Good morning to you from my normal blogging location – in bed with a morning cup of tea 🙂 With the long Anzac weekend ahead for Australia and New Zealand I thought it timely to post a couple of relaxed entertaining recipes. First up is this one for spicy fish tacos which I put together a while back for the beautiful Dish magazine. The fish is coated in a spiced flour with a good l’il smoked paprika and chilli kick, cosied up with a crunchy slaw, creamy avocado, sweet mango and zesty, lime and garlic crema all wrapped up in a warm tortilla. A few coriander leaves (that’s cilantro to some) on top and every mouthful is exploding with vibrant flavour. Before the grim reality of winter wet weather kicks in, gather up a few friends, put everything out on the table and let them help themselves. (And on that note, there is a bit of prep to be done but then it is too easy – lay out toppings/warm tortillas/cook fish – that’s it!).
Aaaand in other news, I’m trying to shake of the tired grumpies from too little sleep seeing as for the last two nights the dogs have woken me up around 2am barking and hassling some poor wee hedgehog in the garden. There is no let up until I drag them back inside, and then my brain is in turbo-mode and sleep is out the window. Bloody dog door – middle-of-the-night wake-ups or pee inside…it’s getting to be a close choice! I’m sure my morning walk and a few coffees will help – and then in a flurry I’m shooting for Fairfax, Nick arrives home from China/Blangladesh/Hong Kong, Hoob arrives from Wellington and we all head out to Waiheke! Ta dah! Just spirit me to 7pm on the deck with a glass of wine… No Pog unfortunately, but the good news is he has found and moved into a new flat (hurrah!) in Melbourne, and is in room transformation mode. Right: up, walk, coffee – and keep an eye out for another new recipe coming in time for the weekend!
2/3 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ – ½ tsp chilli powder
1 kilo firm white fish, cut into 5cm long pieces
Mix flour and spices together in a container with a lid. A few at a time drop in fish pieces, cover and shake so they are well coated. Chill, covered until ready to use, for up to 6 hours.
½ red onion, finely sliced
Whisk lime and orange zest, juice and sugar with olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss through red cabbage and onion.
Lime & Coriander Crema*
Heat oil in batches and cook fish pieces for 2-3 minutes each side until cooked through. Serve fish on warmed tortillas with red cabbage slaw, avocado, coriander and Lime & Coriander Crema and Mango Salsa with (optional) a few drops of hot sauce.
Serves 6
½ cup coriander leaves
Whiz all ingredients together in a small food processor. Thin to desired consistency with water and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Mix salsa ingredients together just before serving.