La Vie en Plat: a food photo album

Fish Taco Salad

I love me some fish tacos. You’d think my family was from Baja the way I can put them down, but no, we are from the land of the chilaquiles and machacado. Speaking of chilaquiles (momentary side note), they seem to have become a novelty in the Bay Area. I’ve seen them mentioned in a thread on Chow, wondering what all the fuss is. If I was going to raise a ruckus, it would be for MOLE, not this poor man’s comfort food. Chilaquiles to me are synonymous of being in Mexico. It almost seems anathema to enjoy them here, but rather in that small cafe in D.F. and in the city to the North- anywho, back to the matter at hand.

Fish tacos. Today the sun bounded into the sky turning the morning into a well-lit afternoon, resplendent in the high 70s and low 80s. It was marvelous. Another perfect day to be outdoors and play! Beck and I lunched on turkey sandwiches from Arguello Super (rock!) in Golden Gate Park. We watched the kids run, the moms run, heck even the dogs were running. There’s nothing like good ol’ Vitamin D to get people happy and out. On a day like today, the idea for dinner took root in that park and began to sprout in a different direction when the sun began considering taking a snooze.

After trying this, you may not go back to eating just fish tacos again. The premise behind this bad boy is greens. In my concoction the slaw doesn’t play second fiddle. Oh, no- it is bright and crunchy with the accents of all the other ingredients essential to the taco. Cabbage is so good for you and hear it is masqueraded as something that tastes too good to be good. This salad is so easy- let’s get started.

Fish
-1 large filet of catfish (sliced into several smaller / thinner pieces)
-1 egg, beaten (to be used as an egg wash)
-Panko bread crumbs, tossed on a large plate
-Olive oil in a large pan

Dressing
-3 chipotle peppers, unseeded (the kind you find in a can of delicious abodo sauce; you can use more or less depending on how spicy you want it- I used 3)
-1/2 c. plain yogurt (more or less depending on how runny you want your sauce)
-1 T light mayo
-Pinch of kosher salt

Salad
-Bagged cole slaw
-1 small avocado, sliced up
-1/2 lemon, quartered
-few stems of cilantro

-corn tortillas

1. So the first thing you really want to do is get your fish ready. Once you’ve sliced it so it’s a bit thin, run the catfish through the egg wash on both sides. Next dredge it in the panko bread crumbs. Warm up a pan with your olive oil and when that’s nice and hot, place your fish down. Cook for six minutes on each side. When finished, remove the fish from the pan and place atop a paper towel on a plate to soak up some of the excess oil. Blot the top of the fish too. Repeat this for all of the pieces of fish.

2. While the fish is cooking, go ahead and make the dressing. Grab your immersion blender (do you have one yet- really it is my secret weapon in the kitchen and is always plugged in, ready to pulse and puree) and add your ingredients to a small bowl. Start blending until it’s reached your desired level of smoothness.

3. The salad is the easiest part really. Well, maybe the tortillas are, but I digress. Grab a few bunches of cole slaw and place in wide mouthed bowls. Next, add 1/2 your avocado around the outer rim of the slaw, along with a lemon quarter (or two because we know the citrus is such an important part of the fish taco experience!). Next sprinkle the cilantro over the top.

4. Hungry yet? You’re almost there. Here’s a tip: when I’m in a bit of a hurry and I need some corn tortillas steamed quickly, there’s a trick I use. Pull off 2 sheets of paper towels and sprinkle them lightly with water. Now in between the two slightly moistened paper towels, place the desired number of tortillas. Stick the covered tortillas in the microwave for 40 seconds. Now you have quickly steamed tortillas that are ready to eat.

5. Dress up your salad bowls with a piece or two of fish and drizzle the dressing around the perimeter of the bowl. Dive in and maybe if you think about it this would be good with a cold Negro Modelo. Then again, what doesn’t taste good with Negro Modelo…

I have to say this is going to be a new summer favorite. It actually tastes like the season itself- bright and full of life. Note: enjoy with someone you love (or at least someone you like). ;)

Asian Apple Slaw

I would be remiss if I didn’t admit this or speak it aloud. I have been uninspired in the kitchen as of late. It feels like a tremendous maladie (and an expensive one too). Perhaps part of it is that I would rather have someone else feed me right now than do it to myself. Life happens and then you move on. I have some beautiful asparagus that will set things right tomorrow with a recipe I found on culinerapy. In the meantime, there’s a story to this slaw and it’s short.

The way of the party (as my friends and I know it in San Francisco) is the way of the potluck. So when I had TWO potluck parties in a row on Saturday, I wanted to come up with something a.) fresh b.) easy c.) healthy and most importantly d.) all ingredients in the house. This slaw kind of came to me as I brushed my teeth and tried to wipe away the cobwebs of sleep to perk up and get going. I could taste it in my head and it all kind of melded together there as my creations are wont to do. I could see this pairing well with juicy sliced pork tenderloin.

In a mixing bowl, combine
- 1/4 of a head of cabbage, cut into matchsticks
- 1 Fuji apple, quartered and cut into matchsticks
- Black sesame seeds, sprinkle a good helping of them on
- Toasted Almond Slices, you can go a bit crazy with these too, maybe 1/4 cup

In a Glass Jar, combine
- Fig Balsamic Vinegar, to taste (Rice Vinegar would be a stellar substitution)
- Olive oil, double the amount of fig vinegar
- Ume plum vinegar, a splash will do (this is pretty salty)
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- Honey or Agave, a Tbsp.

Close the glass jar and shake with a heartiness that is catharsis because who doesn’t need to shake the hell out of a glass jar from time to time?

Once you feel satisfied that the dressing is nice and mixed, pour it over the slaw. Then with tongs, start to turn the slaw over in the dressing to combine all ingredients. You can serve this right away or you can let it sit in the fridge until later in the day. If you’re going to go with the latter option, I would advise adding the almonds just prior to serving so as to maintain their crunch.

Variation: Potluck number two that day inspired me to toss in 2 chopped fresh mandarin oranges along with the apple. This paired well with the tastes and flavors of that Polynesian potluck.

As a side, this feeds four. Unless you’re eaters are hongry, in which case start thinking of adding this to housemade fish tacos- and throw in some freshly chopped jalapeno… :)