Da Bomb Fish Tacos

Absolutely the best fish tacos ever, and I'm not just saying that. I have tried a few. In Mexico, US and Canada. I like these best. So much more than the sum of its parts.

 Smokey, spicy, tangy, crunchy, creamy. Yummy!  

Start by assembling the spice rub for the fish. You can prepare this rub in advance, if you like. Or even prepare a triple batch and keep it in a jar. Combine everything, salt, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, and cumin. Set aside.

Smoked paprika is with looking for. I found mine at Winners. It imparts a pleasant, smokey quality to the fish, almost like they have been grilled over a wood fire. If you can not find smoked paprika, substitute it with regular paprika.

Next step. Prepare the slaw. Finely shred 3 cups of green cabbage. Coarsely chop 1/2 cup cilantro. Combine cabbage and cilantro into a medium bowl. 

Prepare the dressing for the slaw. Combine 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon of honey and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Pour dressing over the cabbage and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the tacos. The cabbage will wilt slightly, this is normal.

Prepare the spicy mayo. Combine mayonnaise(I like Hellmann's), garlic, cumin, chili powder, lime juice, honey, Frank's hot sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to assemble. I like to put my spicy mayo in a squeeze bottle. This mayo will keep for a week in the fridge.

Sometimes I like to make shrimp tacos.

I like to use peeled and deveined shrimp. Thaw the shrimp overnight in the fridge. Rinse shrimp with cold water and drain well. Pat dry with paper towel .

Use any mild flavoured with fish. I like Hake, it kind of reminds me of cod. Thaw fish overnight in the fridge. Use fresh fish if you wish.

I like to cut the fish fillets in half so that one half is used for one taco.

Coat the shrimp with a bit of canola oil and sprinkle generously with the spice mixture.

Coat the fish fillets with a bit of canola oil and sprinkle generously with the spice mixture.

Bake the fish/shrimp at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily and is opaque. Be careful not to over cook.

Assemble the taco. I like to pass bowls of chopped avocado, finely chopped red onion, cilantro and extra lime.

Everyone can assemble their own and make it the way they like it.

I like mine loaded

Roll it up.

 Nom, Nom, Nom!

Watch me make them on You Tube

Slaw
2-3 cups shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt

Smokey spice rub for fish
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper(optional)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika(use regular paprika is you cannot find smoked)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Spicy Mayo
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I like Hellmann's)
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chill powder
1 tablespoon 'Franks' hot sauce(or more if you wish)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt

10-12 8inch flour or corn tortillas
5-6 fish boneless, skinless, mild flavoured fish fillets(cod, sole, Northern Pike, etc) or substitute
 300-400 grams peeled and deveined shrimp for the fish. Thawed, drained and patted dry.
2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced, in and individual bowl for passing
1 avocado chopped, in an individual bowl for passing
1/2 cup fresh cilantro. in an individual bowl for passing
lime wedges, in an individual bowl for passing

Make the slaw- Combine lime juice, honey and salt. Stir well to dissolve the salt and honey. Pour over cabbage and cilantro. Toss cabbage with the lime dressing. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make the spice rub-Combine all ingredients. Set aside. Can be made many days ahead and kept in a covered container

Make the spicy mayo-Combine all, cover and refrigerate. Mayo will keep for a week in the refrigerator

Cook the fish-Cover a baking sheet with foil and parchment. Cut the fillets in half if the are large. Brush the fish with canola oil. Sprinkle the spice mixture on both sides of the fish. Rub the mixture into the fish and let sit for five or ten minutes at room temperature. Bake the fish in a 400 degree oven for 10-15  minutes or until it flakes easily. Do not over cook.

Assemble the tacos- I like to pass bowls of chopped onion, avocado, cilantro and lime, so that everyone can customize their own tacos.
This is how I make mine. On a tortilla layer, avocado, onions, fish, slaw, cilantro, spicy mayo, fold, eat, nom nom nom.

Watch me make them on You Tube

Basic Marinara Sauce

My nephew, who is just about ready to move away from his parents house, asked me what I make for supper during the week. "Auntie", he said, "when I get home from work I just don't feel like making supper". "Yes", I said, "me neither".

It is so much easier to grab a box out of the freezer, especially when you are tired from a day of work. Don't do it, you don't need to eat extra salt, fat and preservatives and other nasty things that prepared foods have.

Don't buy sauce in a jar. Just don't,' kay?

This basic marinara sauce is one of the things I make to help with weekday meals. Back to basics. I always have some of this sauce in my freezer.  Leave the sauce in the jar at the grocery store. This sauce is way more flavourful and healthy than anything you can get from a jar. Double or even triple the recipe. It freezes beautifully. See 10 things to make with basic marinara sauce at the end of the post.

There are many, many different recipes for marinara. Probably as many variations as there are Italian Nonas. This is mine and my family loves it.

Start with the holy trinity of vegetables, onions, carrots and celery. Chop them very fine. I use a food processor. In Italian cooking these three veggies are called 'sofritto', in French cooking it is called 'mirepoix'. Fancy names for basic ingredients. There is a reason that so many dishes start with these three veggies, flavour.

Sauté the veggies in olive oil. Add a bit of salt. Cook them on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Do not allow the veggies to brown, lower the heat if necessary.

I feel that it is very important to add salt as you go. It brings a depth of flavour the is impossible to achieve if you add salt just at the end. I think that by adding a bit of salt as you prepare not only imparts a better flavour, I think that you use less salt in the end. Salt is not supposed to make food taste salty, it's supposed to bring out the flavour of the food itself. After about five minutes, add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

Use good quality olive oil. It should be extra virgin. The bottle should be dark glass and there should be a best before date. I like to see the country of origin, as well. Spain, Italy, Greece and France are countries that produce good quality, tasty oil. Olive oil is not cheap. You often get what you pay for.
I like this one from Presidents Choice. Good quality and reasonably priced.

Add the purred tomatoes, red wine, bay leaf, sugar, the remaining salt and pepper. If you wish, now is the time to add any dried herbs. add up to 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, dried oregano, dried basil, or dried rosemary. Sometimes I add some hot pepper flakes to spice it up a bit.
I have chosen to leave my sauce plain today. The sugar is important, don't leave it out. Sugar will balance the acidic taste of the tomatoes. After all, it's only one teaspoon.

Bring to a boil, partially cover, reduce heat to simmer and partially cover for one hour. Simmer longer if you have the time. The longer it cooks, the more flavourful it will be.

Remove the bay leaves. Puree the sauce with an immersion blender until it is smooth.

Top the pasta with grated parmesan cheese and for an authentic Italian touch, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.

Secret Pasta Prep Tip

Just before serving, in a large pot, combine 2 cups of sauce with 1 pound of cooked pasta(any kind). Cook on high heat for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. This technique makes the sauce go into the pasta. It's the best

Basic Marinara Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (32 oz) can plum tomatoes, pureed
1 large dried bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes(optional)
dried herbs or fresh herbs of choice like rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, or basil

Double or even triple the recipe. Freeze the sauce in two cup containers. Just the most versatile sauce, ever.

 Cooking with kids. Watch my son and I make this yummy sauce on You Tube

10 Things to Make With Basic Marinara Sauce. 
Just a few of the many recipes out there.

1. Basic red sauce with pasta of choice, grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Pizza biscuit rolls
3. Pizza
4. Spaghetti squash 'lasagna' Use this marinara instead of the sauce suggested in this recipe
5. Add a bit of cream and serve with pasta for a "rosè" sauce
6. Chicken Parmesan
7. Shrimp and feta. Use this sauce instead of the sauce in the recipe.
8. Braised chicken thighs
9. Steak pizzaiola
10. Meatball Sub Sandwiches. Simmer cooked meatballs in the sauce for 30 minutes, or so. Fill hoagie buns with meatballs and sauce. Top with mozzarella or provolone cheese.

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

My favourite way to preserve the freshness of summer. This is a great sauce to pull out of the freezer in the middle of winter. Super quick and easy, and very satisfying. Toss this sauce with your favourite pasta for a quick weekday meal. Make some to enjoy now and some for the freezer. My guys love this.

Quarter 8 cups of fresh, in season tomatoes. Chop 1 cup onions.

In a large glass baking pan (10x15 inch)toss all the ingredients(except the parsley) together. No kidding, that's all you do.

Tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper flakes, sugar, oil and wine all go into the pan. Save the parsley for the end. 

And in one hour you have a beautifully roasted sauce. If your sauce does not have nice browned bits like this then just leave it in the oven for another half hour.

Mash with a potato masher to break up the tomatoes and garlic. If you prefer a chunky sauce, mash less. If your family prefers a smoother sauce, mash more. It's up to you.

Use a fork to scrape the very delicious browned bits off of the side of the pan. If your family is bothered by the tomato skins you can pick them out after the sauce has cooled a bit. My family doesn't mind the skin, so I just leave them in. After the sauce has cooled you can freeze it  in 2-3 cup containers. It will keep for 6 months in your freezer.

While the sauce is cooling, cook the pasta. Reserve a cup of the pasta water for the sauce.

OK. This is the secret that Italians have for making their pasta taste awesome. 

Add the pasta to the sauce in a pan and cook on high heat for a few minutes. 

 Cooking the pasta with the sauce makes the pasta absorb the sauce. This technique will make your pasta very flavourful. This is how Italians do it, that's the secret. If you feel like there is not enough sauce, add the reserved pasta water to the pot. 

I like to serve this pasta with freshly grated parmesan, Romano or granna padano cheeses, freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. YUM!

Watch me make it on You Tube

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

8 cups quartered tomatoes
1 cup onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, whole
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a 10x15 inch glass pan combine everything except the parsley.
3. Toss to coat the tomatoes in the oil.
4. Roast for one to one and one half hours until the edges of the tomatoes have blackened a bit.
5. Stir occasionally.
6. Remove pan from oven. Mash the tomatoes and garlic with a potato masher until everything have combined. Is you prefer a chunkier sauce, mash less. If you prefer a smoother sauce, mash more.
7. Add parsley at the very end.
8. Sauce may be frozen at this point in 2-3 cup containers. Keeps for six months in the freezer
9. Or, Toss cooked pasta with the sauce.
10.