What I'm Cooking: Fish Tacos! (Mi Gusta!!)

With the warm weather ramping up quickly, my taste buds...bloom!  I'm more in the mood for fresh, zesty, cool, bold flavors rather than the heavy, creamy, dense, rich flavors of Winter.  My fridge is currently stocked with produce and I had cod in the freezer.  This is what I came up with on Sunday night....
 

Fish Tacos with black beans and a slice of corn bread

There are several elements of my fish tacos that all come together to make the most delicious, guilt-free meal.  D was in charge of the corn bread and I took care of the tacos and black beans.  I rinsed the black beans thoroughly in water to get rid of the excess sodium and then heated them in a sauce pan on a medium heat.  The fish tacos were the main event.

1)  I started by chopping and mixing up all the elements for the fresh salsa which included avocado, red onion, and cilantro.  I decided to use RO*TEL's canned diced tomatoes with green chilies for the added flavor.  I squeezed the juice out of about a half of a lime to intensify the freshness and to keep the avocado from browning.  I seasoned with a little bit of salt and pepper and then covered with some cling wrap and set aside.

2)  I seasoned the fillets of cod with salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder and then baked them on a cookie sheet in the oven.  I put a dab of EVOO in before so that the fish doesn't stick.  It only took about 15-18 minutes to cook the cod through.

Baked cod

3)  While the fish was cooking, I improvised a chipotle aioli with mayo, Greek yogurt (plain), chipotles in adobo, chopped cilantro, dried dill, S/P, and a squirt of lime juice.  I deseeded the chipotle chilies and it was still very spicy so be careful and use your own personal heat preference.

Beware! A little goes a long way.

Stirred together in a small bowl

4)  Again, we used flour tortillas (not my preference) because Walmart didn't have corn tortillas.  I just put them on a small plate and then covered them with a damp paper towel.  I microwaved them for just 30 seconds which produced warm, moist tortillas.  I added chopped green onions, S/P and a bit of hot sauce to the black beans.  Once the corn bread and cod were done, it was time to assemble our tacos and enjoy!  I spread some of the chipotle aioli on the tortilla, added the diced-up cod, and then topped with a large spoonful of the salsa.   I garnished with more fresh, chopped cilantro and placed a lime wedge on the side.

Lime goes in and on everything

Voila!!

I could eat this meal every week!  I am on the look out for avocados that aren't $1.59 or more.  I can't wait to get into my new kitchen and see what other great things D and I come up with.