Fish Tacos with Roasted Poblano Guacamole

When I lived in LA, my roommates and I lived around the corner from a little Mexican restaurant that offered 2-for-1 tacos on Taco Tuesday. We were fresh out of college and loved a good deal, so every Tuesday, we walked down the street for fish tacos (or maybe carnitas) and a glass of sangria. It was a tradition for us, like a roommate family dinner along with whatever friends wanted to join in. It may have been six years ago, but any time I make fish tacos, I miss my LA friends and that little restaurant. If you're in the South Bay area of LA, pay the nice folks at El Gringo a visit for me, but if not, why not have your own Taco Tuesday at home?

These fish tacos are a fantastic quick dinner! The guacamole is creamy and flavorful from the lime, cilantro, and roasted peppers, the hot sauce (which can do double duty as salsa if you have tortilla chips on hand) is sweet and spicy, the radishes add a great contrasting crunch with the tender fish, and the cheese contributes a little tanginess to the mix. Enjoy!

 

Serves 2
 

Ingredients

4 soft taco-sized (8") flour tortillas

2 tilapia fillets

2 small (or 1 large) poblano peppers

2 ripe avocados

1 lime, juiced

~1/3 cup cilantro, minced

3 radishes, ends trimmed and thinly sliced

Habanero Hot Sauce (optional but so good - I use 2 habaneros and add cilantro)

Feta or Cotija cheese

salt

olive oil

 

Directions

To roast the peppers, preheat the broiler to "high." Rub the poblano peppers with olive oil, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet under the broiler for 7 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and charred. Flip the peppers, and return to the broiler for another 5-6 minutes to char the other side.

 

Remove the peppers to a plastic baggie (or a bowl sealed with plastic wrap). The captured steam helps loosen the skin for removal. Once the peppers are cool, remove them, peel off the skin, chop off the stem, and discard the seeds. Finely chop the peppers.

 

In a bowl, mash together the avocados, cilantro, poblano peppers, lime juice, and salt to taste (try to avoid undersalting, the cardinal sin of guacamole).

 

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. While the pan heats, season both sides of your tilapia fillets with salt. Swirl olive oil into the pan (enough to cover the bottom), and once the oil is hot, place the fish into the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip, and let cook for another 3-4 minutes until the fish is done (it should be opaque and flaky). 

 

Remove the fish from the pan, and serve on warm flour tortillas.  I break up one fillet to make two tacos.

 

Top the fish with a generous dollop of the roasted poblano guacamole, a drizzle of the habanero hot sauce, and a scattering of feta and sliced radishes.