and flannel, that is. A self-proclaimed country bum, Megan creates from-scratch recipes that range from simple to sublime and how-to’s to build your cooking repertoire. But she couldn’t do it without the help of her trusty—and furry—sous chef, Huckleberry. He’s a world class floor cleaner.

  I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the lookout for a new chicken marinade recipe. It seems like throwing a marinade together would be easy, but for some reason the idea of creating my own stresses me out. Which is why I was so excited when I found this recipe for Spicy […]

  I love recipes that expand my horizons. This Spicy Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup from Jackie Dodd, for example, is not something that I would normally make on my own. But her recipe looked to enticing that I had to give it a try. Plus there’s a grocery store near me that offers up things […]

  I love salads, but sometimes I get in a salad rut. I tend to make the same old salads, which can get boring. I was looking for some salad inspiration on Tasty Kitchen and came across Bev Weidner’s Spinach and Edamame Salad. Spinach salads are my favorite and this one is loaded with nutritious and […]

  One of my all-time favorite snacks is hummus. I love eating it with pita bread, cut up vegetables, or pita chips. I love original hummus, but sometimes I like to mix things up. Roasted red pepper and cilantro lime hummus are a few of my favorites, but I am currently obsessed with this Spinach […]