Fish Tackos

I've been hankering for fish tacos for some time now, and with a little gentle prodding from the INTERNET> I finally decided to make my own. We were down on Ocracoke Island the first time I ever ate fish tacos, and I loved the dish. Next time I went there, the place that served them had closed, as is the custom of a lot of restaurants there. Now, I can get fish tacos around here--I just never do. But we had in the freezer two filets of good-quality flounder purchased from our fishmonger Landon at the Shrimp Connection, and I figured a better opportunity to make fish tacos would never present itself. So the first filet I cut into one-inch chunks, coated it with a little flour, Old Bay and Salt, and pan fried in shallow vegetable oil. After frying awhile, the fish was already good eating, but I was not finished yet.

Fish tacos should be accoutred with red-cabbage slaw. I am always happy to use cabbage, as I think it is quite underrated. To make the slaw, I chopped about half of a head of red cabbage thinly. Then I dressed it with my favorite house dressing: Duke's mayo, some apple-cider vinegar, a few capers, Salt, and Pepper. Mix that well and dress the cabbage, and you have a very nice slaw on your hands and on your tacos.

I needed a wrapper for these tacos, so I decided to try my hand at making corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are very simply prepared. Composed of masa harina, salt, and water, all you have to do is make a big, soft ball from which you make smaller balls. Simple, right? Eh, not quite. I think if a person owned a tortilla press the tortillas would form much more uniformly around the edges. As it was, when I pressed the balls between two sheets of waxed paper and rolled, the edges became ragged. I do not mind a ragged edge, but I think a rounder tortilla would wrap nicely, not to mention being more aesthetically pleasant. Really, though, I simply have not made tortillas enough to discover the tricks and secrets the masa holds.

I cooked them on the flat side of the griddle pan two at a time. The first couple tortillas I made I did not cook long enough, but then I started removing them from the heat after they browned slightly. I was already learning. I think next time I make corn tortillas I will add a little bit of fat. I like the corn taste, but the texture wants something. A few cilantro leaves and a little bit of Texas Pete and my tacos were done. The pictures did not turn out as well as I wanted them to because I was in a hurry, both to eat the tacos and be out the door.

As a side, I also made a little macaroni and cheese. It is so simple that any fan of mac and cheese should embrace this method, never to return to Krap boxed mac and cheese or that Velveeta shells and salt, er, cheese. I boiled my macaroni, and when it was ready, I added a little milk (cream would have been splendid, but I did not have any) Salt, Pepper, and some shredded cheddar cheese. Of course, you could use any type of cheese that appeals to your little heart, but I like cheddar. Next time I will have a chunk of good-quality cheddar for this dish. Stir it together and eat it. Delicious.