California eating on such a summer day
I’ve made this recipe before several times, but it seemed more appropriate when I made it the other night for my friend in LA. Making your own roasted tomatillo salsa adds a few steps, but is well worth it for the flavor. Or you can just buy some salsa verde to make the tacos faster.
I found all of these recipes in a Better Homes and Gardens collection- I like their recipes,since they often draw on home cook’s recipes and avoid many of the faddish obscure ingredients that are the “bread and butter” (so to speak) of many cooking magazines.
The margarita recipe was not from the same features the salsa and fish tacos recipe, but I’d been wanting to make it again and it was easier to do for two people than the tropical fruit salad recipe I usually serve with this kind of food. Arroz con gandules would be another tasty accompaniment, if not terribly authentic, since it’s another Puerto Rican speciality.
If you’re doing everything from scratch, it will help to arrange the tasks in this order:
- tomatillos and chillies
- potatoes
- fish
- chop veggies & herbs
- make margaritas (opt.)
- assemble tacos
Lupe’s Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
This makes a large quantity, but it’s also great for chicken enchiladas or just to eat with chips. I made a half batch for us and it definitely made more than the two cups called for in the fish taco recipe.
- 3 lb. fresh tomatillos
- 6 fresh serrano chile peppers
- 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/3 cup finely chopped yellow or white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt or 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
1. Preheat oven to 425. Remove husks, stems, and cores from tomatillos. Cut any large tomatillos in half. Place tomatillos in a foil-lined shallow roasting pan. Remove stems and, if desired, seeds from serrano peppers. Place peppers in roasting pan with tomatillos. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until tomatillos are soft.
2. In a blender or food mill combine the tomatillos, peppers, cilantro, yellow onion, and garlic. You may have to divide into batches, depending on the size of your appliance. Cover and blend until almost smooth. Pour mixture into a medium bowl.
3. Stir salt and green onions into the salsa mixture. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 days.
Makes at least 3-4 cups
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Quick Fish Tacos:
- 2 lb. fresh or frozen skinless fish fillets – salmon or bassa fish are great
- 1 lb. medium round red or white tomatoes
- 1 tbsp ground chipotle chile pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt or 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups Lupe’s Tomatillo Sauce (see above) or purchased green salsa
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1 tsp kosher salt or 3/4 tsp salt
- 12 green onions, thinly slices
- 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 32 4-inch corn tortillas or twenty-four 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
- 1 cup sour cream or Mexican Crema
- Lime Wedges
1. Thaw fish, if frozen. Peel and cube potatoes. Cook potatoes, covered, in enough boiling salted water to cover about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool.
2. Rinse fish, pat dry. Measure thickness of fish in the thickest spot. In a small bowl combine chipotle pepper, sugar, and 1 tsp salt; rub onto both sides of fish. Place fish on greased grill rack directly above medium coals. Grill, uncovered, for 4-6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Or – if you don’t want to grill the fish, you can broil the fish. Don’t let them get too close to the heat or they’ll burn without cooking through. Cool slightly. Break into chunks.
3. In a large bowl stir together Lupe’s Tomatillo Sauce, lime juice, and 1 tsp salt. Add the salmon, potatoes, green onions, and cilantro; stir gently.
4. Divide the fish mixture among tortillas. Top each with a dollop of sour cream or Mexican Crema. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
Makes 24-32 tacos
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Frozen Strawberry-Mango Margaritas
Since my friend didn’t have a blender to crush ice, I used fresh strawberries and served the drink over ice.
- 2 medium mangoes
- 1/2 cup gold (oro) tequila
- 1/3 cup orange liqueur
- 1/4 cup mime juice (actually, it’s lime juice, but the typo amused me)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups frozen unsweetened whole strawberries
- 2 cups ice cubes
1. Seed, peel, and cube mangoes. Place cubes in a single layer on a shallow baking pan lined with plastic wrap. Cover and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer to a freezer bag or container for longer storage.
2. In a blender combine tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, sugar, strawberries, and mango chunks. Cover; blend until smooth. With blender running, add ice cubes, 1 at a time, through opening in lid, blending until mixture becomes slushy. Pour mixture into 5 glasses. Makes 5 servings.
(I don’t have pictures for this one yet… I’ll have to make it again. Such hardship)
