Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa and Cilantro Cream

Serves 3

Oh. My. So. Good. What a happy intersection of circumstances that brought this most delicious lunch together today. This is, admittedly, more than we usually bother to put together for a weekday lunch, but it was so good that I think it will carry me happily into next week, flavor-wise; I can just eat cardboard until next Tuesday or so.

Fish

White fish such as Orange Roughy or Tilapia

marinade (this is very approximate, sorry, I didn’t measure anything): 2 Tbs lemon juice, 2 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbs salt, 1 tsp taco seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp dried onion

Let fish marinate for a few hours before broiling.

Citrus salsa

1 avocado

1/2 grapefruit

1/4 bunch cilantro, stems removed, minced

1/4 C minced red onion

salt to taste

Soak red onion in a bowl of water while preparing other elements of the salsa (this will neutralize the intense raw onion flavor). Cube avocado, remove grapefruit sections from the pith and slice. Mix all ingredients together, salt to taste.

Cilantro cream

1/2 C thick plain yogurt

1 garlic clove

1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed

a few tablespoons lemon juice

salt to taste

Place all ingredients in the food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Sides: beans and rice

1 C brown rice

2 C water

1 tsp salt

2 Tbs oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1 15-oz can pinto beans

Bring water and rice to a boil with salt; cover, reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan heat olive oil. Saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add tomatoes and rice, cover and simmer until excess liquid is absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the pinto beans in a small saucepan. If you have time you can add diced onions and spices, but I like them plain too.

   

About 10 minutes before you’re ready to eat, turn the fish and marinade onto a small cooking tray (I did mine in the toaster oven)—set oven to broil, cook fish for about 10 minutes until cooked through and browned slightly.

 

To serve the tacos you’ll need 8 to 12 small corn tortillas and some cheese. We like to heat our tortillas with a little cheese in the microwave, then add the fish, salsa and cilantro cream.