fish tacos

I returned from a week in the Outer Banks with a great tan, good memories and about two pounds of fresh mahi mahi. It seems a lonely fisherman got his 4 wheel drive stuck in the sand, and when my sister and her boyfriend helped pull him out, they were rewarded with an abundance of fish. I was lucky enough inherit some of it. Isn’t that what family is for?
This was a beautiful filet- thick and red, bones mostly removed. It was screaming to be grilled, maybe with a ginger glaze, maybe served with chutney. And there’s always sesame seeds… But I couldn’t get my mind off fish tacos.
My obsession with fish tacos started on my honeymoon in Maui, at a place called Hula Grill. Three nights in a row, my husband and I bellied up to a table, half drunk on newlywed bliss and coconut rum, and enjoyed these fresh bites of warm tortilla wrapped around fresh fish, cabbage and some sort of tropical sauce. Add an acoustic guitar player by candlelight and we had heaven.
As you can imagine, this is the sort of scenario one wants to recreate whenever possible. So to me, that filet was screaming to be wrapped up in a warm tortilla, smothered with a creamy lime sauce, topped with sweet corn and ripe tomatoes. Shared with my husband as we reminisce about beautiful Maui beaches.
So that’s what I did. And here’s how you do it:

-cook the fish in olive oil in a pan on your stove. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and lime juice.
-while the fish is cooking, mix together half a cup of sour cream with a two tablespoons of lime juice. Add ginger, cumin and cayenne pepper to taste.
-when the fish is done, serve it in warm flour tortillas. Top with the sour cream mixture and shredded cabbage.
-If you’re feeling ambitious, mix up some homemade salsa. I created mine with corn, tomatoes, onion, black beans and avocado. I also added salt and pepper, a little garlic powder and some balsamic vinegar. This is a great way to top your tacos, or eat as a side.

You’re practically in Maui.