It has been awhile.
No worries, we’re quite aware.
We’ve been trying to get our groove back, as it does every Summer, it gets a little lost.
A little off the beaten path.
Alright a lot off the beaten path.
We end up with road eyes.
Pavement glaze or more commonly known as frog eyes.
That my friends, that’s what a 16 hr day looks like with 4 or 5 more hours to go. But damn it.
It feels so good.
The road that is.
We barreled on thru a 10 hour drive with only two stops and a fair good amount of aspirin for our crippled backs.
We drove with the sunset behind us speeding towards the sunshine and beaches on our minds.
We drove thru the most insane road construction at midnight.
Where the reflectors are mere inches apart from each other creating some kind of bad acid flashback streak of orange and white line blurs in our headlights and seared into our minds.
The next evening, we ran to the store, grabbed some ice, a bit of bourbon, walked out of the hotel and into the ocean.
The ocean where it’s warm bath tub temperature lapping at our feet lulled us to sit, fully dressed, in the waves until the tide started to go back out.
And that’s how we started down this path.
This path of getting our groove back.
We went to visit a friend, all sleep deprived and hungry at their studio.
It’s alright though. This place. This place was food for the soul. Home to more than 50 artists. We just wanted to sit in the courtyard. All. Dang. Day.
Ultimate party bus.
We want to go where ever this bus is headed…
Then finally the moment happened.
The moment that we realized that we could once again get an opportunity to dip back into the mix: our first fish taco/food truck experience almost a decade ago.
Hot Sunday mornings still bleary eyed on the way to the beach…
STOP.
Real quick.
There’s fish tacos and refried beans.
And so we thought.
We thought there’s no better way to go back than to recreate what we found out to be a strong and apparently a very hungry memory.
Let’s just put it this way: we ate there enough times in three days for the guys to offer us a frequent buyers card even though we told them we don’t live around these parts no more.
No worries, we’ll be back.
They’re not the best fish tacos… nor the worst.
They’re exactly what they should be: a taste of past.
Highly seasoned flaky fish, chopped cabbage, shredded cheese with a spicy crema.
Simple. Understated. Light…
And the classic Sunday hangover remedy of champions.
We’ll admit, we got a little fancy with our fish tacos.
No, it’s not in the snotty jab kind of way you’re thinking here.
You see, we were gifted a few bags of redfish and black drum fillets, a few bags of hand picked blue crab meat and thought it best to combine the things we love and can never get enough of: fish tacos, sand, ocean and sunshine.
And well because we’re somewhere in between Indian Summer and Fall why not some slaw, y'all?
Apple, Kale & Cabbage Slaw with Red Onion and Cilantro dressing
Red onion & Cilantro dressing
INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp zatarains creole mustard
¼ tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeño, minced
¼ red onion, minced
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
METHOD
whisk vinegar, honey, mustard and salt in a small bowl.
whisking constantly, slowly add the oil until incorporated.
Finally stir in onion and cilantro until combined.
Apple, Kale & Cabbage Slaw
½ small head green cabbage, cut into ¼” strips.
2 braeburn apples, cut into matchsticks
1 small bunch kale, cut into strips.
Juice from one lemon
Kosher salt to taste
Cut cabbage and kale into strips and apples into matchsticks.
Toss ingredients with dressing until well combined.
Let’s roll on with the tacos…
Fish Tacos with Roasted Jalapeno Lime crema, radishes and cilantro
Roasted Jalapeno Lime Crema
INGREDIENTS
2 jalapenos, cut in half, seeds removed
½ cup light sour cream
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 green onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
juice from one lime
kosher salt to taste
METHOD
Turn oven on to broil.
Line a small baking sheet with foil, place jalapenos cut side down.
Slide baking sheet into oven for 8 to 10 mins until skins have blistered.
Remove roasted jalapenos from the oven and allow to cool.
Once peppers have cooled, peel skins away from peppers and set aside.
Puree all ingredients in food processor for 90 seconds.
Scrape crema from processor and set aside.
Marinade for Fish
PREP TIME: 15 mins, marinade: 1 hour up to overnight
COOK TIME: 6-10 mins
YIELD: 8 tacos
1 lb black drum fillets
¼ cup olive oil
juice from one lime
1 jalapeno coarsely, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ purple onion, chopped
¼ bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
½ tsp cayenne powder
kosher salt to taste
Whisk ingredents together until and pour over fish.
Marinade fish for 1 hour up to overnight.
Over high heat, sear fish for 3 to 4 mins then flip sear for 2 mins more.
FOR the TACOS
8 tortillas
fish
dress with jalapeno crema
top with chopped radish and cabbage
And c’est fini!