Fish Tacos with Homemade Salsa

Credit: Catherine Roscoe Barr

Give your halibut the flavour of Mexico in these healthy fish tacos

Fish tacos – stuffed with fresh fish, homemade salsa, crunchy cabbage and heart-healthy avocado – are an incredibly easy, tasty and nutritious meal to make for dinner tonight

I don’t eat a lot of seafood. Perhaps it’s because I grew up on the prairies with limited access to it and very few seafood recipes in our repetoire (ok, just one: fish and chips, and partial credit goes to Captain High Liner).

Now that I’m a west coast gal, when I’m dining out I often order seafood so I can experience what it’s supposed to taste like and get recipe ideas. And I have begun eating sushi from time to time, just like a real Vancouverite!

I had an amazing halibut taco at Cactus Club and a spectacular mahi mahi taco at Chronic Tacos, so when I saw that halibut was on sale the other day, I decided to go for it and make my own fish tacos.

I was also excited to try out the incredible salsa recipe that my new friend Primo (of Primo’s Mexican Grill, so clearly he’s got some serious salsa cred) gave to me after we met at a BBQ where everyone was crowded around the bowl of homemade salsa he had brought.

The tacos were absolutely brilliant. They were beyond tasty and I feel skinnier just talking about them – they are just so darn healthy and fresh.

I hope you’ll give them a whirl and let me know how they turn out!

Primo’s Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 white onion, finely chopped 
• 1 or 2 Jalapenos or Serrano peppers, de-seeded and chopped (I used 1/4 tsp of cayenne instead)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced Pinch of salt
• Pinch of Mexican or regular oregano

Instructions

1. In small bowl, combine all ingredients and let stand for at least 1 hour, to allow flavours to marry. 

Fish Tacos

Ingredients

• 500g fresh halibut (or other white fish like mahi mahi or cod), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tsp taco seasoning
• 2 tsp Mexican chili powder
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 cups grated cabbage (I bought a bag of coleslaw to save time)
• 1/2 avocado, chopped
• 4 small tortillas
• 1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
• salsa, see recipe above

Instructions

1. Combine fish, taco seasoning and chili powder in large bowl, so that each piece of fish is coated.
2. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat.
3. Cook fish just until it starts to flake, do not over cook.
4. While fish is cooking, assemble rest of taco by topping tortilla with cabbage, avocado and salsa.
5. Add fish, squeeze lime over top and eat immediately.