Grilled Fish Tacos

A couple of weeks ago, Missy did a post about the shrimp tacos she'd made with a meal kit (see that post here) and that reminded me of fish tacos. I love fish tacos and have always wanted to make them at home, I've just never done it. But Missy's post spurred me to do just that.  

I had some tilapia filets in my freezer I'd bought just for that purpose a long time ago, so I thawed those out. The were thin and individually packaged, so it didn't take long.

While they were thawing, I made my slaw. Fish tacos are not right without a good slaw. Something crisp and refreshing, with a citrusy zing. I started with an 8 oz package of shredded slaw that I happened to have in the fridge. 

I love all the colors.

Then I mixed two tablespoons of mayonnaise with one tablespoon of lime juice that I also had in the fridge. In a perfect world, I would have used fresh lime, even added a little bit of zest, perhaps, but I didn't have any limes in the house. Then I added a pinch of salt and some cumin. I love cumin. 

I whisked that together until it was nice and smooth.

I sampled, of course, to see how it tasted. Almost perfect. So I added a little more cumin and a pinch of black pepper. Then I poured that over the slaw and tossed it all together.

That went into the fridge for a couple of hours while I made a coconut cake I'd been craving, but that's a post for another day.

Now it was time for the star of the show. The fish. 

I made my own seasoning with a teaspoon of kosher salt, some black pepper, a large pinch of garlic powder (I didn't want it to overpower the other flavors), 1/8 tsp smoked paprika (if you haven't tried smoked paprika, you really should--it's an amazing addition to a lot of recipes) and 1/4 tsp cumin.

I mixed that all together and sprinkled it over the thawed filets.

Mahi-mahi is another good fish for fish tacos, or even cod would be fine.

The fish was grilled. Since the filets were so thin, it only took a few minutes on each side. I brushed one side with a little lime juice when I turned them at the midway point.

Once the fish was done, I heated up some small tortillas in a lightly sprayed pan (I used white corn, but you can you what you like. I will say that a corn tortilla has a better flavor for this dish than a flour. And the corn tortillas soften when they're heated). 

Now it was time to assemble. Half a filet on each tortilla.

Then some slaw.

And we're good to go. If only I'd have some cilantro to sprinkle over the slaw. Maybe some sliced, fresh jalapenos for hubby. But those would have required a trip to the store and that wasn't happening. They were delicious as is. Crisp and refreshing. The flavors were balanced, each enhancing the others. The lime was perfect with the cumin. And all I can say is that I'm excited I had two filets leftover, because that's going to be my lunch. 

Have you ever had fish tacos? They're definitely different from your standard taco. But it's a delightful twist, one that's perfect for summertime. Which seems to be exactly where we are this week. Upper 80s to 90s all week long. Ugh. I am so not ready for summer heat. But as long as I can keep making fish tacos, maybe I'll survive.

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, one sassy pup, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at mindyobenhaus.com