Two Year Anniversary Special
The date was March 20, 2020. With shelter-in-place rules going into effect I decided to combine my love of food and my technical prowess together and host a cooking live stream show. The purpose was to be able to virtually hang out with family and friends during a period of time when we weren’t going to be able to safely hang out in person. And we didn’t know how long we were going to stay in isolation.
Up until that point for over a decade I had done my best to host Taco Tuesday, one of my favorite meals to prepare and to eat, at least once a week. There are countless friends that have experienced this phenomenon and whether it was actually held on a Tuesday didn’t matter in the slightest. Tacos were being had along with fresh salsa and guacamole.
In fact, for a period of several years my dad, step mom, sister, and family friend Hannah would get together every Tuesday to watch American Idol and Hell’s Kitchen, where I would make Tacos for dinner and we would have a grand old time. Two years ago I wanted to recreate that feeling despite it needing to be held virtually. It was also a Fiesta Friday because I didn’t have time to live stream after work on a Tuesday night. 😅
I streamed for over a year on a weekly cadence, coming up with new and fun dishes to cook and entertain around. Family and friends loved it. My dad in particular was excited every week to know what I was preparing as he and I had a fairly long history of being in the kitchen together preparing food for whatever sort of party he was throwing. And he and my step mom had recently purchased an RV and were out somewhere in the US exploring the diversity and wonder that this country has to offer.
Last year after Memorial Day with restrictions starting to ease back a little and my dad back from traveling for a little bit I took a little break from my weekly streaming schedule. It wasn’t meant to be a long break; however, it turned into a little under a year away from Cook Along Live. Life got busy and dad hit the road again with my step mom. I had resolved to bring my show back sometime in the early part of this year, after a work related trip to Florida and a chance to visit with my dad and step mom while I was there.
Two weeks ago after a wonderful time in Florida, hitting up the Disney Parks with my father and step mom, step sister and her two kids, with no advance warning my father suddenly passed away.
I had just thought to myself on the flight back home that it would be fun to revisit that first Cook Along Live and have a wonderful night of tacos, margaritas, and had imagined how happy and excited my dad would be to cook along with me. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be the case.
However, it did solidify that this was something I had to bring back if for no other reason than to feel like I’m cooking with him again and to honor his memory by throwing parties for anyone that wants to watch for as long as I can. And I absolutely had to have a show tonight. I wanted to stick with one of my favorite dishes and yet I felt like I couldn’t just make regular tacos. I had to try something I have very little experience with – in fact something I’ve never really made before.
Fish Tacos. I love them when I get them and yet I’ve never really thought to make them for myself. I quickly gave them a few trial runs and nailed down a recipe that I feel checks off all the boxes. Pickled red onion. A nice light cabbage slaw. Plenty of avocado and cilantro. Wonderfully seasoned fish. Amazingly creamy taco dressing.
The great thing is these are fairly easy to make as well! And there is plenty of time to overlap steps so that you have perfectly cooked fish and all the toppings ready to go at the same time. Despite not having much free time to prepare and produce this episode the live stream went off without a hitch and the recording can be found on my YouTube channel or below the recipe.
I certainly apologize for the somber tone of this post and the initial few minutes of the livestream. This one was incredibly special to me and hopefully y’all give it a try soon! Let me know what you think in the comments below or over on the YouTube video page. 😀
Fish Tacos, Pickled Red Onions, and Cabbage Slaw
Equipment
- Saucepot
- Nonstick Skillet
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Squeeze Bottle (optional)
Ingredients
Pickled Red Onions
- 1 Red Onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup Water
- ¼ cup Distilled White Vinegar
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1½ tbsp Agave Syrup
- 1½ tbsp Kosher Salt
Creamy Dressing
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup Sour Cream
- 1 clove Garlic
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice fresh squeezed
- 1 tsp Sriracha or favorite hot sauce
Cabbage Slaw
- ½ head Green Cabbage
- ½ head Purple Cabbage
- 1 medium Carrot
- ¼ cup Cilantro chopped
- 1 large Jalapeño Pepper finely diced
- 1 tsp Lime Juice fresh squeezed
Fish Tacos
- 1 lb White Fish Fillets cod or tilapia are great
- 1 Prepared Creamy Dressing from this recipe
- 1 Prepared Pickled Red Onions from this recipe
- 1 Prepared Cabbage Slaw from this recipe
- 1 large Avocado
- 12 Tortillas corn or flour
- 1 cup Cotija Cheese or queso fresco
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder not cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
Prep Work
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Let's Start with the Pickled Red Onions
- Mix water, vinegars, agave syrup, and salt together in the saucepan and bring to a very low simmer.
- While the pickling liquid is coming up to temperature, thinly slice red onion. You want very thin strips, around ⅛-inch thin.
- Pack red onion into a pickling jar and once the pickling liquid starts to simmer pour it over the onions in the pickling jar. Set aside and let cool / rest completely.
Get the Fish Started
- Measure all of the spices into a sealable container. Put on the container lid and shake thoroughly to mix.
- Lay the fish fillets out on the baking sheet and remove pin bones, if any. Dust fairly generously with the spice mix then place the sheet into the preheated oven for 20 minutes on the middle rack.
- While the fish is cooking, make the creamy sauce and the cabbage slaw.
- Once cooked, if desired, turn your broiler on high and broil for an additional two to three minutes for crispy edges then remove from the heat and let rest for five minutes.
Make the Creamy Sauce
- Scoop mayonnaise sour cream into a mixing bowl. Crush the garlic clove and add it to the bowl.
- Add lime juice and hot sauce and whisk cream together.
- If the consistency is too thick you can thin it out by adding more lime juice or a little bit of water until it reaches your desired consistency. Transfer to the squeeze bottle for dressing, if desired.
Create the Cabbage Slaw
- Thinly slice the green and purple cabbage and place into a large bowl. Julienne the carrot into 2-inch long strips sliced very thin and add to the cabbage.
- Finely chop the cilantro and finely dice the jalapeño removing the pith and seeds to keep it mild, then add these to the bowl with the cabbage and carrots.
- Toss together with the lime juice and then squeeze in about a tablespoon of the creamy dressing. Toss together to coat and season to taste.
Plating Up Your Dish
- Preheat your skillet to medium high heat.
- Lightly toast a couple of tortillas then while still warm, squeeze a thin line of creamy dressing down the middle of the tortilla.
- Break up your cooked fish into chunks, and place a small pile of fish along the middle of the tortilla on top of the creamy dressing. Add a generous amount of prepared slaw, top with avocado slices and pickled onion.
- Optionally squeeze a little bit more of the creamy dressing on top of the taco fillings.
- Optionally crumble a bit of cotija cheese along the top of the taco fillings.
