Chez Us

We fell in love with real tacos during a trip to Sayulita.  I say real, because the tacos that we eat here in the states, is nothing like the ones we had in Mexico.  Here, tacos are always full of cheese, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and few scrappy tomatoes.  Sure they are tasty, and hit the spot;  but, they are nothing like a true Mexican taco.  The tacos we had in Mexico where made with the freshest ingredients from the protein all the way to the vegetables.   No cheese.  No sour cream.  No guac.  Depending on the stand we ate at, some where made with a savory slaw or pickled vegetables.  One thing that was always the same was the savory, grilled meat or fish, and the lightly spicy creme.

I remember one particular night of taco gorging.  We found this little taco stand, just off the main street, next to a liquor store, it wasn’t anything fancy.  Plastic tables and chairs, dirt under our feet, and a young kid, grilling away.  He instructed us to go across the street, get some beer, come back, order some tacos, and sit.  Being like most somewhat cautious “Americans”, we only ordered a couple tacos at first;  after all, he was cooking in the dirt.  We sat down, and he brought them over.  First bite, with caramelized beef fat running down our faces, and spicy, pickled peppers dancing on our tongues, we were in love.  We ended up sitting there for some time, drinking beer, and ordering more tacos, and more tacos.

This recipe is not from Mexico, but rather a Bill Granger inspired one.  It is close, very close, to what we were eating in Sayulita.  Lightly marinaded fish, grilled until slightly crispy, and then nestled into a corn tortilla and covered with a spicy cucumber and tomato salad, with just a drizzle of savory creme.  Pass the beer, and you are all set for a take back to sunny Mexico.

Don’t forget, you have a few days left to enter our give-away, to win your own Bill Granger cookbook;  more delicious recipes such as this are in it!!

Recipe:  Fish Tacos
*inspired by a trip to Sayulita and Bill Granger’s Fish Burrito recipe
**made 5 tacos, perfect for two people

What you need:

• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 small Serrano chili, seeds removed, and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• lime, zest
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 lb fish white fish, used rock cod

What you need to do:

Place all of the spices into a food processor, while it is running, drizzle in olive oil.  Mixture will be paste like.  Coat fish with the spicy mixture, and let sit, at room temperature, for 30 minutes.  Slice the fish into strips.  Heat a non-stick grill pan over medium heat until hot.  Add the fish strips in a single layer, and cook until golden;  about 1 – 2 minutes per side.  Remove from the pan, and set on a cookie sheet, in an oven set at 200.  Continue cooking all of the fish.  While the fish is cooking, place the tortillas in the oven, to warm through;  about 5 – 10 minutes.  To serve, put a layer of fish on a tortilla, add some of the cucumber salad, and drizzle with the lime creme.  Serve.  Eat.

Recipe: Cucumber Salad

What you need:

• 1 cucumber, peeled, sliced thinly, seeds removed
• 2 tomatoes, cut into small pieces
• 5 green onions, sliced thinly
• handful cilantro, torn
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 small green chili, seeded, sliced thinly
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• corn tortillas

What you need to do:

Cut the cucumber lengthwise.  Peel the tough outer skin, scoop out the seeds, and slice into thin slices.  Put into a bowl with everything but the cilantro leaves.  Stir.  Just before serving stir in the cilantro leaves.  Serve.  Eat.

Recipe: Lime Creme

What you need:

• 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
• 1/2 cup whole fat mayonnaise
• 1 lime, zest
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• kosher salt to taste

What you need to do:

In a small bowl ad all of the ingredients except salt;  stir.  Season to taste with salt.  Serve.  Eat..