Fish Tacos
My children are obsessed with these tacos, perhaps because they've eaten so many of them with me at Wahaca. They can't believe that they are encouraged to get their hands dirty and make their own, any way they want. At home I use whatever fish looks good in the market: monkfish tails, cod fillets, haddock or gurnard have all worked well (as long as you pick the bones from the latter). You will be amazed at how fast this food can go down; it works a treat when you have a gang of children over for lunch.
Ingredients
For the Tacos:
600g line-caught cod, monkfish or other firm fish
100g mayonnaise
100g crème fraîche
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 limes, quartered
8-12 corn or corn and flour tortillas (2-3 per child)
150g grated Cheddar
fresh tomato salsa
Apple Slaw or shredded lettuce
For the Guacamole:
1/2 red chilli, finely chopped, depending on your children's taste
1/2 red onion, very finely chopped
1 small garlic clove
1 tsp saIt, or to taste
3 ripe Hass avocados
juice of 1-2 limes, or to taste
small handful of coriander leaves, chopped, or to taste
1 very ripe tomato, deseeded and chopped
Recipe
First make the guacamole. Check the heat of the chilli by nibbling the tip furthest from the stem. Most generic supermarket chillies are quite mild but, if it is hot, remove the seeds, or leave it out entirely if your children are totally heat-averse.
Put one-quarter of the onion, the garlic, the chilli and salt in a pestle and mortar and mash to a rough paste. Cut open the avocados, remove the stones and scoop the flesh into a large bowl, adding the onion, garlic and chilli paste. Roughly mash the flesh with a fork, adding half the lime juice as you go. When you have a rough guacamole, stir in the remaining lime juice and onion with the coriander and tomato. Season with plenty of black pepper. If it doesn't taste delicious at this stage, think whether it might need seasoning with more salt, lime juice or coriander. When you are happy put it in a bowl on the table.
Season the fish with salt and pepper. Mix the mayonnaise and crème fraîche together and put in a bowl on the table.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the fish for a few minutes each side until cooked through. Season with a squeeze of lime juice.
Heat the tortillas in a microwave or a dry frying pan and put them on the table in a basket, wrapped in a tea towel to keep them warm. Place the grated cheese and salsa in separate bowls and add to the table with bowls of Apple Slaw or lettuce. Invite your children to fill their tortillas with whatever they want, roll them up and tuck in.
Kitchen note:
If we are eating en famille we have exactly the same tacos but I just put extra hot sauce on the table for us, home-made or shop-bought. They are also great with chipotle mayo.
IMAGE CREDIT: Tara Fisher