Recipe: Fish or Shrimp Tacos

Shrimp or fish tacos are perfect for an assemble-your-own dinner. Lay out warmed soft tortillas, prepared shrimp or fish, a few different sauces or salsas, shredded cabbage (green cabbage is classic but I like to use very finely shredded red cabbage), and lime wedges and let people fill their own tacos. Here's an assortment of options.

Avocado Sauce makes 1/2 cup. Mix/mash together 1/4 ripe avocado, peeled; a pinch of salt; a few drops of lime juice; 1-2 tablespoons water; and 2 cilantro sprigs, chopped (optional).

Chilies de Arbol Sauce makes 1/2 cup. Pour 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add 1 garlic clove, smashed with the side of a large knife, and cook 4-5 minutes until golden and aromatic. Place in a small food processor. Wearing gloves, seed 1 cup dried chilies de arbol (about 30 chilies), stemmed (unless you want hotter sauce, in which case, leave the seeds), and place in the processor. Process until well pulverized. Add 1/3 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and puree until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and add 1 teaspoon white vinegar. Let stand at least 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or vinegar as necessary.

Tomatillo salsa Whisk 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger, 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons honey, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice and 1/8 teaspoon grated zest in a small bowl and set aside. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add 1/2 cup diced red onion and cook 2-3 minutes until slightly browned. Add 1 cup diced red bell pepper, 1 cup diced tomatillo, and 2 tablespoons diced jalapeno pepper (with seeds), and cook 1-2 minutes. Add the ginger-vinegar mixture to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes more, until slightly bubbly. Place in a bowl and gently stir in 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro. Season with salt.

Chipotle Cream Heat 1 tsp. oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped roughly, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic and slightly golden. Add 2 chopped scallions and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Place in a small food processor. Add 4-5 chilies in adobo sauce, 2 tbsp. mayonnaise, 1 tbsp. Mexican crema and 2 tsp. water, and pulse. Add more water as necessary and pulse until sauce is thick and creamy (a few little bumps are fine).

Beer battered and deep fried fish (Baja-style) makes 24 servings, enough for 6 to 8 people
For the batter, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon dried whole Mexican oregano, rubbed to a powder, Kosher salt to taste, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in 1 bottle (12 oz.) cold beer until there are no lumps. Cut 2 pounds firm, meaty fish such as halibut or snapper into finger-shaped pieces and sprinkle them with some lime juice and salt. Pat dry. Dip the pieces into the batter, let the excess drip, and deep fry the battered fish pieces until golden; drain on paper towel-lined rack.

Baked fish makes 2 servings
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place two egg whites in a shallow bowl and lightly beat with a fork. In another shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup coarse cornmeal or grits seasoned with salt and pepper. Pat dry four 4-oz. servings of white fish, such as tilapia or halibut, and dip each piece of fish first in the egg whites and then dredge in the cornmeal. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning once mid-way through.

Skillet shrimp
Place 24 large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, in a large bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to coat. Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook 5-6 minutes, turning to ensure that they brown evenly on both sides.

Poblano-corn salsa
Char a fresh poblano pepper over an open gas flame, turning occasionally, until thoroughly blistered on all sides. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and gently scrape off the skin. Halve, stem and seed the pepper. Cut into strips, then dice and place in a bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kernels cut from one large ear of corn and cook 3-4 minutes until slightly charred yet crisp. Add to the bowl with the poblano pepper. Peel and dice 1 small avocado, sprinkle with a little lime juice to prevent it from turning brown, and add to bowl. Add fresh cilantro, season with salt, and toss gently.

Quotable Quote

"Like most street food, a fish taco is paradoxical: Its humble appearance belies its bliss-inducing capabilities.... It's crispy and creamy; it's spicy and salty. It's got that elusive umami (a savoriness from the protein) that satisfies your taste buds and quells your worst hunger. The fish taco is made by placing hot, crispy fried fish on a lightly charred corn tortilla then topping it with a symphony of sauces.... A fiery chilies de arbol sauce contrasts delightfully with a cooling avocado sauce. Then it's topped off with crunchy shredded cabbage and a zippy pico de gallo. It's a gustatory experience as beautiful and eclectic as the place from which it originated, Baja California, Mexico."

- Susan Russo

(Lately, there's been a theme to my food fancies - setting up a little station for people to assemble their own little bundles, such as putting out a bowl of chhole, chopped onions, imli chutney, and yogurt and providing warm pocket pitas to stuff with one's own personalized combination of those components; wrap-your-own summer rolls; fish tacos; roti rolls.... This is kind of fun for people, I think, especially when the weather warms up.)

Recipe: Lychee Royales

Lychee Royales

Mix lychee liqueur and chilled prosecco in a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio, to taste, and pour into a flute with one fresh lychee.

(We made virgin versions of these for the prego ladies, with lychee juice and sparkling water.)

Recipe: Mini Cod Cakes with Harissa Ketchup

Mini Cod Cakes with Harissa Ketchup (makes about 36)
1/2 cup mayonnaise or fresh aioli
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I used tarragon mustard)
3/4 teaspoon seafood seasoning (I used a mel ocean picked up from a little epicerie in Geneva)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 lb cod
2 cups organic breadcrumbs or panko
Harissa ketchup
Optional Garnish: thinly sliced fresh cilantro

Bring 4 quarts water to boil with peppercorns to taste, a roughly chopped onion, a few bay leaves, and a lemon sliced into 4 or 5 pieces. Lower cod in inside a strainer such that you can pull it out free of the other ingredients in the water when it's cooked. Pull it out when cooked and let cool and drain.

Whisk together mayonnaise, egg, mustard, seasoning, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and Tabasco, then use your hands to mash in the cod when it's at room temperature. Add breadcrumbs to the mixture until you can feel that the mixture can be clumped together. (I think I added one or two tablespoons.)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Put fresh breadcrumbs into a shallow dish. Form 1 heaping teaspoon cod mixture into a 1"-diameter ball, then gently roll in the breadcrumbs to cover and place onto a baking sheet sprayed with grapeseed oil and flatten lightly to form a little cake.

Bake cod cakes in batches in middle of oven until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and transfer to a platter and top each with about 1 teaspoon harissa ketchup. Garnish with cilantro, if you like.

Recipe: Bombay Bhel

Bhel puri is a type of chaat or savory snack that you get all over India but that's particularly associated with Bombay, especially the vendors who serve it along Chowpatty beach. You can mix just about anything tart, salty, spicy, or crunchy into it. Diced green mango and sprouted mung are typical additions. The most common ingredients are diced boiled potatoes, diced red onion, minced cilantro, and spiced puffed rice, deep fried, crunchy lentils, and sev (chickpea flour deep fried to make crunchy broken "noodles") tossed with a mix of sweet, sour, and spicy chutneys and spices and topped off with lime juice. Imli-date and coriander chutneys are the most commonly used. Sometimes chilli sauce and yogurt are added.

For my friend's shower, I mixed together about 1 1/2 cups puffed rice that had been tossed with red chilli powder (lal mirchi), salt, and coriander powder (dhania); 2 cups fresh corn kernels; 1/2 cup spiced roasted cashews; 1/2 cup sev; 1/2 cup fried chana dal; 1 large diced red onion; 3 medium potatoes, cooked but still firm, and cubed; 3/4 C chopped fresh cilantro; 1/2 C imli-date chutney; and the juice of one fresh lime.

Recipe: Fruit-Ginger Summer Rolls

Fruit-Ginger Summer Rolls (for 12)
2 cups julienned fresh pineapple
2 cups julienned mango
1 cup sliced scallions
1 each red and orange pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
1/2" piece minced ginger and 1/2" piece julienned ginger
1/2 Cup thinly sliced fresh Thai basil
1/4 C fresh lime juice
1/4 C honey or sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
4 oz cellophane noodles
12 sheets (8" each) rice paper (found in grocery stores' Asian
sections)

Boil rice noodles in salted water for 3 minutes; drain; set aside. Mix basil, minced ginger, lime juice, honey, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Fill a bowl with warm water. Soak 1 piece rice paper until pliable, but not entirely soft, 10 to 15 seconds. Lay flat on a cutting board. Layer pineapple, mango, bell peppers, julienned ginger, scallions, and rice noodles to form a log-shaped pile. Spoon some sauce over. Fold bottom edge of wrapper up and sides tightly in against filling. Roll up to top edge. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut in half on the bias.

Recipe: Lobster-Mango Cocktail on Jicama Squares

Lobster-Mango Cocktail on Jicama Squares (serves about 15 as an hor d'oeuvre)

1/3 cup mayonnaise or classic aioli

1/3 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons whiskey

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

about 1 1/2-2 lbs. cooked lobster meat or langoustine meat, cut into 1/2" pieces and rinsed and drained

3 firm-ripe mangoes, finely diced

1 cup finely diced celery

2 large or 4 small whole Belgian endives, trimmed and sliced twice lengthwise and thinly crosswise

3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens

salt and pepper

Garnish: paprika

1 big jicama, peeled and sliced into 1" squares

In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise/aioli, yogurt, whiskey, ketchup, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl, toss the lobster meat with the mango, celery, endives, scallion greens, and the sauce until combined. Spoon the lobster mixture onto the jicama squares and garnish with paprika.

Recipe: Mango Guacamole

Mango Guacamole (serves 15 as an hor d'oeuvre)

4 large or 6 medium ripe avocadoes

1 cup finely chopped white onion

2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste

3/4 cup diced peeled mango

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

salt and red chilli powder to taste

Garnish: lime wedges

Halve, pit, and peel the avocadoes, and coarsely mash them in a bowl. Stir in the onion, chillies, 1/4 cup lime juice, and salt and red chilli powder to taste (I used at least a teaspoon of each), then fold in the mango and cilantro. Season with additional lime juice.

(Because I had used pineapple in other dishes we served at the baby shower, I had the scooped out half of the pineapple and served the guacamole in it.)

A Baby Shower Menu

On Sunday, I co-hosted a baby shower. My co-host and I split up the duties and I, naturally, took charge of the yummies we'd serve. We had a bit of an Indo-tropical theme, with baby elephants and palms on the invitations and bright flowers, and it was an afternoon event, so I stuck mostly with light finger foods made with tropical fruits, notes of ginger, and a bit of Indian street food inspiration. Here's the menu. I'll be posting all of the recipes over the next few days!

Mango Guacamole

Lobster-Mango Cocktail on Jicama Squares

Fruit-Ginger Summer Rolls

Bombay Bhel

Mini Cod Cakes with Harissa Ketchup

Cocktail Samosas with Mango Chutney

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Passionfruit Yogurt Mousse

Jasmine Ganache

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Lychee Royales

Recipe: Passionfruit Yogurt Mousse

Passionfruit Yogurt Mousse (for 12-20 depending on serving size)
3 tablespoons agar powder
6 cups passionfruit purée (I used a mix of 2 cups passionfruit puree and 4 cups mango puree)
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups plain yogurt
3 cups well-chilled heavy cream

pulp from 4 fresh passionfruits

In a small saucepan sprinkle the agar powder over 3/4 cup cold water, let it soften for 1 minute, and heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until dissolved. In a blender blend together the purée, the sugar, and add the gelatin mixture, and blend the mixture well. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the yogurt. In a chilled bowl beat the cream until it holds stiff peaks, fold it into the passionfruit mixture gently but thoroughly, and divide the mousse among 12-20 dessert glasses. Chill the mousses for at least 4 hours or overnight. Garnish the mousses with a
small spoonful of fresh passionfruit.

(You could probably substitute 2 whipped, pasteurized egg whites for 1 cup of the cream for a lower in fat, higher in protein, airier version.)