10-Step Tacos

Tonight for dinner, I decided to make one of my favorite dishes: fish tacos. I'm sure you all have figured out by now I'm on a bit of a taco craze right now so it really shouldn't be that surprising. I was surprised by how easy and flavorful it was to make great fish tacos though so here's the recipe! I made this recipe for three people and we each had two tacos. The amount of fish worked out well but there was extra sauce. As for the other toppings, adjust accordingly for the size of your group.

All of the toppings waiting to be enjoyed: (clockwise from top left) Cotija cheese, avocado, cabbage, Panela cheese, Green Chile sauce.

Marinated red cabbage

1/2 cup Frontera Grill Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 avocado
Cotija  cheese
Panela cheese
1 lb. Tilapia -feeds about 3-4 people
Red cabbage - I used about the four outer layers
1-2 T lime juice
Plate full of cornmeal
Sea Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Canola Oil
Corn tortillas - I used 6
1 can black beans



1. The morning before you plan to serve the tacos, peel off and wash the cabbage you want to use. Then rip it into the size pieces desired, I hand-shredded the cabbage to about 1/4" wide and an inch long.

2. Put the cabbage in a freezer bag and pour as much lime juice as desired, about 1-2 T and a few grinds of sea salt. Seal the bag, shake it up, and put it in the fridge.

3. Also in the morning, mix the half cup of sour cream with the half cup of enchilada sauce, cover, and put in the fridge.

4. About 30 minutes before you want to eat, begin to season the fish. I simply flavored each piece with a little salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne. Make sure to season both sides!

5. Then, dip the fish in the plate of cornmeal gently to give the fish a little breading which will add a nice texture to the tacos.

6. Cut the fish into strips around 1/2" by an inch or two long: it's not a science.

7. Heat a can of black beans according to the can directions, the stove or microwave works.

8. Prepare the toppings- this can be done ahead of time or while the fish cooks. Slice the avocado, bring the sauce out of the fridge, get the cabbage, and cut your cheeses. I grated the Cotija to go on top of the beans because it's sharp but sweet flavor. I cut slices of the Panela cheese to go in the tacos themselves. Panela is sort of like a Mexican Mozzarella: a soft cow's milk cheese with a mild flavor. Heat the tortillas in a microwavable dish, covered with plastic wrap in the microwave for 45 seconds on high heat.

9.  Put enough Canola Oil in a large skillet and heat on medium-high heat. When the oil's hot, drop in the fish. Depending how thick each piece is, it will take about 3-4 minutes per side. You know Tilapia is cooked when it flakes easily with a fork.

10. Assemble your taco, let your friends and family assemble theirs, serve with black beans topped with the Cotija cheese, and ENJOY!

Far East Euphoria

This week, I finally had another great meal in my food truck challenge! After the weekend in New Orleans, my favorite city, celebrating Mardi Gras, I expected to come back to DC and write a blog about all the fried oysters, po boys, and hurricanes I had but instead, my Tuesday lunch blew them all out of the water. (That is not to play down how amazingly well I ate in New Orleans it just proves how incredible my food truck lunch was.) I decided to eat at Far East Taco Grille. Best. Decision. Ever. Ok maybe I'm being a little dramatic but hey, I'm allowed it's almost my birthday!
The truck is not particularly bright and colorful but for some reason it piqued my interest. The menu affords the diner many choices and extreme personalization of their far east soft taco experience. First, you choose whether you'd like flour or corn tortillas. Guests then choose from Powerful Steak, Bang Tang Chicken, Spicy Flying Pig (pork), and Sweet Sexy Tofu. I ordered three different meats but we'll get to my choices after I explain the whole menu. After settling on a meat, a sauce must be decided upon: spicy Salsa Roja, milder spicy mayo, #15 Sauce, the house specialty, and Spicy Pineapple. As if the choices weren't enough already, you then have to choose your slaw. These choices are kimchi-lime, spicy yellow corn, sweet chili romaine and grilled bean sprouts. Finally, each patron must chose a "finisher:" onion-lime relish or cheese-crema. With over 100 possible creation combinations, I did not take deciding what to order lightly. Also, I'm terribly indecisive so it was even more of a challenge but I managed and am very pleased with my decisions.

I chose to have all three of my tacos on flour tortillas because I prefer them over corn. For my first taco, I chanced it with the bang tang chicken, #15 sauce, spicy corn and cheese-crema. This first taco was hands-down my favorite. The chicken was juicy and packed a nice grilled flavor while the #15 sauce, which they describe  as sweet and mild, was unreal! It was a light juicy red colored sauce that was sweet almost like a sweet BBQ sauce but then had a big kick. The corn initially seemed like a balancing factor to the spice because of its texture but then had a strong adobe, chipotle flavor! The #15 sauce spice was sweet with a vinegary spiced flavor as an aftertaste while the corn had a more southwestern bite. The cheese sauce was the ultimate finish with its richer, mild texture, subtle sweetness of the cream, and tartness of the cheese. Wow. Next time I go, I'm definitely ordering three of these!
My second taco was my second favorite made up of steak, salsa roja, kimchi lime and onion-lime relish. The steak was also juicy and flavorful but what made this taco was the slaw and finish. The salsa had the spice and fresh flavor of a traditional red salsa. The kimchi lime slaw had an awesome crunch from the fresh cabbage and the lime flavor was so fresh it tasted like someone had picked limes from a tree that morning and marinated my kimchi in them. The onion-lime relish was a great accompaniment which paired ideally with the lime slaw. I loved this taco for its refreshing, sharp, flavors and how well they paired with the heavy steak protein.
For me, the third taco wasn't as much of a hit but with 100 other possible combinations, it won't deter me from returning to the food truck. My third taco was filled with the pork, spicy pineapple, sweet chili romaine and onion-lime relish. The chili romaine was good and added a nice crunch but the spicy pineapple consisted of almost no pineapple and the pork wasn't really to my liking.
Far East Taco Grille was a delicious lunch and for eight bucks, it can't be beat in terms of value! I definitely recoomend a visit to this food truck if you're in DC!