Marcela's Baja-Style Fish Tacos

Beer-battered halibut is fried to a golden crisp, then topped with shredded cabbage and salsa for the ultimate fish taco.

Our Favorite Recipe:

Ingredients

Tacos:

• 1 pound white flaky fish, such as mahi mahi or orata
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 8 flour tortillas

Garnish:

• Shredded white cabbage
• Hot sauce
• Crema or sour cream
• Thinly sliced red onion
• Thinly sliced green onion
• Chopped cilantro leaves
• Pureed Tomato Salsa, recipe follows

Pureed Tomato Salsa:

• 2 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 serrano chile
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chipotle hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Garnish:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, ancho, jalapeno, and cilantro and pour over the fish. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade place onto a hot grill, flesh side down. Grill the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.

Place the tortillas on the grill and grill for 20 seconds. Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with any or all of the garnishes.

Pureed Tomato Salsa:

Preheat grill or use side burners of the grill. Heat oil in medium saucepan, add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add tomatoes, serrano and jalapeno and cook until tomatoes are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Puree the mixture with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Add the hot sauce, oregano, cilantro and lime juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pairs well with lager

Fajitas

Fajitas are easy to make for a crowd and people love them. Doing them right, which means simple seasoning and grilling, will set the authentic Latina version apart from the fast food assembly line. Here is a vegetarian version, but you can always swap out the mushrooms for chicken or steak. 

Best Chicken fajitas

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

The BEST chicken fajitas are so quick to throw together! Chicken gets marinated in the best juicy lime marinade, then seared for that unmistakeable crisp-charred outer edge! Serve with onions and bell pepper strips!

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 4 people

Author: Karina

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon ground chili (adjust to your desired spice preference)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
• 1 1/2 pounds (650 grams) chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
• 3 large bell peppers (or capsicums), cut into strips (I use green, red and yellow)
• 1 red onion thinly sliced
• 2 avocados, peeled, seeded and sliced

Instructions

1. In a large shallow bowl, combine lime juice, oil, garlic, cumin, salt, chili and cilantro; mix together. Add the chicken thighs and If time allows, let marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet or pan (12-inch | 30cm) on medium-high heat until smoking. Add a drizzle of olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden, charred and cooked right through (about 8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your fillets). Flip them a couple of times while cooking so they get a nice even char.

   Transfer chicken to a warm plate, loosely tent with foil and let rest. 
3. Add the peppers and onions to the skillet (drizzle with a little extra oil only if needed), and cook until the onion is soft and the peppers are slightly charred and cooked to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Slice chicken into strips.

   Serve with warmed tortillas, chopped cilantro and sliced avocado (plus your desired fillings).

best toppings to serve with chicken fajitas

• Sour cream
• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Cheese (I use a Mexican blend, but you can use Cheddar, Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack
• Black Beans & Rice

What are your favorite toppings??? 

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Chimichurri

Chimichurri and grilled steak go hand-in-hand so if you are making one, you should make the other. This herb-and-garlic sauce is native to Argentina, but has been adapted by many Latinos. It's also great with a red onion on burgers...

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
• 3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 Fresno chile or red jalapeño, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Combine vinegar, 1 tsp. salt, garlic, shallot, and chile in a medium bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, parsley, and oregano. Using a fork, whisk in oil. Remove 1/2 cup chimichurri to a small bowl, season with salt to taste, and reserve as sauce. Put meat in a glass, stainless-steel, or ceramic dish. Toss with remaining marinade. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. Remove meat from marinade, pat dry, and grill. Spoon reserved sauce over grilled meat.

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Lechon(Roasted Pig)

It would not be the holidays, American or Latino, without some kind of roasted meat. Here a recipe for traditional Cuban roasted pork.

You can find Lechon all over South and Central America... 

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Quinoa salad

Quinoa is an ancient South American grain that is high in protein and gluten free. It is ridiculously healthy and traditionally Latino. All Latinas should have one go-to quinoa recipe and during the summer, it is a perfect take-along side dish. This recipe mixes quinoa with another traditional food, corn.

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Batido

Latinos like their sweet drinks, especially in the summer. We like a batido because it is like having a milkshake, only with fewer calories because there is no ice cream. The one on the right uses mango, middle is strawberry and the one on the left is passion fruit. These are so good, you will not drink a milkshake again... 

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Ceviche

This is the perfect summer food because it requires no heat to cook and you serve it cold. A traditional Central and South American cooking method, ceviche is usually made with raw fish, citrus juice and chilies. This version is just bare bones but if you Google ceviche recipes there are literally thousands of variations with fish, shellfish and even no fish.

Very interesting.... How accurate do you think this is???