 |
| Mise-en-place for Southern Fried Tacos Part 1 |
What had to be my father's favorite food, has become an icon of California cuisine, fried fish tacos. You can almost find them anywhere and even in a drive-thru. I mean, nowadays, fish tacos are in almost every casual restaurant that sells Mexican food. I remember someone mentioning that all we had were tacos in California. They are probably right for the most part, it you are looking for something quick and easy. Fish tacos are inexpensive, depending on the fish and the sustainability. They are light, easy to make and quite tasty. You can find "street tacos" almost on every corner. Although, fish tacos are a sort of specialty and require careful storage. I haven't seen very many Fish Taco food trucks, since food trucks are quite popular. At least not were I live, and I've only seen one because of the the restaurant. I even thought of having one, but my body is quite shot from all those years of cooking rigorously for people sometimes up to 500 at a time, with no to little help, which I was pretty much on my own for a great deal of years. Nonetheless, my mother would make my father fried fish almost every Friday. I suppose it came from her Catholic belief, living in a very small tight net town. It was considered taboo to eat meat on Fridays, so we always had fish, beans, or something else that didn't include meat. I thought it was a good idea not to always eat meat by having some days that were simply non-meat days. Nonetheless, it worked! Bringing a praised "fish day" ritual to our family table. And if she didn't make them, my father just casually made a trip to a nearby restaurant and ordered a dinner of fish chips and fries for himself.
I don't recall my mom ever making fish tacos actually. When she fried the fish, she simply heated up the corn tortillas, slap some of her salsa on them, rolled it up into a type of soft taquito, enjoying her fried fish, calling it a taco! She seem to always purchase cat fish. It was what my father grew up eating, and he loved it. You know it's a scavenger fish!! It's tasty, meaty, and if cooked properly, it's quite delicious. But that wasn't my favorite fish if my mother didn't make it. My mother's fish had something that no other fish had. And it was simply a good seasoned blend, which made it superb. Though, most of the time, my mother made beautiful tacos with meat, not with fish. The fried kind, using toothpicks, and placing lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, etc. I'm sure if she had lived long enough, I would of enjoyed making her my fish tacos, the way I make them! I know she would of loved them.
Nowadays, tacos have become somewhat sophisticated, taking the simplicity and humility and turning them into a competitive show case. I laugh at times, but have to acknowledge the efforts. Tacos are being showcased in so many ways with so many creative styles. I won't go into naming them all because there are just too many varieties to name. Still the taco goes back to my heritage from my mother's side and I love making them.
As, I mentioned, there are so many ways to make a taco with so many choices of fillings and a diverse varieties of corn tortillas. In this recipe video, I wanted to include fried red snapper, fresh cabbage seasoned with a lime dressing, chard corn, ripe avocados, and simple Louisiana hot sauce. Now that's what I would call a California taco!! A bit of southern style in a humble corn tortilla! I mean what's better then that? And why not make it a lighter version? It's pretty much all California grown, even the olive oil, for the exception of the tortillas. They are made from a beautiful town Albuquerque in New Mexico, where my son in his family reside and where I have visited my other son a couple of times. What's better then that? All sustainable ingredients and all made here in America except the avocados grown in Mexico, our neighboring country, simply because of the crossing of crops, and the change of season. Who said they didn't want corn? Corn has been grown in our country from our neighboring origin of Mexico since God knows when.
The corn tortillas I used in this recipe video, are organic and very thin, not like the usual corn tortillas that are found in the grocery stores, with a whole bunch of fillers, that I actually hate. Why take something beautiful and add some crazy ingredients that only cause you indigestion? OK, so they are cheap, right? But what an insult to our economy, our heath, most importantly the beautiful sustainable corn. I'm just saying, that it's so very important to have ingredients that you trust and when making that special meal, it's all about the wonderful flavors as you bite into these tacos. Enjoy the recipe video! And thank you again for watching. Have a great taco day!
Soak or marinate red snapper in Kefir or buttermilk, for several hours, or at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, season the flours with seasonings listed. Remove excess Kefir and dowse into the corn flour seasoned mixture.
Heat the cast iron skillet and char corn, following the instructions of fresh or frozen corn. If you have packaged frozen corn, just reheat it, and char it slightly on high heat with a bit of cooking oil. If it is fresh corn, then time the charring giving ti only a couple of seconds, depending on high the heat, with a bit of cooking oil. Or you can simply just reheated the packaged which I already have. I found this charred corn in the frozen isle and for myself, it simply cuts time.
Deep fry the fish in medium high heat in the same skillet with about 1/4" of cooking oil. Then gently turn each one over using a tong or spatula. Be careful not to burn yourself. You may have to lower the heat a bit to make sure the the internal part of the fish is thoroughly cooked, without drying out. Since I have been cooking for years, it's pretty easy fro me. But if you are cooking fish for the first time, please follow the guidelines of your state. Place the fish on a paper towel or a pan strainer to drain the excess oil. If you are using expeller canola oil, and are frying them properly, then most likely you won't have a lot of oil in the fish. Fish doesn't take too much time to cook. (http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html).
Next, heat up the grill on medium high heat. Depending on the thickness, and quality of the corn tortillas, make sure they are quickly heated, because they can easily burn. Gently place each tortilla on the grill, unless you are making them from scratch, follow that particular recipe. Then remove them placing the in a warmer or a clean kitchen towel. Snuggle them by folding the towel underneath the tortillas. Or you can remove the tortillas straight from the grill onto a plate, and add the fish and the corn. I don't use cheese with my fish tacos, unless requested. I like my fish tacos to remain light and crispy allowing the avocado to take the place of cheese. Oh yes! Yet, sometimes, I do add the cheese, but it's culinary rules of perfect cuisine. (:
Nowadays, tacos have become somewhat sophisticated, taking the simplicity and humility and turning them into a competitive show case. I laugh at times, but have to acknowledge the efforts. Tacos are being showcased in so many ways with so many creative styles. I won't go into naming them all because there are just too many varieties to name. Still the taco goes back to my heritage from my mother's side and I love making them.
As, I mentioned, there are so many ways to make a taco with so many choices of fillings and a diverse varieties of corn tortillas. In this recipe video, I wanted to include fried red snapper, fresh cabbage seasoned with a lime dressing, chard corn, ripe avocados, and simple Louisiana hot sauce. Now that's what I would call a California taco!! A bit of southern style in a humble corn tortilla! I mean what's better then that? And why not make it a lighter version? It's pretty much all California grown, even the olive oil, for the exception of the tortillas. They are made from a beautiful town Albuquerque in New Mexico, where my son in his family reside and where I have visited my other son a couple of times. What's better then that? All sustainable ingredients and all made here in America except the avocados grown in Mexico, our neighboring country, simply because of the crossing of crops, and the change of season. Who said they didn't want corn? Corn has been grown in our country from our neighboring origin of Mexico since God knows when.
The corn tortillas I used in this recipe video, are organic and very thin, not like the usual corn tortillas that are found in the grocery stores, with a whole bunch of fillers, that I actually hate. Why take something beautiful and add some crazy ingredients that only cause you indigestion? OK, so they are cheap, right? But what an insult to our economy, our heath, most importantly the beautiful sustainable corn. I'm just saying, that it's so very important to have ingredients that you trust and when making that special meal, it's all about the wonderful flavors as you bite into these tacos. Enjoy the recipe video! And thank you again for watching. Have a great taco day!
Fried Red Snapper Tacos with Chard Corn, Fresh Lime Cabbage, and Avocados! Part 1
 |
| Fried Red Snapper with Chard Corn
Mise-en-place, ingredients for recipe:
Fresh red snapper, 10-16 ounces, cut into 2"
Kefir or buttermilk, 1 cup
AP four, 1/2 cup
Corn flour, 1/2 cup (preferably non GMO)
Ingredients for seasoning:
Cajun spice with salt, 1 teaspoon
Granulated garlic and onion, 1 teaspoon each
Smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon
Cumin, 1/4 teaspoon
Dried mustard, 1/2 teaspoon
Ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
Oil for frying, about 1/3 cup
Chard corn, your choice to char yourself or find it at a local grocery store
|
Heat the cast iron skillet and char corn, following the instructions of fresh or frozen corn. If you have packaged frozen corn, just reheat it, and char it slightly on high heat with a bit of cooking oil. If it is fresh corn, then time the charring giving ti only a couple of seconds, depending on high the heat, with a bit of cooking oil. Or you can simply just reheated the packaged which I already have. I found this charred corn in the frozen isle and for myself, it simply cuts time.
Deep fry the fish in medium high heat in the same skillet with about 1/4" of cooking oil. Then gently turn each one over using a tong or spatula. Be careful not to burn yourself. You may have to lower the heat a bit to make sure the the internal part of the fish is thoroughly cooked, without drying out. Since I have been cooking for years, it's pretty easy fro me. But if you are cooking fish for the first time, please follow the guidelines of your state. Place the fish on a paper towel or a pan strainer to drain the excess oil. If you are using expeller canola oil, and are frying them properly, then most likely you won't have a lot of oil in the fish. Fish doesn't take too much time to cook. (http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html).
Next, heat up the grill on medium high heat. Depending on the thickness, and quality of the corn tortillas, make sure they are quickly heated, because they can easily burn. Gently place each tortilla on the grill, unless you are making them from scratch, follow that particular recipe. Then remove them placing the in a warmer or a clean kitchen towel. Snuggle them by folding the towel underneath the tortillas. Or you can remove the tortillas straight from the grill onto a plate, and add the fish and the corn. I don't use cheese with my fish tacos, unless requested. I like my fish tacos to remain light and crispy allowing the avocado to take the place of cheese. Oh yes! Yet, sometimes, I do add the cheese, but it's culinary rules of perfect cuisine. (:
 |
| Mise-en-place
Recipe ingredients for fish tacos:
Fried red snapper, 10 ounces to a pound, cooked-fried
Charred corn
Avocados, 1-2 ripe firm, organic, is possible
Ripe tomatoes, 1, small diced
Fresh jalapeno, 1/2, seeded and finely diced
Cilantro, 1/4-1/2 cup, diced, small
Limes, squeeze 1/2 lime
Salt, pepper to taste
Green cabbage, 1/2 thinly sliced
Red onions, 1/2 of small, thinly sliced
Lime, squeeze 1/2
XVOO, 1 tablespoon, preferably from California
Salt, pepper, to taste
Hot sauce....(: Your choice!
|
Mix each food ingredient for to assemble the tacos. After placing the fish and corn on the tacos, place the hot sauce for additional flavor, cabbage, and avocados. Delicious!! Enjoy!!
Part 2
This recipe video is part 2 and it includes plating that enjoying!!
Beautiful Fish tacos for your fish Fridays!
No comments:
Post a Comment