Wrangling Recipes: Fish Tacos, Part Two

Here’s the first Fish Tacos blog post. But since it had been awhile, I thought I’d give them a try again, with a twist.

The hubby found this terrific recipe for panfried fish that was light, crispy, and very tasty. I decided to take that recipe and make fish tacos from it.

I used Tilapia (got it at Costco – lots of fish!) and cut it into chunks. The order is this; dry fish; cut fish into chunks; coat in flour; salt and pepper; brush with beaten egg and water wash; dip in panko crumbs; fry in a little bit of peanut oil until done.

Serve the fish sticks (because that’s exactly what they looked like) on a platter, and pass around corn tortillas, fresh-from-the-garden chopped tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and pepper, green salsa, shredded cheese, chopped lettuce and slices of lime if you desire. Supplement with tortilla chips and refried beans topped with a little cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

We actually drank sparkling wine with this – a lovely Piper Sonoma Blanc de Blanc, $11.99 at Vons. While a margarita may have been more fitting, the sparkling wine really did a wonderful job.

If you want this to go vegetarian, take a 16 oz bloc of Very Firm Tofu, slice it in half horizontally, then  again into “sticks”. Put in a glass bowl, cover with your favorite salsa to marinate. Let sit in fridge for 30-60 minutes, turning at least once. Then proceed as above with the frying, only omit the flouring and seasoning – do try the panko, though, as it makes the tofu nicely crispy.

Since tofu has no flavor on its own, you really have to marinate it in order for it to have a flavor. If you like, you can simply marinate in a lemon/lime juice and chopped cilantro mixture. Whatever makes your taste buds happy!

How do you make fish tacos? I’m always looking for new recipes!

Wrangling Effort: Easy but time consuming

Taste: Very Good

Make Again? Absolutely – though maybe as fish sticks, lol!

~ ~ ~

Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?


Panic in the Kitchen with Wine from NZ

Panic in the Kitchen with Wine from NZ

The news lately is depressing. Red meat kills you faster than anyone had thought (Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, March 13, 2012). You’re not supposed to drink coffee prior to donating blood, as coffee lowers your iron count. (This is new!)

According to heart surgeon Dr. Dwight Lundell, our years of eating highly processed carbohydrates and the excess consumption of omega 6 vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, and sunflower oil is the #1 major cause of heart disease, and not cholesterol (Sott.net, March 1, 2012). Here’s a quote from the Sott article: “Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped. ”  It’s a fascinating article, and I highly recommend you read all of it.

PANIC TIME All this news, though, has caused me to panic in the kitchen. I enjoy making bread, and feeding steak and smashed potatoes to my boys. But at the same time, I want my family to stay healthy. What’s an omnivore who has no interest in changing her stripes to do?

I reached for a bottle of wine, natch!

Photo of the label for Starborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011Starborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Marlborough, New Zealand Alcohol 13% by volume.  Regularly $12.84 at Vons; on 30% off special for $8.99. (DON’T get me started on that phony $12.84 pricing.)

On the Label: “New Zealand’s South Island is home to the Marlborough wine growing region, known for its natural beauty and some of the world’s finest Sauvignon Blanc.  Marlborough’s favourable climate and diverse geography develop wines with a unique character, making them as flavourful as they are refreshing.

“Our Sauvignon Blanc delivers all of the refreshing citrus aromas and lively acidity that characterizes the Marlborough region. Our goal is to take the Starborough experience even further; with a layered testure and long, crisp finish that truly epitomizes the character of New Zealand itself.”

My Take: I liked this wine a lot. I’d come home from work and was in a bit of a panic about dinner; found a healthy recipe and scooted off to the store. Found this wine – and felt my panic recede a bit. The wine was crisp, clean, and yet had a hint of sweetness. Refreshing and very easy to drink. After my first sip, I felt panic slip away and I began to cook.

My Rating: ~ Very Drinkable ~ I think I may just start buying NZ Sauvignon Blancs when I’m in an S. Blancish mood.

Recipe: Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms via MyRecipes.com

This recipe is one of my favorites – I didn’t list it here, because I didn’t create it, but do photo of a grilled stuffed portobello mushroomcheck it out. Grilled mushrooms, chopped tomato, garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil and mozzarella cheese – what’s not to love?

Ahhh…I was sipping wine though, remember. And I was a bit panicked about life and eating. So where the recipe called for 2/3 cup of chopped tomato, I tossed in three chopped tomatoes. And where the recipe called for 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, I threw in a pound. (Oh, a handful at a time – but by the time I was done, the whole 16 oz bag had gone in. Whoops!)

The only bad thing was, I had made enough filling for twelve portobellos, instead of four. Sigh. If any of us had remembered to put up the extra, it would have made terrific topping for pizza!  I did follow the rest of the recipe to the letter – grilling, basting, filling, and melting – and the mushrooms turned out spectacular (by far my favorite way to have them).

I paired this with a lovely chopped salad of bell pepper, zucchini, cucumber, spring onions, feta, three different types of lettuce (butter, red, and some crinkly artisanal lettuce), fresh basil, fresh parsley, and shredded carrot; squeezed one Meyer lemon over it all and added a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper, and mixed the heck out of it all. Tasted wonderful (and there were leftovers for lunch the next day).

On to the next bottle! After a full day of gardening, I came inside and opened another NZ bottle of wine…

Label of an Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc

thanks to http://www.wine.com

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Marlborough, New Zealand Alcohol 13% by Volume – on sale for $8.99 at Vons

On the Label: “Oyster Bay captures the special character of New Zealand’s cool climate viticulture…elegant, assertive wines with glorious fruit flavors.”

My Take: Nice and brief label – love it. I enjoyed this wine, too…it had a slightly more acidic flavor to it, which held up beautifully when paired with a robust chicken/mushroom soup I made and doctored the family with this past week.

My Rating: ~ Very Drinkable ~ Honestly, I was very pleased with the quality of both these wines. I will go out of my way to search for more New Zealand wines – hopefully I can find some yummy reds, too!

Well, that’s it for this week. Do you have any recommendations for wine under $10? I’m always looking for new ones to try! Remember the ratings are based on my taste buds (and sometimes those of my hubby), and will be influenced by how much the media has managed to panic me that week, how much gardening I’ve done, and the phase of the moon. Your taste buds will be different.

Thanks for dropping by – and remember to Drink Responsibly!