Saturday, April 11, 2015

Grilled Tilapia Soft Tacos

Here is my recipe of Grilled Tilapia Soft Tacos which has been adapted from many different recipes. They were a hit with both kids and my picky father as well!

Grilled Tilapia Soft Taco’s
Marinade
 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil                                             2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (lemon will work)             2 teaspoons lime zest
 1 1/2 teaspoons honey                                                       2 cloves garlic, minced
 1/2 teaspoon cumin                                                           1/2 teaspoon chili powder
 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™           1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
 1 teaspoon siracha sacue, or to taste                            1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into chunks
 Toppings:
Wickedly Good Fish Taco Sauce (recipe Follows), Cabbage Slaw (recipes follows), 1 (10 ounce) package tortillas,  3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced,  1 bunch cilantro, chopped, 2 limes, cut in wedges
To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate. Set grate 4 inches from the heat.
Remove fish from marinade, drain off any excess and discard marinade. Grill fish pieces until easily flaked with a fork, turning once, about 9 minutes.

Wickedly good fish taco sauce (recipe from Soup Addict)
Serves: About 1 cup
Ingredients
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream (Greek yogurt is delicious as a substitute if you're not a fan of sour cream)
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (you can use full fat, but, the spices are so delicious, you won't miss that particular flavor contribution)
1 lime, cut in half                                              1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander                 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano                       1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon capers, minced                     1 hot pepper of your choice, seeded and minced (jalapeno is delicious, as are the cherry bomb poppers I used in this batch).
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and mayonnaise until well blended.
Squeeze the juice from one lime half into the fish taco sauce mixture, then whisk thoroughly. You'll want the consistency of a pourable, creamy salad dressing. If still too thick, add more lime juice from the other half. If too runny, add sour cream.
Add all of the spices, whisking to mix thoroughly. Add the capers, minced pepper and cilantro, and whisk thoroughly.
Cover the bowl with wrap and refrigerate the fish taco for at least one hour — the longer the better.
Serve chilled. Spoon white sauce over fish tacos, or add into taco salads or rice bowls.

Cabbage Slaw (adapted from The Neeley's):
1/2 small head green cabbage, cored (or prepackaged coleslaw)
1/4 red onion
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (to your taste)
1-2 tablespoons fresh dill (to your taste)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 chipotle, packed in adobo, finely chopped (can replace with Chipotle powder about 1.5-2 tsp)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Using a large holed grater attachment for a food processor, shred the cabbage and red onion. Add to a large serving bowl with the chopped cilantro.
Mix the sour cream, chipotle, lime juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl.

Add the dressing to the grated cabbage. Allow the mixture to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours before serving.