Fish Tacos

I love these fish tacos; we make them at least a couple of times a month! Now, usually when I tell someone I made fish tacos for dinner they say...fish? on a taco? That is what I thought before trying them, now I love them! They are super easy to make and will only take you about 30 minutes to prepare.  I developed this recipe on my own, however, the fish taco sauce recipe came from: Soup Addict and I will explain how to make it below.

Fish is a very healthy protein for you, low in fat and sodium and provides a great deal of essential nutrients such as Omega 3s.  When buying fish, you always want to try to find a wild caught fish as opposed to a farm raised fish.  You would be amazed at the differences in nutrition when talking wild vs farm raised fish.  I also suggest using a whole wheat soft shell or non-GMO hard taco shells (try organic aisle in your grocery store); but you can use whatever you have on hand.

One last note before I begin, this is the first time I made the fish taco sauce with them.  It is completely optional, usually I eat the fish tacos without any extra sauce and use light sour cream instead. However, I was inspired by some fish tacos I have had at some of my favorite restaurants and the sauce can be used as a dressing on a side salad to eat with the tacos. We loved the sauce! I hope you try it all!

Fish Tacos
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
3/4 to 1 lb. of white fish (I suggest finding a wild white fish such as white alaskan cod)
1/2 lime (for juice)
salt & pepper (to taste)
Taco shells (hard or soft shell, depending on your preference)
Shredded cheese (pepperjack or monterary jack work great)
Fresh jalapenos
Red or green cabbage
Sour cream (optional)
Fish taco sauce (optional - see recipe below)

Directions:
1. If you bought fresh fish, don't worry about this step.  If you bought a frozen package of fish, take the fish out of the freezer the night before or first thing in the morning.  Line a plate with a couple layers of paper towels.  Remove the fish from the package, rinse with cold water and place on top of paper towels in a single layer.  Cover the fish with another layer of paper towels and put the plate in the refrigerator to thaw.  This process will ensure the fish does not sit in its own juices while it thaws.  This can often leave it with a very "fishy" taste that we don't want.

2. If you are making the fish taco sauce, I would suggest doing that first (see below for instructions) so it can refrigerate for 30 minutes or so.

3. When you are ready to cook the fish, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with foil. Arrange fish on the foil in a single layer. Sprinkle fish with juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste.  Sprinkle the fish with some salt and pepper.

4. Put the fish in a 350 degree oven for 7-10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.  If you are using hard taco shells, you may also want to warm them up at the same time (per package instructions).

5. While the fish and/or shells cook, cut up some shreds of cabbage and some fresh jalapenos.

6. Once the fish is ready, gently use a fork to break it into small bite-size pieces.  Build the taco with fish, fresh jalapenos, shredded cabbage, shredded cheese, and a little bit of sour cream or fish taco sauce. (Note: the toppings are up to you! If you can't take the heat, don't use fresh jalapenos - you can substitute with green peppers if you like, or just leave them off).


Fish Taco Sauce
(makes about 1 cup - serves 4)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup low fat sour cream (or greek yogurt)
1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise (I used Hellman's, but organic or homemade would be better)
1/2 lime (for juice)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp capers, minced
1 hot pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped or 2 tsp dried cilantro

1. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and mayonnaise until well blended.

2. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lime into the mixture and whisk thoroughly, until you have the consistency of a pourable, creamy salad dressing. If still too thick, add more lime juice or if too runny, add sour cream.

3. Whisk in all all of the spices until combined.

4. Mince the capers, hot pepper and cilantro (if using fresh), and add to your mixture, whisking to combine.

5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. Serve chilled and drizzle onto fish tacos.  I also made a little side salad with the fish tacos with mixed lettuce and drizzled the sauce on my salad as well.

Enjoy!!

Nutrition Facts:

(serves 4)

Serving size: 2 tacos

Fish Tacos (with no sauce or sour cream)

Calories: 217

Carbs: 15g

Fat: 8g

Protein: 22g

Sodium: 273g

Sugar: <1g

Cholesterol: 49mg

Fiber: 2g

Vitamin A: 3.8% DV

Vitamin C: 8.2% DV

Calcium: .6% DV

Iron: 2.5% DV

WW Points Plus: 6 points

WW Original Points: 5 points

Fish Taco Sauce (Serving size: 4 Tbsp or 1/4 cup)

Calories: 57

Carbs: 6g

Fat: 3g

Protein: 3g

Sodium: 322g

Sugar: 4

Cholesterol: 1mg

Fiber: <1g

Vitamin A: 4.5% DV

Vitamin C: 1.8% DV

Calcium: 6.8% DV

Iron: 2.1% DV

WW Points Plus: 2 points

WW Original Points: 1 point