Veni, Vedi, Fishy - I Came, I Saw, I Fished (Or, Fish Tacos)

plate by Rob Ryan.

I made these tacos twice, first with baked fish (cod), & secondly with grilled chicken. My dinner companion from the first round suggested avocado would be a welcome addition to the mango salsa, & I also thought to add some heavily roasted cherry tomatoes in brown sugar & balsamic. These tacos should be generously loaded with filling, served bursting at the seams - a cocktail stick pinning the lot together helps keep the food in place, adding a little diner-chic to the plate. Play around with the quantities & combinations of fillings - I started with a Baja Fish taco recipe from The Family Kitchen, knowing that I wanted to add my own version of healthy 'refried' beans, & plenty of low-fat mayo & tomato sauce.

Recipe for 2, based on Julievr's recipe found here.

Recipe:

~ 2 fillets white fish

~ 1 tsp cayenne pepper

~ 2 tsp cumin

~ 1 tsp rosemary or oregano

~ sea salt & black pepper

~ 2 x tortilla wraps or tacos

for the salsa:

~ 1 mango

~ 1 red bell pepper

~ 1/4 of a large cucumber

~ juice of 1/2 a lime

~ 2 spring (green) onions, chopped

~ small bunch of chopped coriander

other garnishes:

~ torn white cabbage

~ cherry tomatoes, roasted in brown sugar & balsamic

~ low fat mayo

~ 1 can black beans, simmered in chicken bouillon,

~ 1 cup sweetcorn

1. Season the chicken or fish with the cayenne pepper, cumin, rosemary or oregano, salt & pepper, & either grill or oven-bake. Cooking times will vary depending on size. Fish fillets usually take 17 mins in a medium oven, or small chicken breasts might take about 12-15 mins in a grill machine.

2. Chop the mango, pepper & cucumber into small chunks, season, add lime juice & coriander, & toss together with the spring onion.

3. Prepare the beans by draining from the can, cover with chicken bouillon dissolved in hot water, & simmer for 30 mins over a low heat. Drain any excess water, & then mash with a fork, add 1 tsp cumin, a squeeze of lime or lemon juice, plenty of sea salt & black pepper, & some chilli or cayenne pepper to your taste.

4. Heat the tortilla or taco wraps as indicated on the packaging guidelines. I went with wholemeal chapatis, they have a great flavour & are soft enough to roll up with the fillings.

5. Assemble the wraps: chicken or fish, beans, mango salsa, tomatoes, cabbage, mayo, corn.

{all photos by me}