Spicy Codfish Tacos

I would say that 95%+ of the recipes that I post I have made and tested before. I have a strict rule that nothing is posted on The Yum Yum Club that I have not made and eaten myself, and more importantly, enjoyed. It’s rare, however, that I would devise a recipe and it works first time. It may be close, but there tends to be a little tweaking on the spices or the seasoning or whatever. These spicy codfish tacos, however, are a bit of an exception…

These spicy codfish tacos worked the first time! What a bonus!! The balance of 2:1 cumin/paprika for the coating. The additional of tzatziki to counteract any dryness or heat from the spices, and the simple difference of slicing the avocado compares to making another dip with guacamole really supported the differing textures.

If there was anything I would note it’s that the codfish is quite delicate which mean the goujons to break up quite easily. I have no issue with this because I think the flaky texture of the codfish is a perfect match for the crunchy lettuce and onions. However, if you are uncertain, a couple of great alternatives would be haddock or hake. Whatever if your preference.

Also, remember you could quite simply replace the fish with chicken breast strips if that’s what you prefer. It’s a very flexible recipe.

This is a very simple dish that takes no more than 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes for the fish to cook.

1. Gather all of the ingredients together

There are quite a number of ingredients for this recipe but, principally, its the fish and spices, salad filling, tzatziki dip, and flour tortillas, or tacos.

The printable recipe is below and has all of the ingredient measurements. The recipe makes 8 tacos, which I think is enough for 4 people. However, just scale up or down as your own family requirements dictate.

2. Make the tzatziki

I’ve put making the tzatziki here because it can be made the day before. In fact, it’s better if you do this because the garlic and herb flavors really infuse into the Greek yogurt and make the dip far tastier.

I’m not going to run through how to make tzatziki on this post as I have made this previously. Just click the icon at the end of this sentence or the photograph below and it will take you to the recipe ▶

3. Prepare spicy codfish

No real big deal here. Just take your thick codfish fillets and slice it into good sized slices, or goujons. Also, take the garlic and crush it in a little sea salt. It doesn’t have to be fully minced. Just break down all the large pieces and add a good glug of olive oil.

With the ingredients for the codfish prepared, start by adding the spices, the cumin, paprika, salt, ground black pepper to the fish. Make sure you coat the fish well.

Next, add the garlic along with the olive oil and, again, coat the fish in all of the garlicky oil.

You can now transfer this to a baking tray and place in a pre-heated oven at 200C / 180C Fan for around 18-20 minutes.

4. Make the red onion salad

Similar to the tzatziki, this can be made beforehand but I like the strong, crunchy raw onion texture which I feel go a little limp if made beforehand. But, again, this is your call.

Simply peel the red onions and cut in half. Then thinly slice the onions and place in a bowl. Add a good handful of washed and roughly chopped fresh coriander and then the juice from 2 fresh limes (add this at the last moment). Add a little seasoning and you will be amazed about the tangy, fragrant taste of this very simple salad.

5. Prepare the salad and tortillas

While the fish is cooking just wash and present the lettuce leaves and slice the tomato and avocado. Nothing scientific here.

For the tortillas, simply dry roast them on a frying pan until just hot. I’m sure you’ve done this 100 times or more so I won’t go into a great deal of detail here. But please let me know if you have any questions.

6. Grab that fish and tuck in

By now the fish should be ready, so take it out of the oven and present on top of the salad leaves. Place everything on the table and tuck in. A very simple and healthy communal meal where everybody participates. Great for getting everybody together. 😃

And that’s it, my foodie followers. Wonderfully tasty, and a little spicy codfish tacos. A great healthy alternative to chicken or beef for your Mexican fix. Zero saturated fat too!!

 

 

If you liked this why not try one of The Yum Yum Club’s other great recipes. Find a selection below.

As always, many thanks for reading and until next time… Steve.

7. Nutritional Values

8. Printable recipe