Monday, April 29, 2013

Fish Taco Enchiladas

Fish Taco Enchiladas

My dining room table is a battlefield.

I don't mean the battle over homework, though that also occurs at the dining room table, the breakfast nook table, and the Lego table.  I also don't mean the battle for Europe, or orange train cars, or vending cart cards, or goats for women.
Though as an aside, if you want to add more board games to your Game Nights I highly recommend the Board Game Family's recommendations. My spouse, with that site's advice, kickstarted our twice weekly FGNs after years of trying and failing to get a FGN routine going. And these games we play?  Great for adults without kids, too--they are just plain fun, unless you're malicious like my daughter playing Spot It--she always wins.
No, in fact I mean the How To Fold A Burrito Properly battle.  There are 4 of us eating, and we each fold our burritos in a different way.  And of course each one of us thinks we're right.  (My spouse is.) You'll notice in my Mu Shu (ish) Chicken Burrito post that I completely sidestepped the folding debate.  I'm sidestepping it again here, this time by making enchiladas! (I'm sure this says something about my personality or birth order or whatnot, but perhaps it's just that in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter to me how you fold your burrito.  Your sushi rolling is a different story.) I'm sharing this now because it is a tasty recipe and helped me to add variety in the proteins that we eat.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/04/fish-taco-enchiladas.html

It just makes sense that eating a variety of foods in our diet is best, you know?  My family is fortunate that eating seasonally from our CSA farm share means that the produce in our diet (and that of the composting guinea pigs) is naturally varied.
I mean, I'm not going to the grocery store on Saturday and buying a head of lettuce, a package of tomatoes, a bag of carrots, and a bunch of bananas each and every week all year 'round.  Instead I'm yearning for tomatoes amidst the greens in May and overrun with squash and eggplant in August.  Such is the life of a CSA subscriber!  And that's the way I like it--eating from my CSA farm share appeals to me in ways I never considered when we started 8 years ago. I thought it would be similar when we got part of a cow for our freezer.  And it was, in part--we tried beef tongue tacos and ox tail stew for the first time.
What I didn't realize was that we'd end up eating more beef than we usually do, just because we have it in the house.  I have to work at eating protein sources other than beef--which is why I was tickled to see frozen Swai (aka Pangasius or Basa) fillets for $1.99/pound at the store.  Swai is a white fleshed fish in the "Good Alternative" category on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website.  Protein that is a Good Alternative, that is a great price, is good for me.

But what to do with the Swai fillets?

I had some leftover shredded cabbage/coleslaw mix, cilantro, Greek yogurt, some of my home-canned salsa verde made with farm share tomatillos and roasted Hatch chiles from the grocery store down the street, and enchilada-size tortillas, so you can easily see why I went in the direction I did here.  While it is technically an enchilada, it's not covered with a ton of cheese and a rich sauce.  The cabbage still had a bit of crunch to it, the fish was firm, the whole dish just worked.  If you have Swai or any firm white-fleshed fish (tilapia, cod, perch and whitefish are all on the approved list of the website) try this twist on the traditional fish taco, avoid the burrito-folding battles, and add variety to your plate.


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/04/fish-taco-enchiladas.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/04/fish-taco-enchiladas.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/04/fish-taco-enchiladas.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/04/fish-taco-enchiladas.html

Fish Taco Enchiladas (serves 6)

2 Swai fillets, cut into bite sized chunks
1/4 cup vinaigrette (I had an Italian style handy, use what you have)
1/2 teaspoon Arizona Dreaming or other salt-free Southwestern style seasoning blend
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (stems to the composting pigs!)
1/2 cup prepared salsa verde (can your own--I use roasted Hatch chiles and farm share tomatillos)
6 enchilada-size tortillas (try making your own--whole wheat version or spiced version)
1 cup shredded mild white cheese (I used Icelandic Gouda, but Monterey Jack would be fine)
guacamole and additional salsa verde for serving

Combine fish, vinaigrette, and seasoning in a shallow pan (I used a glass pie pan).  Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bake for 20 minutes until fish is just firm and cooked through.
In a medium bowl whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, and lemon juice until thoroughly combined.  Fold in cabbage, onion and cilantro until it is thoroughly coated with dressing.
Spread half of the salsa verde across the bottom of a 9 inch square baking pan.
On each tortilla, spread a (about 1/6th) layer of cabbage topped with many (about 1/6th) pieces of fish as shown above.  Roll up and lay seam side down in the prepared pan.  When all the fish and cabbage are used up, spread all the rolls with the rest of the salsa verde (I ended up using my fingers for this one).  Top with cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and browned.
Serve with guacamole and additional salsa verde, though don't leave such a wide gap on the plate like I did unless you know how to easily put words on your photo so it doesn't look like such a glaring white space like it does to me.  I'm not satisfied with what I've done here, I'd prefer the words to wrap closer to the enchilada.

This post is shared with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop at The Chicken Chick, What's Cookin' Wednesday at Buns In My Oven,  Taste and Tell Thursdays, the Farm Girl Blog Fest, and Seafood Frenzy Fridays.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/04/fish-taco-enchiladas.html

29 comments:

  1. oh man,now I want this for dinner instead of what's in the oven ;( Unfair! These look delish.

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    1. I know just what you mean! I have to look at food blogs either after dinner or early morning, because otherwise I get drool all over the keyboard and the dinner I'd planned just dissatisfies me.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  2. Oh, this looks good! I love fish tacos, but never thought to make enchiladas out of them... will definitely have to keep this in mind!

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    1. Beth,
      Looking over my recipes for Cookin' Canuck's Cindo de Mayo recipe round up I'm surprised at all the enchiladas I've got here. Time to branch out. Or at least stop buying the enchilada-sized tortillas (they have such nice texture though) as that shapes my food directions.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  3. I can't wait for my kids to get old enough so we can play board games together!! I also can't wait to beat them in every game! muahahaha ;-)

    Now pass me some of those amazing enchiladas! YUM!

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    1. Kate,
      Board Game Family has recommendations for a wide variety of ages. We tried unsuccessfully for years to play board games. Chutes and Ladders and Candyland? Never worked for us. However, nowadays we all enjoy games at least twice a week. So don't give up! (And, when they beat you, it's actually pretty cool parenting moment, because you get to take credit for making them into the human who did win.)
      Thanks!

      Delete
  4. Yum, I love enchiladas but I'm not sure I've ever had them with seafood. That wasn't really done in Texas while I was growing up. I'll have to try it though, these look really tasty. As an aside, did you like the beef tongue and the oxtails? I just LOVE both those cuts of beef, even though they are so time-consuming to prepare.

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    1. Julie,
      I would not turn down a beef tongue taco if someone presented it to me, but my kids were more aware of what they were eating and that hampered their enjoyment of the tongue. They watched me prepare and the tongue was just too tongue-like for them.

      The tail, though? Elise at Simply Recipes has an amazing tail recipe and whenever I score some tail I make it. It's delicious and worth the time-consuming steps. It's not hard work, though, like I hear risotto is :) so I like to make it over a weekend while I making other foods, then reheat on the actual serving day for best flavor.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  5. I don't think I have ever (knowingly) had Swai. I have to keep my eye out for it!

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    1. Alyssa,
      Heck, if I could get any Good Alternative fish for under $2 I'd try that. I am a sucker for a good deal. I'd say it tastes like chicken, but it doesn't. It's not a strong-flavored fish (I'm now dreaming of a nice piece of mackerel sushi . . . .) so it was well-suited to this dish.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  6. Very nice! I am always looking for new ways to do fish. The next time we are in the mood for fish tacos, we might do fish enchiladas instead. Yum!

    P.S. Thanks for the link to The Cook's Life whole wheat tortillas!

    Sarah

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    1. Sarah,
      I seem to get into ruts with the protein in my freezer, so I was glad to branch out. I'm already kicking around ideas for some of the other Swai.
      I'm also trying to make more bread products at home--for the simple reason that pizza is not a bit intimidating to me, but a tortilla? Eeek! I did hamburger buns over the weekend, and survived, so tortillas are on the list.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  7. I would have never thought of fish enchiladas, but YES - awesome idea!

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    1. Ashley,
      I'm glad you agree. Now that I think about it, it's probably in part because I have enchilada-sized tortillas in the house, since I seem to have a lot of enchilada recipes here. Odd. I do like to eat with my hands, though I know plenty of people who prefer not to touch their food without utensils.
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  8. My favorite shot is the very last one covered in cheese, and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one yearning for fresh tomatoes. I shall wait, although probably not patiently.
    By the way, I would absolutely say there is a correct way to make a burrito, and the Hubby, very much like you, wouldn't care in the slightest.

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    1. Meghan,
      Funny-my favorite shot is the very first one, but then again (as I just wrote up in my Five Food Photography Lessons post) I took over 1300 photos last month and I've been kinda blearily looking at photos lately.

      It's funny--until I read this comment, had you asked me if I cared about the correct way to roll a burrito I would have said "sure", but after reading this I realize you're right. I don't care in the slightest. The contents of the thing? Sure. How to encapsulate it? Suit yourself.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  9. You're so clever dude!! Of COURSE you should make taco enchiladas :) Only you would smush the two together - with fabulous results.

    I love tacos! I just posted my taco recipe for sriacha fish tacos. I guess with Cinco de Mayo coming up, they’re all the rage. But to be fair, tacos are always all the rage to me – I love em! LOVE em!

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    1. Kristy,
      I have a bottle of sriracha in the fridge, and I have dutifully put it in sauces when the recipe called for it, but it was not until I dumped a whole big glug into a roasted butternut squash dip the other day that I could appreciate the complexity of sriracha. Reminds me a touch of the heat and complexity of well-done Ma Po Tofu.
      So I am now on board with your sriracha fish tacos, and will find or make some taco-sized tortillas to try them out.

      Delete
  10. So funny Kirsten - we have battles over similar things, though with burritos our greed often results in blow-outs and resorting to fork, no matter how we fold them! I'm going to make sure and tell my daughter about this recipe, because I think everyone in her family will love it. [which is a graceful way, I hope, of saying that I'm not so crazy about fish.] ;)

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    1. Dang, Donalyn, are you with the State Department? You're very diplomatic and I would not have known you're not a fish fan.
      You have nailed it--I am greedy when it comes to stuffing things into wrappers (usually it's the Mu Shu shells that split apart and there is hoisin sauce all over). I never thought about it quite like that, but you're right.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  11. Ha that sounds like me folding my tacos. I shot Asian Fish Tacos awhile back and realized during the shoot, I had no clue how to fold my taco for photos! Normally I don't pay much attention when I just make dinner ;) Turns out I folded it like a burrito LOL! Yum fish tacos! I love fish tacos because fish doesn't take too long or much prep to cook.

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    1. Carla,
      I just grab them and eat, but I respect the difficulty of setting up a taco properly for a photo shoot. We discussed them last month in my Learn Food Photography challenge, and Penny De Los Santos' taco photos appealed to me for their simplicity in styling.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  12. Wow, this looks fantastic! Just pinned it- can't wait to try it out!

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    1. Christi,
      Please let me know how you liked it.
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  14. Thank you for sharing these on Seafood Frenzy Friday Kirsten. Have a great week!

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    1. Carrie,
      Thanks for hosting! It's inspiring me to write up many of the seafood recipes I've made and pushed aside for more seasonal vegetable dishes!

      Delete
  15. Love this! We love fish tacos here - I never thought to make fish taco enchiladas. Maybe next week... :-) Thanks!

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  16. This is right up my alley...I love fish tacos so much. And fish taco enchiladas sound even better! Yum! Adding this to my must try list! :)

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