Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Coleslaw

I gave fish tacos the stink eye for about a year before I broke down and tried them.  It took seeing them on menu after menu and on the Food Network and then hearing about them from countless friends before I could make fish and taco go together in my head.  It’s the Midwesterner in me, I guess.  My mom still cringes when I say fish taco.  I think we have an irrational fear that the chef is going to feed us ground fish- which would be pretty gross, I think.  

Once I gave in and had my first fish taco (at Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square) I was hooked.  There was no ground fish, just fillets of delicious fish fillets. 

Tonight, Lee set out to make fish tacos.  You’ll remember he loves him some tacos.  He’s been talking up these fish tacos since Monday.  It’s almost embarrassing how excited he was to make them. 

Nope, not tartar sauce, that's coleslaw!!!

It was worth the wait!   

These fish tacos are fried in a batter that’s not too heavy and just crunchy enough, then your mouth hits the creamy cool cilantro lime coleslaw that was seriously meant to be served with fish and finishes up with a sharp crunch of radishes… all wrapped together in a tasty flour tortilla. 

Lime and Cilantro Coleslaw

Inspired by a recipe by Tyler Florence/ Food Network

1 bag of coleslaw mix

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, torn

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 limes

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Toss the cabbage, green onions and cilantro in a large salad bowl.
2. Make the dressing by combining the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar and the zest of the limes in a medium bowl.
3. Season with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of lime juice. 
4. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine.
5. Store in refrigerator overnight so all the flavors meld.

Calories 131      Calories from Fat 79

Total Fat 8.8g

Saturated Fat 2.7g

Cholesterol 13mg

Sodium 122mg

Total Carbohydrates 13.1g

Dietary Fiber 1.3g

Sugars 3.9g

Protein 1.3g

Vitamin A 8%   Vitamin C 30%

Calcium 5%       Iron 3%

Fish Tacos

6 tacos

3 tilapia fillets

1 cup flour

1 cup very cold water

1 tbsp baking soda

1 cup oil

½ cup sliced radishes

6 8-inch flour tortillas

1 cup lime and cilantro coleslaw

1. Mix flour, water and baking soda and dredge tilapia in mixture.
2. Heat oil in frying pan and fry fish.
3. Heat up tortillas in dry frying pan or microwave.
4. Slice fish fillets into chucks and place on tortilla. 
5. Top with a scoop of coleslaw and slices of radishes.

Amount Per Taco

Calories 420   Calories from Fat 121

Total Fat 13.5 g

Saturated Fat 3.8g

Cholesterol 96 mg

Sodium 827 mg

Total Carbohydrates 40g

Dietary Fiber 3.5g

Protein 36.4g

What food did you have trouble wrapping your head around, but you’re glad you gave it a chance?

Almost Famous Bacon Tuna Melts

I’m often asked how I afford Lee.  He’s expensive and likes to make fancy food.  The simple answer is that we keep an eye on the sales and the coupons.  This week, we matched up a sale and coupons and stocked up on packs of tuna.  It can be kind of a rush to get tuna for fifty cents.  We probably will never fall in the Extreme Couponer category, but we could be categorized as Reasonably Moderate Couponers. 

But this is not a coupon blog. This is a food blog. 

Lee put those packs of tuna to work in his almost famous tuna sandwiches.  Now, this tuna salad is super good without the bacon and cheese, but really, if you can add bacon and cheese to anything, why won’t you?  The bacon here makes a meat bite before the softness of the tuna and the onion roll.

Bacon and cheese make everything more delicious!

Tuna Melts 

makes 2 giant sandwiches

2 cans Tuna (drained)

Half of onion (diced)

6 slices of bacon

4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

2 onion rolls

½ cup real mayo

2 tablespoon mustard

2 tablespoon pickle relish or chopped sweet pickles

1 tablespoon chopped capers (optional)

1. Drain tuna and place in a bowl, mix in onion, mayo, mustard, relish, and capers.
2. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Preheat Broiler to High and place rack on the very top level.
4. Fry bacon and set aside.
5. Slice rolls and butter each half and place in a hot skillet to toast.
6. Take the bottom roll and cover with your tuna mixture. Next top with bacon, then the cheese.
7. Place on a sheet pan and broil for about 3 -4 minutes keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. 
8. Once done place the top part of the bun on and enjoy. 
   

Nutrition Facts

Calories 500   Calories from Fat 243

Total Fat 27.0g

Saturated Fat 9.8g

Cholesterol 70mg

Sodium 787mg

Total Carbohydrates 24.6g

Dietary Fiber 1.7g

Sugars 6.5g

Protein 38.8g

Vitamin A 10%  Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 32%      Iron 13%

What do you do to afford your fancy food obsession?