The first time I was offered fish tacos I thought my Grandfather was joking. I had just finished my junior year in highschool and my grandparents took one of my brothers, my oldest cousin and me on a trip to their winter home in San Felipe, Mexico. My cousin and I spent our days sitting by the pool and seeing how much baby oil we could slather on ourselves before we burned to a crisp. At the pool there was a little cantina that served drinks and the occasional taco. Growing up I didn’t have much of an adventurous palette when it came to food. To us tacos were served in hard, often stale, shells with shredded iceberg lettuce and orange cheese. Based on the restaurants in the US, Mexican food is not my favorite. So when my grandfather asked if we wanted to try the fish tacos I thought he had lost his mind. Lynn and I didn’t want to be rude so we gave them a try.

The tacos were like none I’d ever had before. They were small fillets of whitefish, lightly breaded, and served on a soft corn tortilla with a little bit of fresh salsa. It was heaven. I came home from that trip in love with Mexican food only to find out that real Mexican food was nowhere to be found.

Years later I took a group of high school students to Tijuana to build a house. As part of the trip the organization took us to a roadside taco stand for lunch. It was our “authentic Mexican meal.” A week in Mexico and we only ate cafeteria food. That one afternoon at the taco stand brought back the memories of my previous experience sitting by the pool with my cousin and I remembered how much I loved true Mexican cuisine. Back in the US I was left with greasy cheese laden enchiladas and stale taco shells.

Recently my husband and I had happy hour at a local Mexican restaurant. Then again at another. Both of these establishments seeks to put an end to congealed cheese and cheesy mariachi music. Masa and Matador serve up Mexican food as it is supposed to be cooked. With my re-found love of Mexican food I set off to create a dinner for my family that was worthy of eating.

Fish Tacos with corn salsa and avocado cream

2 tilapia fillets (or other flaky white fish)
Salt, pepper, cumin to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a baking pan. Season the fish with the salt, pepper and cumin. I like more cumin so I put more on. Bake the fish about 15 – 20 minutes or until cooked through. (we had to bake the fish because our grill is currently out of commission)

Corn Salsa

1 cob of corn (cut the kernels off)
1 can black beans
1 medium tomato diced
1/2 sweet onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
Handful chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
salt, pepper and cumin to taste
oil

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Saute onions and garlic until fragrant. Add corn and black beans. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add Cilantro and lime juice. Cook 2-3 minutes more. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. You can add chili powder or peppers if you like it a little spicy. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes.

Avocado Cream
I make this and put it in a squeeze bottle in the fridge and serve it on everything

2 avocados
2 cloves garlic
handful chopped cilantro
1/2 c. cream
2 T. butter (I never said the cream was healthy)
Salt to taste

Puree the avocados, garlic and cilantro in a food processor. Heat butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add avocado puree and heat through. Add cream and combine. Season.

To assemble the final dish: heat soft corn tortillas in the oven (wrap a stack of them in foil and throw them in the oven while the fish is cooking). Flake fish apart and put on tortilla. Top with salsa and cream. You may want to double the tortillas since the salsa can get a little messy.