Crunchy Fish Taco

If you have not yet tried a fish taco and you think it sounds a little strange, try these and I am certain that you will become a fan. This technique is also a great way to incorporate more fish into the weekly dinner rotation and, because they are fried chicken tenders, chances are your kids will like them too!

Fish tacos are frequently topped with crunchy cabbage and thinly sliced red onion. The combination of the texture of the cabbage and bite of the onion is a great combination with the fried fish. I thinly shredded 1/2 cabbage and added it to a bowl with 1/2 red onion, also sliced thin. The sweetness of Mango is delicious accompaniment as well and, since they were ripe and ready to eat at the grocery store yesterday, I decided to add 1 cubed mango to the bowl with the cabbage and red onion. Next, the juice of 1 lime, a tablespoon of honey drizzled over the top, a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Combine well and chill until it is time to assemble the tacos.

For the star of the fish tacos, the fish, I used 2 Tilapia filets. They work perfectly here because they are a mild, firm, white fish, but if you have another you prefer such as cod, grouper or even catfish, feel free to substitute. I set up a breading station with flour, 1 beaten egg and panko bread crumbs. Tilapia filets have a natural score down the midde which makes them easy to cut in half creating a more managable "fish finger" to fry. Dredge each fish finger in the flour, then dunk in the beaten egg, and finally coat each piece with the panko bread crumbs. Fry in about an inch or two of hot oil for about 5 minutes or so on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel and immediately season with sea salt.

When it is time to assemble the tacos, warm a flour tortilla over a gas burner set to low until warm, or in a dry warm frying pan. Place the crispy fried fish on the flour tortilla and top with the cabbage, red onion and mango slaw. If you like hot sauce, now is the perfect time to experiment. I like the smoky heat of chipotle hot sauce with the sweetness of the mango in the slaw, so that's what I used. You can certainly substitute any hot sauce you like or even use pickled jalapenos, jarred salsa or homemade pico de gallo as well. A dollop of sour cream finishes it off.

I would enjoy hearing other variations you have made of fish tacos or, if this is your first time trying them, let me know how it turned out . Send in a photo, I'd love to see!