Oh how I love this recipe! My inspiration for this comes from our family holiday to California a couple of years ago. Me, Chris, the kids and my folks spent 16 days travelling from San Francisco down to San Diego. It really was a dream holiday with stops in Carmel, Morro Bay, Santa Monica, Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Disney of course. We also got to spend time with family that we have over there, and Chris got to drive this baby for a week too:
Chris and I were spoiled rotten at our stop in Morro Bay, where my parents took the kids off with them, so Chris and I could have a few days to ourselves. If you’ve never been to Morro Bay, it’s a quiet, peaceful place, with the silence only disturbed by the barking of the sea lions. We had a gorgeous hotel, with a balcony right over the water, and the sea lions would come right up to water’s edge to say hello. Just a short stroll away from our hotel was Giovanni’s fish market and café where they sold the most beautiful fresh fish I’ve ever had. We ate there three times in the three days we stayed - we actually had to make up additional meal-times so we could fit in all the eating we wanted to do……. My absolute favourite were the fish tacos with salsa verde and Mexican crema. We’d sit outside, looking out at Morro rock with the warm sea breeze washing over us. A perfect location, with my gorgeous husband and amazing food. Total bliss! As soon as we got home I began experimenting until I managed to recreate the recipe, and I’ve been making it ever since.
Halibut isn’t readily available in the supermarkets where I live in the UK, so if I haven’t had a chance to make a special trip to the fishmongers, I’ll make this version sea bass. Lemon sole, cod and even haddock (not the smoked haddock though) all work really well too. For these Fish Tacos, the fish needs to be pan-fried in butter to get that slightly golden-brown exterior with a soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture. It’s served on warm, soft tacos or flatbreads with some crunchy cabbage, red onion, fresh juicy tomatoes and some creamy, shredded cheddar cheese. As drool-worthy as that sounds already, we’re not stopping there. The tacos are then drizzled with TWO extra toppings: A tongue-tingling salsa verde made with lots of fresh coriander and green chillies. And a garlicky, creamy sauce to cool the mouth back down again after that hit of chilli. I can’t believe that I’ve never put this on the blog before. I’m so sorry - I feel like I’ve completely let you down 😉 I really hope you give them a try - absolutely one of my favourite fish meals ever! If you are looking for a healthier option to the normal Tacos then why not try my delicious, packed full of flavour Taco Bowl.
The Fish Taco Recipe:
