Sometimes, words are not enough to describe something as magnificent as these fish tacos.
The pictures help, surely, but there was still something missing from the title, so I had to compensate and make up my own word to describe the crunchy topping for these tacos.
Slawsa. n. A vibrant, crunchy condiment that falls somewhere in between a slaw and a salsa.
And folks, this concoction, this invention from the depths of Taylor’s mind (and our fridge), is what makes this recipe. Without it they’d be bland and boring and basic. Instead, with a generous mound of pretty purple and red and green slawsa on top, these tacos are terribly and terrifically tangy, with a bit of crunch from the red cabbage and sweetness from the cherry tomatoes and a more-than-generous handful of fresh cilantro. Not to mention it’s downright gorgeous.
We had our go-to fish taco recipe, and for the longest time, no matter what we tried we could never seem to top it.
And then one day, faced with a fillet of fish and fridge full of random bits of produce, Taylor threw together these tacos that simply blew my mind. After one bite I started grilling him on what he did and how much of this and how much of that he used, because I knew we had to make them again to share them with you all.
I love that these fish tacos are simply pan-fried, as opposed to battered or breaded. It lets the loveliness of the fish shine through. Plus it’s like, 42 times easier.
I did steal the cilantro cream sauce, or a version of it, from our previous favorite fish taco, because I felt it needed that touch of cooling cream to balance it all out. I used a mix of sour cream and Greek yogurt for the sauce, so the result tastes a little like both without being too up front about it. You could certainly use all of one or the other if you choose.
We’ve since made these tacos a few more times with different fish varieties, and while any firm, white fish will do, the mahi mahi is by far our favorite. Some other kinds of fish are just a bit too fishy, which can quickly ruin a taco and your entire supply of fresh air for the next 3 days. One downside to an open kitchen, I guess.
Still, these were worth it.
Simply spiced and seared Mahi Mahi topped with a tangy red cabbage and tomato “slawsa” and a creamy cilantro lime sauce.
Let us know what you think!
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