Saturday, April 2, 2011

Fish Tacos with Creamy Dill Sauce and Pico de Gallo


Can't think,
Brain numb,
Inspiration
Won't come.
Poor ink,
Bad pen,
That's all,
Amen.

     I think I was in the second grade when I got the book A Rocket in My Pocket for Christmas. I read it cover to cover until the covers literally came off. Strangely enough, I can still probably recite every poem in it almost fifty years later. (I didn't just say that did I?) I'm sharing this poem with you from that book both in honor of National Poetry Month, and also because it's a true sentiment this morning!

     My mom was gifted with some beautiful fresh Rockfish fillets last week, and she shared some with me. I had earlier bookmarked two similar recipes for fish tacos, one on A Sweet Pea Chef and the other on Allrecipes. I scrambled them both up and came up with this version. I'm not guaranteeing that these are authentic, but they sure tasted good! And besides, they say that fish is brain food- just sayin'.

Fish Tacos with Creamy Dill Sauce and Pico de Gallo
adapted from A Sweet Pea Chef and Allrecipes

You will need:
1-2 lb. of fish fillets (recipe follows)
8-10 corn or flour tortillas
Pico De Gallo (recipe follows)
White Dill Sauce (recipe follows)
1/2 small head of cabbage thinly sliced (or cole slaw mix)

Creamy Dill Sauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
juice of one lime
1/2 of a jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried dill (or use fresh if you have it)
1/2 tsp. cayenne (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. salt
In small bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Stir in the lime juice. Stir in seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Pico de Gallo
1/2 lb. grape or small cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
small handful of cilantro (or to taste), chopped
juice of one lime
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Fish
1-2 lb. fish fillets cut into 2-3 oz. portions (I used rockfish, but any mild firm white fish would be a good choice.)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup stone ground corn meal
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 egg beaten with 2 Tablespoons water
Peanut or Canola oil for frying
In shallow bowl, mix together flour, corn meal, salt, cayenne and pepper. Dip fish pieces into egg mixture. Lightly coat with flour mixture.
Pour oil into medium skillet to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Place prepared fish into hot oil then reduce temp. to medium-high. Fry until golden brown on both sides. (approximately 5 minutes, depending on the size of your fish chunks)When fish are done, remove to paper towel lined plate to drain.

To assemble tacos:
On heated tortilla, place one or two pieces of fish. Spoon Dill sauce over fish. Top with Pico de Gallo and shredded cabbage.

39 comments:

  1. Sure looks great! Lovin' the poem:@)

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  2. Ha! I need that little poem in my life. I'm ok with you not writing sometimes as long as you share more beautiful recipes like this. I'm already printing this one out!

    Laura

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  3. Mmmm these look really good! The picture is gorgeous!

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  4. I love that poem:-) And I want fish tacos for dinner tonight but sadly will have to wait to pick up some fresh fish. But, oh my these look good:-)

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  5. I've never had fish tacos but I love fish and I love tacos! Your dill sauce and pico de gallo sound heavenly!

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  6. I love that poem!! And I find it true so often... Fish tacos are so awesome when they're made well- and these looks they're made extremely well. So delicious :D

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  7. I love fish tacos and was just saying tonight I need to make them more often. Looks great

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  8. Love these. They're so light yet filling. Great post!

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  9. I love fish tacos! Yours sounds so good with rockfish.

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  10. Thats one stunning picture you got there. I love the bright coloured fruits in the taco and in the background!

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  11. One of our favorite things to do with leftover fish after we grilled it the night before is fish tacos. They are just so fresh and easy and delicious. Your version sounds out of this world good. I love the dill in the sauce- something i havent't done before (usually use cilantro) so I am definitely going to take a cue from you next time! Thanks girl!

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  12. I'm going to do the dill. I like cilantro a lot but my husband can't tolerate the taste. I never thought of dill. Your photo makes me want to get started this minute!!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  13. Haha that poem made me smile. Good stuff.

    Oh this tacos look AMAZING! So colorful, I feel like I can almost reach through the screen and taste them!

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  14. Your poem made me smile :) I love, love, love children's books, especially those I remember from my own childhood. I also love tacos, but have never tried them with fish! I seriously need to get on this trend...yours look fantastic!

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  15. Cute poem! Love fish tacos and we eat them quite often. Yours look mouthwatering delicious and that yogurt sauce sounds wonderful! This is certainly a meal that would be very well received in my house :o)

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  16. I used to LOVE fish tacos when we went to the beach for summer vacation as a kid :) These looks seriously fabulous--especially with the creamy dill sauce! And--if you can believe it--Adam just made a HUGE bowl of apple pico de gallo last night--our first time making it from scratch! I'm thinking I might be able to sub in chickpeas for the fish to make a vegetarian version :)

    Hope you have a great week!

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  17. The picture alone makes me want to try this. Gorgeous! Then when I read the post I was hooked!

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  18. I love, love, love fish tacos. These look lovely. Thank you for sharing the poem.

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  19. I still haven't tried making fish tacos at home but this recipe sounds wonderful and the sauces sound great!

    Love the poem :)

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  20. holy fish taco this looks good!

    i wish you would come to dallas to teach me how to take pics of my food... these look straight out of a magazine!

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  21. Love, love, your fish tacos, especially with the pico de gallo, and the creamy dill sauce. So incredible, and tempting. A must try!
    Thanks for sharing:DDD

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  22. What a gorgeous photo! I love fish tacos and haven't had them in a long time. The dill sauce sounds incredible. :)

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  23. Love the idea of the creamy dill sauce with these pretty fish tacos :)

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  24. Smile. I loved that book too. So many good memories of reading as a child. And of course, I love fish tacos. One of my favorites! Thank you for sharing with me tonight. I'm in the need of some comfort...and you are one of the blogs I know I can turn to. I hope you have a great start to your week. Blessings and love.

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  25. Ooh national poetry month, I didn't realise! I love fish tacos, they're always so reliably good. Love the idea of the dill sauce too! :D

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  26. These look amazing; I tasted fish tacos for the first time while I was in Victoria. So happy you posted this recipe, something I really want to try making. Love that poem.
    Rita

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  27. Thanks for the link, Betty! I hope you enjoyed the tacos :)

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  28. Reminds me of the tacos in CA. It looks fresh and delicious!

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  29. These look so bright and colorful... And delicious!! :)

    Sues

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  30. Betty, these tacos look killer! What a great recipe and perfect for spring and summer. I'll have to give these a try sometime. Thanks for sharing!

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  31. Your fish tacos look yummie specially with the dill sauce...a nice addition to the tacos...nice pictures as well.

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  32. WOW!! I don't eat fish, but if I did I KNOW I would love these!! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

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  33. Oddly, fish tacos remind me of Asheville, NC. That was the only time I had them. Were great.

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  34. That sauce sounds so yummy. I love fish tacos and the sauce would take it over the top.

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  35. I just love fish tacos so had to comment!!!!From the creamy dill sauce to the piquant sauce these are a winner!

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  36. Yum! Fish Taco are one of my most favorite meals!! I'm making my version of Fish Tacos with Cilantro lime Creme and Habanero Peach salsa for Cooking Across America-Colorado Cooks next weekend. Watch for the post, it's going to be a blast!! I use corn tortillas and batter my fish with panko crumbs...my mouth is watering just thinking about them!! You're so lucky to have the Rockfish to make yours! I'm jealous!!

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  37. Your fish tacos look amazing, and wow with that creamy sauce :)

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Thanks for stopping by scrambled hen fruit! I appreciate all of your comments and look forward to reading them.

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