Mexican fish tacos with pan-fried white fish, lime slaw, lime sour cream, and cilantro microgreens on top. Six tacos in 35 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
- 150 g - red cabbage
- 1/2 pc - red onion (40 g)
- 2 pc - limes
- 100 g - sour cream
- 400 g - white fish fillets (cod, hake, or pollock)
- 2 tbsp - all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp - ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp - smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp - salt
- 3 tbsp - sunflower oil
- 6 pc - 6 in (15 cm) corn or flour tortillas
- 20 g - cilantro microgreens
STEPS
- Thinly slice the cabbage and the onion. Toss with the juice of one lime and a pinch of salt, and let sit while you cook the fish.
- Mix the sour cream with 1 tbsp juice from the second lime and a pinch of salt. Cut the rest of that lime into wedges for serving.
- Pat the fish dry and cut it into 1 1/2 in (3-4 cm) pieces. Mix the flour with the cumin, paprika, and salt, and dredge the fish.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the fish for 2-3 minutes per side without moving it, until golden.
- Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet for 20-30 seconds per side, until pliable.
- Fill each tortilla with slaw, fish, a spoonful of sauce, and cilantro microgreens. Serve with lime wedges.
Cilantro Microgreens in Tacos
In Mexican fish tacos, cilantro sits next to cabbage and lime as a must-have part of the filling. Cilantro microgreens smell of citrus and spice, brighter and cleaner than mature cilantro and without its bitterness. They go on last, over the cool sauce, and bring fresh aroma to every bite.
Cilantro splits people into two camps. If someone at the table won’t eat it, set out radish microgreens as well: fresh and peppery, with no cilantro aroma.
About the Ingredients
Cilantro microgreens: 20 g for six tacos.
Fish: firm white fish, such as cod, hake, or pollock. Thaw frozen fillets completely and pat them dry.
Tortillas: small 6 in (15 cm) corn or flour tortillas. Corn has more flavor, flour is softer and tears less.
Red cabbage tossed with lime and salt softens in 15 minutes into a crunchy slaw.
Lime sour cream stands in for Mexican crema: thick, tangy, and cool next to the hot fish.
Technique: Fish That Holds Together
Wet fish won’t brown, and the flour on it turns gummy, so pat the fillets dry on all sides. Cut them into 1 1/2 in (3-4 cm) pieces: smaller ones dry out, bigger ones break when you flip them. Lay the fish in well-heated oil and don’t move it for 2-3 minutes, until a crust forms. At that point it releases from the pan on its own.
Variations
- Shrimp tacos: 400 g shrimp with the same spices, 1-2 minutes per side.
- Grilled fish: skip the flour, brush the fish with spiced oil, and grill 3-4 minutes per side.
- With avocado: avocado slices or guacamole in place of some of the sauce.
- Cilantro-free: radish or mustard microgreens.
Serving and Storage
The easiest way to serve is to set everything out and let people build their own tacos at the table. The lime slaw and the sauce can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Fry the fish last, since it’s only good hot. How long cilantro microgreens last after opening is in our wiki: microgreen shelf life.
Another fresh microgreen sauce for fish and meat: parsley and oregano microgreen chimichurri.
CHEF'S TIPS
If corn tortillas tear, double them up, the way Mexican street stands do.
Put the microgreens on the sauce, over the fish: on hot fish they wilt within a minute.
