The Hunger Struck - Confessions of a Food Fanatic.

It is officially feeling like fall in Vancouver and I’m wondering how it’s possible that the summer flew by so quickly. It’s the end of September, how is that possible? Is this what happens after you turn 30? If it is, I don’t think I’m comfortable with it.

It really seems like just yesterday when I was laying on top of my bed, limbs spread out as far as possible from one another, with a sunburn so bad that you could get third degree burns from just touching my skin. I’m pretty sure I shaved a good 5 years off my life with that one yet I keep telling myself that the tan I had in weeks that followed was worth the price. It really was spectacular. Not to mention that it lasted for at least a month! I don’t tan very easily thanks to my extremely fair skin and usually apply the highest amount of SPF I can find, so a tan is a rare thing…. which is what I used to also say about burns. Ha!

In the spirit of mourning the end of summer and all of this years defining moments, sunburn and sweet tan included, I decided to make one of my favorite summer dishes – fish tacos. This time around it was a spontaneous decision made with the ingredients I could find in my fridge and the results were definitely pleasing.

I purchased some celery root this weekend with the intention of making a gratin but decided to re-purpose it to reflect my still-stuck- in-summer mood rather than making something that would truly mark the arrival of fall. I figured I had at least one more recipe before I would move on to all of my fall favorites.

What really defines a great fish taco for me is something bright and sunny and slightly sweet that wakes up the flavor of the fish and grabs the tartness of the lime juice before you crunch down through the crispy coating of the fish. Often I find myself relying on pineapple, or another ripe fruit, but this time I decided to try out a more subtle approach, one that would would give the fabulous fresh halibut caught by my father the center stage.

I’m happy to report that these tacos were a definite success. When the fish is this fresh you really don’t want to add too many strong flavors as its easy to over power the delicate flavor. You could use any fish that is availble in your area, I generally prefer white fish for tacos but almost any variety would do the trick.

These tacos were the perfect end to a beautiful summer. Bring it on fall, I’m ready for you.

Fish Taco with Jalapeno Crema and Celery Root Slaw – Makes 8 tacos

Tacos

12 ounces or a large fillet of white fish, I used Halibut – cut into strips

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

salt and pepper to taste

8 corn tortillas

Lime wedges for garnish

1/4 cup tablespoons of vegetable oil, for frying

Finely diced red Onion

Celery Root Slaw

1/2 large celery root, peeled and julienned

10 radishes,  julienned

5 scallions

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

1 lime

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Jalapeno Crema

1 cup of sour cream, or Mexican crema if you can find it

4 Jalapenos, roasted

Juice of 1/2 Lime

salt and pepper

First get the jalapenos in the oven to roast, set your oven to broil and place the jalapenos on the top rack, turning them so that all sides are blackened. You could also do this on the stove, but if your ventilation is anything like mine you’ll find that the oven method will create much less smoke. Once they are blackened on all sides place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 – 15 minutes to steam their skins off.

Once you remove the jalapenos from the oven turn it down to 200 F.

While the peppers are in the oven get your fish ready. Cut the fillet into long strips about one inch thick and set up your breading station. Place the flour, eggs and panko in three separate bowls and dip each of the strips into the flour then the egg and finally into the panko crumbs, pressing down on the fish a bit to make sure they are well coated in the bread crumbs. Place the strips on a plate and into the fridge unwrapped for 10 minutes. I find that when breading fish or meats the crust stays on much better when left to dry out for a bit.

For the slaw clean the celery root by cutting the base off as well as all the sides. It’s not the prettiest of ingredients but I love the fresh taste and the subtle crunch it adds to this dish. Once skinned, cut the root in half and reserve one piece for another occasion. With the other half cut into thin long strips or julienne and place in a bowl. Clean and cut the radishes and scallions into thin strips as well and add them to the the bowl with the celery root. Add the cilantro finely chopped and squeeze over the lime and olive oil and season to taste.

Once the Jalapenos have steamed, the skins should come off quite easily. Remove the seeds and dice them up finely. Place the sour cream into a small bowl and add the roasted jalapenos. Squeeze over the lime and season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Before frying the fish I like to lightly grill the tortillas. I just set them directly on top of the flame on my gas grill for a few second on either side, you could also do this in a pan but I really like mine charred just a tiny bit around the edges. Once you have grilled all the tortillas to your liking, wrap in some tin foil and keep warm in the oven until you’re ready to serve the tacos.

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large fry pan. Make sure the oil is hot before you start frying the fish, I usually test it out with a small piece before I start, if it bubbles up and floats it’s ready. Fry the strips of fish for just a couple minutes on each side, until golden brown and then drain on paper towel. Don’t over crowd the pan either, do it in batches or the oil temperature will go down and your fish will end up soaking in the oil.

Once all of the fish is fried you are ready to assemble the tacos. Place a tablespoon of the sour cream mixture on each tortilla with a strip of the fish on top. Top off with a good amount of the celery root slaw and dice red onion. Garnish with cilantro and a slice of lime.