Fish Tacos with Crunchy Slaw
Fish tacos are one of Laura’s favorite family meals. This is my adaptation of her method. It’s the perfect summertime dinner, when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven! The tacos are super simple but full of flavor and contrasting textures. Laura usually uses halibut, cod or bass, but all I could find was wild salmon, which turned out delicious. I love the use of Old Bay seasoning, which lends an unexpected bright and jazzy flavor to the fish. Laura serves the tacos with a fabulous crunchy slaw and creamy avocado slices. This meal is an awesome way to get your kiddos to eat their fish and vegetables—my five-year-old devoured everything, which (trust me) says a lot! -Nicki
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- ½ medium head of cabbage (white or red), cored
- 1 bunch of cilantro , coarsely chopped (go ahead and use the tender upper stems—they’re delicious)
- ¼ medium red onion , finely chopped and rinsed in cold water (to remove some of its bite)
- 1 jalapeño pepper , seeded and finely chopped
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ pounds halibut , cod, bass or salmon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Old bay seasoning
- Corn or flour tortillas for serving
- Sliced avocados for serving
- Hot sauce for serving
Instructions
- To make the slaw, finely shred the cabbage using a sharp knife or the shredder disk of a food processor. Scrape the cabbage into a large bowl and add the cilantro, red onion, jalapeño pepper, mayonnaise, lime juice and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well. Taste and add additional seasonings, if needed. Do Ahead: The slaw can be made up to 2 hours in advance; cover and refrigerate.
- Put the fish on a plate or in a dish and pour the olive oil over to coat. Sprinkle the Old Bay evenly over the fish (if the fish has its skin on, I sprinkle the seasoning on the flesh side only). Season lightly with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes (this is a good time to light the grill!).
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium. Clean and oil the grates. Grill the fish until it’s cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, flipping it halfway through (as long as the grill is clean and oiled you shouldn’t have trouble flipping the fish—I start it skin-side down—but if you’re nervous about grilling fish, you can grill it right on top of a piece of lightly oiled aluminum foil, or you can use an oiled grill basket). It’ll take about 8-15 minutes total, depending on the thickness of your fish. Once the fish comes off, turn the heat to high and toss the tortillas on the grill. Cook them on both sides, until lightly toasted. Wrap the tortillas in a kitchen towel or in foil to steam.
- Using a fork, break the fish into large flakes. Serve the fish with the warm tortillas, the slaw, avocado slices and hot sauce.