Chula Vista Fish Tacos With Pickled Onions And Carlsbad Cream Recipes

BAJA FISH TACOS WITH CHIPOTLE CREAM

Steps:

• FISH TACOS: Heat peanut oil to 350F in a large dutch oven or deep fryer. In a 9" x13" glass dish, combine club soda and tempura batter mix. Season fish with salt and pepper. Coat pieces of fish in batter and carefully drop them into the hot oil to cook.
• Fry for about 3 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Warm tortillas in the microwave or in a dry skillet over medium heat. Pile some fried fish on each corn tortilla and top with chipotle cream, red onion, cabbage and cilantro sprigs. Squeeze on some fresh lime juice and enjoy.
• CHIPOTLE CREAM: Combine ingredients in a small mixing bowl with a spoon or rubber spatula until combined, adding more or less chipotle according to your taste.

FISH TACOS WITH CABBAGE SLAW AND PICKLED RED ONIONS

Steps:

• Combine the red wine vinegar with 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl. Stir in the salt, sugar and hot sauce. Add the sliced onion and let sit for at least 1 hour. These can be stored, refrigerated in an airtight container, for 1 week.
• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place tomatillos and jalapeno on the pan and allow to char on all sides, flipping with tongs as needed. Allow to cool slightly. Remove stems and add to a blender. Add half of the lime juice and half the cilantro. Pulse until combined and smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids; it's okay to have some lumps). Set aside to cool.
• Add cabbages, carrot and 1/4 cup pickled onions to a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Drizzle olive oil and some of the pickling liquid into the bowl until everything is lightly coated. Set aside to marinate until ready to serve.
• Clean grill pan if necessary, then heat it over medium heat and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle fillets with salt and smoked paprika. Grill fillets on both sides until cooked through and flaky, about 3 minutes per side. Warm tortillas on grill pan until soft and pliable.
• Top each tortilla with 1/2 fillet of fish, tomatillo salsa and slaw. Garnish with sliced avocado, Cotija, remaining cilantro and lime wedges. Serve!

BAJA FISH TACOS

Steps:

• Pickled Red Onion:
• To make the pickled red onion, place the onion and jalapeño in a heatproof medium bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, lime juice and salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, stirring until the salt dissolves, then pour over the onion and jalapeño. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before using. (Leftovers will keep up to 1 week in the fridge.)
• Baja Cream:
• To make the Baja cream, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, lime zest and salt in a small bowl, then taste for seasoning and lime juice.
• Baja Cabbage Slaw:
• To make the cabbage slaw, mix together the mayonnaise, lime juice and Tabasco in a bowl. Toss the cabbage with the mayonnaise mixture, season to taste and refrigerate.
• Marinated Fish:
• To marinate the fish, mix the olive oil, chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander and jalapeño in a non-reactive dish. Add the fish and marinate for 20 minutes.
• When ready to cook the fish, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade, place in the hot pan and season with salt.
• Cook the fish for 4 minutes, then turn over, season again with salt and cook for another 2 minutes or until just cooked through, depending on the thickness.
• Remove the pan from the heat and flake the fish with a fork, scraping up and mixing in any marinade that has stuck to the bottom.
• Assembly:
• Heat the tortillas according to the directions on the packet. To assemble the tacos, place a heaped spoon of the fish onto the centre of a warm tortilla. Top with the pickled onion and jalapeño, Baja cream, Baja cabbage slaw and tomato salsa.

CERVEZA-BATTERED FISH TACOS WITH QUICK-PICKLED ONION AND CUCUMBER

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with oil halfway up the pot. Heat oil to 350 degrees F. Preheat grill.
• In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup flour, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Slowly whisk in beer until thick, but not runny. Dredge fish in remaining flour first, then dunk in the batter. Fry in batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper-toweled lined plate.
• Meanwhile, grill tortillas on grill.
• Serve fish in tortillas topped with Quick-Pickled Onion and Cucumber.
• In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the vinegar, sugar, water, and salt. Add onions and cucumber and continue to cook a few minutes more. Remove from heat, add chile, and transfer to a bowl. Let cool slightly then chill covered, for at least 1 hour.
• Toss in the tomato and cilantro, 5 minutes before serving.

FISH TACO PLATTER

Steps:

• For pickled red onion and jalapeños:
• Place onion and jalapeños in heatproof medium bowl. Mix vinegar, lime juice, and salt in small saucepan. Bring just to boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Pour over onion and jalapeños. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For baja cream:
• Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For tomatillo salsa verde:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil roasting pan. Char half of tomatillos, white parts of green onions, and jalapeño directly over gas flame or in broiler. Transfer charred vegetables to prepared roasting pan. Add remaining tomatillos and garlic cloves to pan. Roast until all vegetables are soft, about 12 minutes. Cool.
• Stem and seed jalapeño. Place all roasted vegetables, green onion tops, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon lime juice in blender. Puree until smooth, stopping to push vegetables down into blades several times. Transfer to medium bowl. Season with salt and more lime juice, if desired.
• For fish:
• Mix buttermilk, cilantro, pepper sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and lime juice in large bowl. Add fish; toss. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Wrap tortillas in foil; place in oven to warm. Whisk flour and remaining 2 teaspoons salt in medium bowl. Add enough oil to large skillet to reach depth of 1 inch. Heat oil until thermometer registers 350°F. Working in batches, remove fish from marinade and dredge in flour. Carefully add fish to skillet, cover partially, and fry until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain, then transfer to oven to keep warm.
• Set up buffet with all taco fixings, along with fresh salsa and guacamole.
• *Green and tomato-like with a papery husk, tomatillos are available in the produce section of some supermarkets and Latin markets.