I love fish tacos. Who doesn’t? Well, I guess people who don’t like fish. But they are popular. It seems like most restaurants have at least one fish taco option on their menus.
There are a million ways to make a fish taco. For me, the key is to start with the right fish. I probably wouldn’t make fish tacos with a stronger fish. Bluefish tacos? I don’t think that would be good. I prefer a milder, lighter-textured fish like snapper.
I’ve written before that I believe that snapper is a great fish any way you cook it. Tacos are a great way to stretch your snapper if you weren’t so lucky to limit out while fishing for your dinner, or if you’ve caught minimum keeper lanes. You can always just go to a local market and buy some fish. I just think you should go catch your own if you have the chance.
I would think that some of the best fishing has been done during the transition to our new normal. Most folks have found more time on their hands. I hope that you got to fish a bit more and get even better at harvesting your own dinner. If not, I’d consider trying to make some time. There’s so much food in our waters; you just have to go out and get it.
If you can’t, then there are resources. You can get stone crabs right now at several places. I suggest trying some from the most local crabber you can find. You can also occasionally find the shrimp boat at the Whidden’s Marina dock this time of year. If you haven’t had really fresh Gulf pink shrimp, you’re missing out.
I have noticed that sheepshead are starting to show up around the dock, and they are wonderful. If you catch one, check out their teeth. They kind of look like ours. Just don’t get your finger between them — I can assure you that they can cause some pain. I got the bright idea of sticking my finger in a sheepshead’s mouth when I was much younger, and let me tell you, that was a bad plan.
Sheepshead or shrimp would be great options to make your tacos with. I would still be leaning towards the snapper idea, but it’s good to have options. I think it’s just the right fish for a taco. How fancy you get with it is up to you. Heck, just try grilled snapper and a well-seasoned flour tortilla. It’s not that bad if the fish isn’t over cooked and the tortilla is cooked through.
Or, start getting creative and think of toppings like pico de gallo. If you’ve read me before, you know I love me some pico de gallo, and there are a million ways to make that too. I personally like a bit of mango added to the pico, but the possibilities are endless. I like using seasonal fruits to add variety to my pico, but I can usually find a good mango any time.
So you have your fish, you have an idea about a pico. Now how about some added texture and a little sauce? I like to mix things up a bit with the texture. Cabbage is OK, but not super creative. Shaved raw Brussels sprouts tossed in a chili sauce might be a cool twist on a substitute for the usually suspects like raw cabbage or dressed coleslaw.
Like I said, there’s really no wrong way to make a fish taco. It’s all about what you like or what you happen to feel like that particular day. Experiment and have fun with it — nothing like a little quality time in the kitchen!
Chef Tim Spain is a Florida native and has years of experience cooking professionally, both in restaurants and in private settings. He offers private catering and personal culinary classes. For more info, visit ChefTimSpain.com or call 406-580-1994.
January 21, 2021 at 06:00AM
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