happy cinco de mayo: celebrate with fish tacos!!

happy cinco de mayo everyone!

funny enough, cinco de mayo is not mexico’s independence day but in reality, it commemorates the mexican army’s 1862 victory over france at the battle of puebla during the franco-mexican War (1861-1867). cinco de mayo is a relatively minor holiday in mexico, but here in the states it has evolved into a celebration of mexican culture and heritage, and/or an excuse to drink margaritas at lunchtime.

i made tacos to celebrate cinco de mayo. i just love tacos. tacos and nachos. ummm… nachos…

anyway, this is not the first time i post tacos on the blog and it won’t be the last. here is the recipe for fish tacos, cabbage salsa, radish salsa and tomato salsa!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lb of white fish such as tilapia, cod, flounder (i chose flounder)
5 or 6 limes
1 jalapeño pepper*
4 garlic cloves
salt and pepper
sour cream
mexican crema
honey
1 tbsp of paprika
olive oil
1 tsp brown sugar
bunch of cilantro
6 scallions
12 flour tortillas
1 large ripe tomato
1/2 white onion
canola or vegetable oil
olive oil
coleslaw mix
4 or 5 small radishes
1 tbsp white vinegar

*optional

INSTRUCTIONS:
cut the fish in strips and place them on a shallow dish.

season the fish with 3 chopped up garlic cloves, the juice of two limes, paprika and 1/4 cup of vegetable oil.

coat all the pieces of fish with the seasoning and set aside.

let’s get started with the coleslaw salsa. for this, you can either shred 1/2 head of white cabbage or do what i did and buy the ready made coleslaw mix. you will need about a cup and a half of shredded cabbage.

slice 4 scallions.

and 1/2 a jalapeño pepper. make sure to clean it well and remove all seeds to diminish the heat. add the pepper and scallions to the cabbage.

in a bowl mix together: 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, juice of one lime and salt and pepper to taste.

whisk the mixture and drizzle onto the cabbage, peppers and scallions.

mix well to coat. set aside until ready to use.

now, onto the radish salsa: wash and thinly slice about 5 radishes. i had the tiny radishes which is why i used 5, but if you have the normal grown up radishes then one or two should suffice.

season the radishes with the juice of one lime, 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

add half a chopped jalapeño pepper and 2 chopped up scallions.

add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar to even out the flavors. mix everything well and… you guessed it, set aside.

wrap your tortillas in foil paper.

place the fish strips on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

bake the fish and tortillas for about 8 minutes at 350°. once the fish is cooked (when easy poked witha fork and flaky) place them in a plate.

next, set up your taco bar…

wrap your tortillas in a tea towel to keep them warm and pliable.

i also made a quick traditional tomato salsa to go with the tacos.

for the salsa i chopped up: 1 large tomato, 1/4 jalapeño pepper, 1/2 white onion, a bunch of oregano (about 1 cup) and 1 garlic clove. i added the juice of two limes and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.