After traveling to Mexico many summers as a teen, I fell in love with fish tacos. Our youth group used to go down to the ghettos of Tecate and Tijuana to build or repair orphanages and small churches. The local families would cook for our group. Often, giving up more than a months salary per family, to prepare one meal. Their hospitality heart breakingly touching. The food, hand made, and as authentic as it comes, was always superb. Although I can cook, I have never been able to duplicate a tortilla. Corn, flour, doesn't matter they're tasty but always pale in contrast to the warm, soft, hand made delights served to me off a cast iron skillet, prepared by a beautiful, poverty stricken, smiling woman with her grandbaby on her knee.
That being said, I bought the corn tortillas! I have been craving fish tacos for days. Normally I have an abundance of sea food. Unfortunately, we had a terrible mishap last month. We have a deep freezer in the garage. Somehow, the freezer plug got bumped just enough to shut it off, but not enough for anyone to notice it was unplugged. I went into the garage to get a popcicle for Logan, and every thing in the freezer was thawed. About $1000.00 of bulk purchased meats, spoiled, ruined, into the trash!! So, we have no back stock. No reserves. None of my children like sea food, so as of now, I am rebuilding our other meat stock. When I get a urge for fish, I have to head to the market.
Well, with fresh fish and corn taco size tortillas in hand, I head home to my favorite room in the house. Let's scadadel to the kitchen, and get to cooking!
This step is where you control the spice or heat in the tacos. In a food processor, add a few chipotle peppers and the juice of two limes. If you do not want any heat, use one pepper, completely deseeded. If you'd like some heat, use two or three peppers still removing the seeds. For intense heat, leave the seeds in the chipotle peppers. Process the peppers and juice until its is the consistency of lumpy paste.
To make the sauce mix one cup of mayo, the juice of a lime, and desired amount of chipotle paste. I used about 3Tbs. Mix well.
To get the most of each lime, let it come to room temp, and then roll the lime firmly under your hand on the counter top. This brakes up the cells in the lime, and help you get the maximum amount of juice out. Cut a lime into wedges, and shred white cabbage for the tacos, and set aside.
Now we get to the fun part, I love dreging and frying. Maybe its my Okie roots, maybe it is because I was born into a generation, where everyone suddenly shouldn't eat eggs, needed to use margarne (bleck!!), and switched to low or non-fat reduced sodium foods. Whatever the reason, I love to fry foods, almost as much as I love to eat fried foods!
Prepare a frying pan with about an inch of vegetable oil and bring it to 350 degrees.
For the batter beat 3 eggs. Whisk in about 8oz COLD dark beer. Add 2 tsp dry mustard, 1 Tbs dark chili powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp sugar. Keeping the mixture moving with a wisk, slowly add about 1 1/2 cups flour.
Soon as your oil is hot and your batter is made, try to work quickly. The cold beer hitting the hot oil causes little explosions in the batter, giving you a lite crispy fried fish.
I found beautiful codd and rushed it home to the frying pan. Rinse the fish in cold water, then blot with a paper towel. Lightly dust in flour, then go directly into the batter. Fry the pieces about 4 minutes on the first side, and about three minutes on the second side. Fry just until golden brown.
A lot of people suggest draining fried foods on a paper towel. I really don't like to do this, however, because the side of the food that comes into contact with the paper towel always becomes soggy. I place the food on a cooling rack, with paper towels underneath to catch the drips.
On a gas range, or a bbq grill, you can throw the tortillas on a flame. Warm just until the tortilla is pliable. You can also wrap a small stack in wet paper towels and warm them about 30 seconds in the microwave. No matter how you warm them, soon as they're warm get them wrapped in foil or place them in a tortilla dish with the lid on. Keep them warm!
Finally, place two stacked tortillas on a plate. Add a dollip of the chipotle lime mayo and spread it over the tortilla. Place a piece of your beer battered codd in the center, and add a bit of shredded cabbage. Fold in half, and garnish with a wedge of lime, and a small sprig of fresh cilantro (which I stupidly forgot, and left sitting in the fridge).
Enjoy, and play with your food. Change it up. Adjust the heat. Make each dish your own. Come back, and share here, what you did, what your favorite dishes are, or if there is something you would like to know how to make, let me know. I'll research, experiment, and do my dead-level best to refine and post any request. No matter what, have fun in your kitchen, and eat well. See you soon in this Fried Okie's Suburban Kitchen!! (((Hugs)--
