Fish Tacos with Mango Chipotle Salsa

Two recipes in two days.  Not at all typical around here, I know, but I have to share.  Sometimes weeks go by without anything inspirational happening in the kitchen.  And sometimes amazing things happen more than once over the course of one weekend.  Like these Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa.  Wow.  Just wow.

It all started with some gorgeous mangoes that we brought home from Costco, and the need to make anything but chicken for dinner, because..."ugh, all we ever eat is chicken".

I was imagining mango salsa, and wondering how I could make fish appealing.  We eat a lot of chicken because it's easy, and everyone likes it.  Unlike fish, which is popular with less than half of this household.

Well, it would seem that I've just been preparing fish wrong, because these fish tacos were a hit.  The combination of a mild white fish, sriracha mayonnaise, avocados, and mango salsa is unbelievable.  

The star of the show is the mango salsa.  It would work with any kind of seafood, and it could easily become a new favourite dip for tortilla chips.

It's good enough to convert even the most die-hard fish hater.

Fish Tacos with Mango Chipotle Salsa

1 small lime, zested and juiced

1 large mango, diced (click here to see the best way to peel and dice a mango)

1/3 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.  Let sit for 30 minutes so flavours can blend.  

To make fish tacos, bake or pan fry a mild white fish.  I used basa loins and seasoned them with lemon pepper.

Assemble the fish tacos by rolling up fish, sriracha mayonnaise, mango salsa, and diced avocado in a tortilla shell.  I used flour tortillas because that's what I had, but it would be good in a corn tortilla shell too.

Sriracha mayonnaise can be store bought, or easily made by whisking together 3 parts mayonnaise with one part sriracha sauce.

Enjoy!

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Crock Pot Taco Chicken Bowls

Short days, long nights, bulky sweaters, and slow cookers.  This time of year feels heavy, with it's extra layers, warm blankets, and sturdy boots.  Winter is about comfort foods.  Substantial soups, hearty stews, and casseroles.  And Taco Chicken Bowls.

Our Crock Pot is seeing so much use, that it's taken up permanent residence on the kitchen counter.  It will likely find it's way back into a cupboard in a few month's time, but for now it's front and centre in the kitchen.

These Taco Chicken Bowls are a favourite in our house.  I was inspired by this recipe.  I've tweaked the spices slightly and used more beans.  Sometimes I'll add an extra chicken breast if I want to ensure leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Have you ever made your own tortilla shells?  I used this recipe.

Crock Pot Taco Chicken Bowls

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 large jar salsa

2 cans black beans

½ lb (8 oz) frozen corn

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

½ - 1 tsp chili pepper flakes (depending on how much heat you like)

½ tsp ground pepper

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ cup water

Add everything to the crock pot, stir well, making sure chicken is covered.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Roughly chop or shred chicken before serving.

Serve over cooked rice with sour cream, shredded cheddar and avocado.  Or try it with quinoa...or wrap it all up in a tortilla shell!

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Homemade Taco Seasoning

I never hear complaints about what we're having for dinner when it's taco night.  Simple, classic tacos are one of the few meals that all of my kids look forward to, so we have them often.  Some of the kids like the soft tortilla shells to hold all the ingredients together, some prefer the hard shells.  Some add hot sauce, some don't.  Some pile on the sour cream, others load up on shredded cheddar.  Regardless of how they dress them, they all insist that the ground beef, which is heart and soul of the taco, taste the way it's supposed to.  That means using the same seasoning packet in the ground beef that I've always used.  I once used a store brand seasoning packet when the name brand version happened to be sold out.  

It was not a happy taco night.  

After that, I made a point of buying a couple of packets whenever I grocery shopped, whether we needed them or not, and built a stash in my spice cupboard so as never to be caught without again.  Happy taco nights were guaranteed, until two weeks ago.  Lettuce was washed, cheese was shredded, and ground beef was frying.  And there wasn't a single taco seasoning packet to be found.  I felt the same kind of disbelief that I feel when we run out of toilet paper.  When you buy the 30 count package at Costco, you expect it to last forever.  You never think about toilet paper again, until you run out.  It was the same with the taco seasoning.  I didn't think I'd ever run out.  I tossed my spice cupboard in a panic but there wasn't a single packet left.  Then I contemplated running out to the store, but kids were hungry and the meat was close to over-cooking. 

After a quick search on Pinterest, I came up with a few different DIY recipes for taco seasoning.  I read through them, scribbled some notes, and came up with a combination of spices that would stand in for the taco seasoning packet.  It was good, really good.  It wasn't exactly the same, less salt and more heat, which was fine by me.   And the kids said it was good.  That was all I needed.  

I am never buying taco seasoning packets again.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dried minced onion 

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients.  These quantities equal one taco seasoning packet.  Brown 500 g of ground beef and drain off all but a couple tablespoons of fat.  Sprinkle seasoning evenly over meat.  Add 1/4 cup of water, stir and simmer for 10 minutes.

I used freshly ground Tellicherry Pepper and freshly ground Pink Himalayan Salt.  

1/4 tsp onion powder can be substituted for the 1 tsp of dried minced onion.

Use the lesser amount of the crushed red pepper flakes if you can't handle a lot of heat, more if you like your food spicy!

Enjoy!

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