Fish Tacos

We celebrated a family birthday recently and the guest of honor requested Fish Tacos. My husband, being the beef lover that his is, was very apprehensive at the thought of a fish taco, but guess who ended up eating three of them? Yep.

The fish I chose was cod, but any mild white fish will work - cod, tilapia, halibut, snapper, grouper, haddock, flounder, etc. I like to place the fish in the marinade for about an hour before cooking (longer is okay). That leaves plenty of time to make the cabbage slaw and prepare the toppings.

Fish Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw

makes about 8 tacos

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Fish:

• 2 pounds cod fillets, cut into 1/2-inch thick strips (*see notes below)

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning

• 1 teaspoon granulated onion powder

• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• (optional) 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Slaw:

• 2 cups shredded red cabbage

• 1 cup corn kernels

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon honey

• juice of one lime

• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced

• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Additional:

• 8-inch flour tortillas

• lime wedges

• chopped cilantro

• chopped tomatoes

• mexican crema or sour cream

• diced avocado or guacamole

• pickled red onions

• pico de gallo

Directions

To marinate the fish:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, old bay, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and optional cayenne.

2. Add fish strips and toss well to evenly coat; set aside for at least an hour.

To make the cabbage slaw:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, honey, and lime juice and add the cabbage, corn, jalapeno, and cilantro; toss well and add salt and pepper to taste.

To cook the fish:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Cook fish strips in a single layer for a couple of minutes per side until cooked through, being careful not to crowd the pan; repeat until all fish is cooked. Alternatively, you can cook the fish on a parchment or silpat-lined half sheet pan in a 350F oven for 8-10 minutes.

To assemble the tacos:

1. Place 1/8th of the cabbage slaw in the center of an 8-inch flour tortilla and top with 1/8th of the cooked fish.

2. Garnish as desired.

Notes

• Any mild white fish can be used (cod, tilapia, halibut, snapper, grouper, haddock, flounder, etc).

• We like flour tortillas, but feel free to use corn tortillas if you prefer.

• The marinated fish and cabbage slaw make a wonderful combination, but each can stand on their own merits so consider serving them separately.

Sous Vide Eye of Round Roast Beef

Have you started cooking Sous Vide yet? It produces perfectly cooked everything with almost no effort. It’s quickly becoming my favorite method for cooking proteins. You just have to remember to plan ahead because it takes longer than traditional methods. Today I’m revising my slow-roasted eye of round beef, which usually cooks in the oven, to a sous vide version that I know will turn out tender and juicy because there’s no chance of it over cooking. Let me show you how to make it.

The important thing to remember when cooking sous vide is to place the sous vide circulator in a heat-proof container and fill with water to cover the items being cooked, being sure the water level falls between the minimum and maximum indicators.

Oops, I didn’t get a picture of the prepared roast, but all you have to do is sprinkle it all over with kosher salt (amount listed in recipe below), then place the roast in a sous vide bag, vacuum sealer bag or freezer bags (NOT storage bags), being sure to remove as much air as possible so the roast stays submerged. If needed, you can weigh the bag down with a spoon or butter knife.

Some sous vide containers have lids to keep the water from evaporating and racks to keep whatever is cooking from blocking the circulating water. If you use a make-shift container (like my stockpot), use a binder clip to secure the bag to the side of the container and cover to stockpot with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation.

Set the circulator temperature to the doneness you like (we like our beef around 138F), then set the cooking time for 22-24 hours and walk away. Be sure the container is covered around the circulator, but don’t cover the actual circulator. Check the water level every 6-8 hours and top off with warm water as needed.

When 22-24 hours have passed, remove the roast from the plastic bag and dry it well, then sear it on all sides in a hot skillet with a little oil. No resting time requires, serve immediately. Enjoy!

BEEF DONENESS CHART

• 125-130F (52-55C) = Rare

• 130-140F (55-60C) = Medium Rare

• 140-150F (60-65C) = Medium

• 150-155F (65-69C) = Medium Well

Items you may need to make this recipe:

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• sous vide circulator https://amzn.to/3ufW8Rs

• sous vide container https://amzn.to/3ITrwJu

• sous vide bags https://amzn.to/3geMtlD

• vacuum sealer bags https://amzn.to/3AU0ij1

• freezer bags https://amzn.to/3ocPzLo

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Sous Vide Eye of Round Roast Beef

makes one 3 to 5-pound roast

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 to 5 pound eye of round beef roast

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or half fine table salt)

• freshly ground pepper

• oil for searing

Directions

• (24 hours ahead) Dry roast well with paper towels and sprinkle kosher salt evenly all over; place roast in a gallon-size sous vide bag, vacuum sealer bag, or freezer bag and squeeze out as much air as possible..

• Place bag in water-filled sous vide container; use a binder clip to anchor the bag so it doesn’t interfere with the circulating water.

• Set sous vide circulator to your desired finished temperature (see chart above) for 22-24 hours (cover container with lid or plastic wrap to keep water from evaporating; adding more water if/when necessary).

• Remove roast from bag and dry well; sear all sides (2-3 minutes per side) in a hot skillet with a tablespoon of oil. Slice and serve immediately.

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