Fish Tacos

I've made a lot of fish tacos but I think these might be the best yet!  They are equally good as fish taco bowls - served over quinoa.

Chipotle Sauce
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
4-7 ounces chipotle chilies in adobo (more or less to taste), finely chopped

Combine and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Can be made a day ahead.

Cilantro Lime Slaw
This is fantastic with fish tacos. It really balances the heat of the chipotle sauce.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
4 cups shredded cabbage (or pre-shredded slaw mix)

Blend everything except the yogurt and cabbage. Add yogurt and mix just until combined. Pour over cabbage and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Can be made a day ahead.

Tacos
2 tablespoons each ancho chile powder, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin
1 1/2 pounds cod
salt and pepper to taste
12 corn tortillas
2 tablepoon canola oil
lime wedges
avocado slices
cilantro leaves

Salt and pepper fish.  Then combine seasonings in small dish and rub and coat fish with the mixture.
In a dry pan, heat to medium high.  Cook tortillas about 30 seconds per side.  Wrap in foil to keep warm.  You can place the foil packet in the oven at a low temperature to keep warm while you cook the fish. Turn heat down to medium and add oil. When oil shimmers, add fish and cook about 4 minutes per side.  Break fish into smaller pieces.

------

Time to assemble the tacos and eat!  Place the fish on a tortilla, top with chipotle sauce, slaw, avocado, cilantro leaves, and a squeeze of lime.  Serve the corn salad (recipe below) on the side.  Life is good!

Corn Salad
I served this salad as a side dish for the tacos but when I had a taco bowl with the leftovers, I added it to the bowl.

2 cups frozen corn kernnels, thawed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup edamame
salt and pepper to taste

This one is pretty easy, just throw everything into a bowl and combine.

This is the fish taco bowl I made the next day and it was fantastic.  It had everything above plus quinoa.  Yum!

Seeded Bread

This is an easy bread recipe that is so delicious!  I really love this bread - good for toast, sandwiches, or just slathered with a little butter.  The flax and sunflower seeds make it especially lovely.  I hope you give it a try!

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons fast acting yeast
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons flax seeds
3 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds

Throw everything except the sunflower seeds into a mixing bowl of a stand mixer  stir until combined.  Then knead on medium speed for a minute or so. Lightly grease mixing bowl with spray or oil then cover and let it rise on the counter for a couple of hours.  Then move the bowl to the fridge and let it sit for another couple of hours. Move the dough to the counter and knead it for several minutes  on a lightly floured surface while adding the sunflower seeds. Form into a loaf and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle top lightly with flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for an hour.  Forty minutes into this rest, place a cast iron pan on the lowest rack in your oven and preheat the oven to 425.  When the hour is up, get 1 cup of water ready to pour into the cast iron pan (to create a bunch of steam and a lovely crust on your loaf) and slash the top of your loaf with 3 cuts (1/2 inch deep).  Place dough on middle rack, carefully pour the water into the cast iron pan and then close the oven door (it will steam a lot). Bake about 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet then move to a cooling rack to allow it to cool completely.