Salmon Tacos

I grew up in a family of hunters and fishermen. That meant that quail and dove were fixed* in the fall; venison (or, in the vernacular, deer meat) was served in the fall and winter.  The spring and summer were filled with fish caught on fishing trips to the Coast. My mother would either fry up those can't-get-any-fresher-than-that fillets in a cornmeal batter or saute them with some butter in a pan. We'd have a fresh vegetable (maybe some homemade cabbage slaw), and most probably a starch or some fresh corn on the cob to go along side the fish. This was, of course, in the days when the store wasn't filled with fish that was either farmed or caught from around the world, and then transported to our local grocery. (Or at least not at "Country Boys", the small independent grocery store that was in my small, rural hometown.) The only tuna or salmon that I was familiar with as a kid came from a can and was made into salad or croquettes. 

Fast forward to adult and married life, and as luck(?) would have it, I married a man who has a severe allergy to finned fish. (The story of how he found out about this allergy is quite amusing and if you knew him, you'd know that it could only happen to him- perhaps one day, he'll regale you with the hilarity in a guest post here in this spot.)  The rest of us like those finned fish, but alas, we must wait until El Syd has left the building to even entertain the thought of such a thing.  

This weekend was just one of those times. El Syd and The Boy have left us womenfolk behind as they went camping. A light bulb went off when trying to decide what to cook for us while they were away -- FISH! I wanted something light, and bright and reminiscent of the Yucatan peninsula to remind me that summer is on its way.  

One thing I think it is so important for home cooks to remember is that recipes are not the law; they are guidelines. Unless you are trying to make a dish or a meal to be 100% authentic to a region or a people, (and even then there are allowances and differences within cultures, etc) making changes and substitutions to what is available or what is freshest is more than acceptable. So, with that thought in mind, rather than a jack fish or a grouper which might be more traditional, I planned on using some salmon that I picked up at the market. 

This recipe fits into one of my favorite types in that it is comprised of several components that require a little  prep (perhaps even a day in advance) and then when you're ready to eat, it is little more than cooking the fish and building a taco in an assembly line fashion. 

(*In Texas, we use "fixed" or "fixing" in a very improper and grammatically incorrect way to connote preparation of food (eg: I fixed salmon tacos for dinner) or that you are getting ready to do something (eg: I'm fixin' to go to the store to get more salmon.)

Salmon Tacos

(adapted from Bon Appetit)

Pickled Onions (make early in the day or a day or two in advance)

• 1 purple onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp sake (or a sweet white wine, if you have it on hand - if not, sub equal amount water)
• 1-2 Tbsp sugar

1. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover well & chill (at least) overnight. Make sure to check a couple of times and mix up the onions to ensure they are submerged into the pickling solution.

Chipotle Mayo

• 1/2 C mayo
• 2 Tsp adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo (available at most local grocery stores here; if not, check Mexican markets)

1. Mix both ingredients in small bowl; season to taste with salt. Cover; chill overnight. (This is absolutely delicious, by the way, just on its own as a sub anywhere you'd use straight mayo. Also note, the chipotles are smoked jalapenos and will have a bit of a kick.)

Jicama Slaw

• 2 C jicama, peeled and coarsely grated 
• 2 C green cabbage, thinly sliced/shredded
• 1/4 C  fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

1. Toss jicama, cabbage and cilantro in a medium bowl. Whisk together the lime juice and oil until emulsified. Pour over vegetables and mix until it is all well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Salmon

• 1 lb salmon fillet
• 1Tbsp achiote paste (seasoning paste made from achiote (aka annato) seeds, garlic and spices, again found at Mexican markets).
• 1Tbsp olive oil

1. Place fish on plate. Mix achiote paste and oil in another small bowl to blend (this will take some effort as the paste is rather tacky. I found using a fork to mash the paste with the oil works well); rub over both sides of salmon. Cover and chill 4 hours. (Note: achiote is bright red and will stain textiles, and fingers, etc.)

Tacos

• 8 corn tortillas (locally, I highly recommend El Milagro Blancas)
• olive oil
• chili powder

Cooking & Assembly

1. Prep grill (medium-high heat). Grill salmon until just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to plate; let rest 5 minutes.
2. Drizzle tortillas with olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder. Grill tortillas 30 seconds per side to heat through until the tortillas become quite pliable. (Can also be done inside in a pan, but you won't have the delicious grilled/smoky flavor on the corn tortillas.)
3. Flake cooked salmon into chunks; transfer to platter.
4. Make tacos: tortilla; smear of chipotle mayo; chunks of achiote salmon; top with some cabbage slaw and pickled onions; eat and repeat!

Both my daughter and I really enjoyed these tacos. The tender spiced salmon with its richness was countered by the crispness and slight sweetness of the jicama slaw. The pickled onions added just the right amount of acid and wrap it all up in the grilled goodness of a corn tortilla? Fabulous.  Between you and me, I am totally addicted to those chili sprinkled, grill-heated tortillas. The grilled corn aroma that wafted up as I cooked them was truly intoxicating. Also, we had enough accouterments left over following the salmon tacos that I took some shrimp out of the freezer. Once peeled and deveined, I seasoned them with the achiote as well and we cooked them up when El Syd and The Boy returned from camping. So delicious! 

Happy Cooking!

 sld

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