Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Fresh, sweet & savory coleslaw with tortilla-crusted fish tacos on corn tortillas

I have a lot of unusual items in my refrigerator and freezer this post-holiday evening.  One small, lonely head of cabbage and a package of unused corn tortillas, among them.
I decided to make fish tacos with coleslaw.  It might sound weird, but it is delicious.  I'm not even a big coleslaw fan; to be honest, I used to HATE coleslaw because the only experience I had with it was that stuff that is drowning in some nasty sort of sweet sauce:  ick!  There is a better coleslaw.  I'm about to show you how to make it!

Ingredients for tasty coleslaw:
one small to medium-sized cabbage, sliced in half and washed thoroughly
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
2-3 radishes (if you have them) thinly sliced
1/4 cup (or to personal taste) mayonnaise, add more if needed
1 tablespoon dried curry mix
1 teaspoon creole rub (or more curry mix, or a combo of spices that appeals to you!)
salt and pepper to taste

Thinly slice the cabbage halves crosswise, then slice these sections into thirds.  Don't fuss about it too much, but don't chop it to death.  You want the strands to be at least 1-2 inches long for the nice crunch.
Place chopped cabbage in a mixing bowl.  Add celery and radish.  Toss the craisins and sliced almonds and mix gently.  Now, add the mayonnaise and spices and toss so that there is just enough mayonnaise to lightly coat the mixture.  Better to error on the light side of adding mayonnaise than to add too much!  You can always add more until you get a little moisture on the mixture.  Salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

I use the tortilla-crusted tilapia that I buy frozen from Costco for my fish tacos.  These are great, easy to prepare, and I always keep some in the freezer for evenings when I can't think of what else to cook.
Bake the fish in the oven according to package directions.

While baking, heat the corn tortillas in pan, flipping back and forth in a hot pan until some "puffing" of the taco begins to occur.  Place on a plate and cover.  Keep warm until ready to serve.
cabbage, sliced in half.  Remove base "core" before thinly slicing

add cabbage, sliced almonds, and craisins to bowl and toss slightly


Add mayonnaise and spices (see how accurately I measure?!)


Add celery and radishes (I didn't have any radishes on hand, but I encourage you to try them if you can in this dish because they rock)

heat tortillas in a medium-high nonstick pan, turning frequently to prevent scorching


Serve fish in tortilla topped with a generous portion of coleslaw.
Delicious!

2 comments:

  1. Dang! I just returned from a brave trip to Costco. (We still have slushy ice-covered roads, but I had cabin fever.) I wish I had read this recipe first! I will try it real soon...or I'll tell YC he needs to try it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations on braving the icy Alabama weather without bodily injury. I understand cabin fever. I remember it well from living in KS during the winter. Grab some of these tilapia next time you are in Costco. They really are great for the fish tacos.

    ReplyDelete