Fish Tacos

My eyes have often rested on the words "fish tacos" when reading the menu of whatever Mexican food restaurant I have landed. I may take a risk and order the seafood enchiladas, but I have never tried fish tacos. If I'm having dinner out, I want to make sure that I actually like what I order. I was flipping through my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook when I saw these fish tacos. Why not try them out at home? I have to say, I was NOT disappointed! The crunchy corn shell, the yummy fish, the creamy coleslaw mix...all topped with a flavorful mango salsa. It was all good with me. Unfortunately, the rest of my family did not feel the same way. When my husband phoned home a little before dinnertime he asked what we were having. "Fish tacos," I said, enthusiastically. "Oh." He responded. "Oh" is such a short word, but I heard exactly what he thought about fish tacos for dinner in that one syllable. He continued, "Well, I've got a lot to finish up here. Don't hold dinner for me." He honestly thought that he could hide out from my fish tacos in the safety of his office. Oh, you'll eat fish tacos, buddy. And you'll like em' too. As it turned out, dinner took extra long to prepare and wouldn't you know that it was ready just as he walked through the door.

We sat down to eat and I devoured both of my tacos in about 3 minutes. I looked over at him, still holding his uneaten taco. To his credit, he did take two bites without complaint. "Mmmm." he said, rolling his eyes in my direction. All for the benefit of our children, who were pushing theirs around on their plates. Then I heard him mutter something under his breath about throwing his fish tacos out the window. I also commend him for trying to hide his laugh when our four year old proclaimed, "Mommy, these taste like you made them with 3 cups of rotten eggs and 3 cups of smelly cheese"! Lovely. She's so creative in her criticisms. Oh well, I thoroughly enjoyed these fish tacos. So if they're your cup of tea too, here's how I made them:

I started preparing the mango salsa early in the day, doing some chopping while the kids ate breakfast. This is the baggy of chopped jalepeno, green onion, and red pepper that I stored until I got my mangos from the store later. The mangos that I bought last week rotted on my counter while I was out of town.


Now chop your mango. If you've never cut into a mango before, you might want to check out these easy instructions.




Throw all of the veggies into a bowl with your chopped mango and...


grate a little lime peel. Add it to the bowl with some salt, pepper, lime juice, vinegar, and olive oil and give it a stir.


Now melt some butter for the fish and stir in some cumin and garlic powder.


Pat your fish dry and cut it crosswise into 3/4" slices.


Put the fish into a shallow baking dish and brush with the butter. Bake at 450 degrees for 4-6 minutes until it flakes with a fork.


While the fish bakes, combine 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise with a teaspoon of lime juice.


Toss it with some shredded cabbage.


To assemble the tacos, spoon the coleslaw mixture into the taco shell. Arrange the fish on top of the coleslaw and then top with mango salsa. Dee-licious! At least to me.


Fish Tacos from Better Homes and Gardens

Start to Finish: 20 minutes

Ingredients
12 ounces fresh or frozen skinless fish fillets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 teaspoon lime juice
1-1/2 cups packaged shredded cabbage with carrot (coleslaw mix) or shredded cabbage
8 corn taco shells, warmed according to package directions
1 recipe Mango Salsa
Directions
1. Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Cut fish crosswise into 3/4-inch slices. Place fish in a single layer in a greased shallow baking pan. Combine olive oil, cumin, and garlic powder. Brush over fish. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 4 to 6 minutes or until fish begins to flake when tested with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together mayonnaise and lime juice. Add cabbage; toss to coat. Spoon some of the coleslaw mixture into each taco shell; add fish slices and top with Mango Salsa.

3. Makes 4 servings

4. Mango Salsa: In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup chopped, peeled mango or peach; 1/2 medium red sweet pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion; 1/2 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel; 1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice; 1-1/2 teaspoons vinegar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Makes 1 cup.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 322, Total Fat (g) 19, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Monounsaturated Fat (g) 4, Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 6, Cholesterol (mg) 44, Sodium (mg) 353, Carbohydrate (g) 21, Total Sugar (g) 6, Fiber (g) 3, Protein (g) 17, Vitamin C (DV%) 73, Calcium (DV%) 5, Iron (DV%) 5, Starch (d.e.) 1, Vegetables (d.e.) .5, Very Lean Meat (d.e.) 2, Fat (d.e.) 3.5, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

WW points: 7