San Diego Fish Tacos

Ingredience

Zarandeado Sauce

⅔ cup mayonnaise

⅓ cup sour cream

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1 arbol chile, seeded

1 tablespoon Tapatío hot sauce

1 tablespoon beer

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 garlic clove, chopped

¾ teaspoon soy sauce

¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon Mexican oregano

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Fish

4 (6- to 8-ounce) cod fillets, each cut lengthwise into 3 pieces

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

Tacos

1½ cups finely shredded red cabbage

1½ cups finely shredded green cabbage

12 corn tortillas, warmed

1 large tomato, chopped fine

¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and stems

1 recipe Pickled Red Onion (recipe follows)

1 avocado, sliced thin

Pokyny

1. For the Zarandeado Sauce Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 20 seconds. Reserve 6 tablespoons sauce for cooking cod. Sauce can be prepared and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.

2. For the Fish Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle cod with salt and pepper. Place flour in shallow dish. Dredge cod in flour, shaking to remove excess, and transfer to large plate.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add 1 tablespoon butter and cook until foaming subsides. Add 6 pieces cod to skillet and cook, without moving them, for 2 minutes.

4. Drizzle cod with 3 tablespoons reserved sauce and then, using fish spatula, gently flip pieces. Shake skillet gently to distribute sauce and let cod continue to cook until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove skillet from heat and, using spatula, transfer cod to prepared wire rack.

5. Transfer cod to oven to keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon butter, 6 pieces cod, and 3 tablespoons reserved sauce.

6. For the Tacos Combine red and green cabbage in bowl. Build tacos by placing 1 piece of cod in center of each tortilla, followed by cabbage, tomato, cilantro, sauce, pickled onion, and avocado. Serve immediately.

Poznámky

This recipe was inspired by the fish tacos served at Karina’s Cantina in San Diego, California. Make sure to prepare all your taco fixings before cooking the fish. Use a mandoline to slice the cabbage as thin as possible. The combination of red and green cabbage is for aesthetic reasons; if preferred, you can use a single variety of cabbage. Other fish, such as snapper, bass, haddock, or halibut, can be substituted for the cod. Other varieties of Mexican hot sauces, such as Cholula or Valentina, can be substituted for the Tapatío.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Our version of San Diego–style fish tacos is inspired by tacos served at Karina’s Cantina in downtown San Diego. We chose cod for our tacos because it’s flavorful, sturdy, and goes well with zarandeado sauce—an assertive mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, a variety of chiles, and other ingredients. We cut the cod into strips to fit a 6-inch corn tortilla and then sautéed the strips before adding some of the zarandeado sauce to the skillet; as the sauce reduced, it imparted its light orange color and complex heat to the fish. Shredded cabbage, chopped tomato, cilantro, more zarandeado sauce, pickled red onion, and thinly sliced avocado finished off the tacos with style.