QUICK LUNCH RECIPE + BRAND REVIEW: 10 MINUTE FISH TACOS

THE RECIPE: 10 MINUTE FISH TACOS

Fish tacos are probably up there in my top 10 favorite meals, but I avoided cooking them at home for a long time because I assumed it would be too much of a pain to make ones half as good as at my favorite Mexican restaurants. I whipped up this simple 10 minute lunch to prove myself (and doubting husband) wrong. Fresh fish, pillowy tortillas, crunchy slaw, creamy avocado and the simple yet bold flavors of lime and Mexican seasonings deliver restaurant quality in minimal time. We're talking good enough to make your partner steal your tacos when you turn the other way.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• 1 Cup bagged “coleslaw mix” (you’re just using the pre-chopped cabbage & carrots)
• A few paper thin slices of red onion
• 1 Lime, halved
• 6 oz tilapia filet
• Your favorite taco seasoning blend (look for brands like Simply Organic or Frontier Co-Op that have additive free blends)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon coconut or other heat stable oil
• 2 Siete Cassava Coconut tortillas (I buy at Whole Foods)
• 1/2 An avocado

OPTIONAL ADDS

• 1/2 C smushed butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots or other sweet roasted vegetable
• A few leaves of cilantro for garnish
• MFW Chipotle Sauce or your favorite salsa
• Small handful of pumpkin seeds for crunch

DIRECTIONS:

1. Start with all your ingredients out on the counter.
2. First make your lime slaw. Combine juice of 1/2 the lime with the cabbage and red onion. Stir to coat and set aside.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. While your skillet is warming, sprinkle a pinch each of salt and pepper on both sides of your fish filet then coat both sides in your seasoning blend. Set aside.
4. Add about a teaspoon of oil to your warmed skillet and as soon as it has melted but before it smokes, add your seasoned fish and set the timer for 2 minutes.
5. While the fish cooks, warm the tortillas over another burner for a few seconds on each side (using tongs), OR in the microwave for 11 seconds per tortilla. (I know, very specific but it seems to achieve the perfect squishiness!) Plate the tortillas and spread 1/4 avocado (and squash if adding) on top of each one.
6. When your 2 minute timer goes off, flip the fish. Use caution, tilapia is pretty flaky so best to use a fish (or any long) spatula that can scoop up the whole length of the filet. Note: Don’t get distracted (like I do sometimes when cooking), keep an eye on the fish for the last minute or so because white fish like this overcooks easily. You want it to be browned on the top/bottom, opaque through the sides and slightly firm to the touch (like the squishy part of your palm).
7. Mix your slaw again to ensure flavors are melding.  
8. Pull out a small plate and add paper towel to it. Once the fish is cooked, transfer it to your paper towel lined plate and break it up into taco sized hunks. Squeeze some lime juice over your fish then place it atop the avocado and squash-lined tortillas.
9. Top everything with your desired amount of slaw and a little cilantro and pumpkin seeds if desired.

Note: These are EXCELLENT simply prepared as above, but if you’re dying for a spicy kick, MFW Chipotle Sauce is amaze drizzled on top. You can always do your favorite salsa too! 

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THE PRODUCT REVIEW: SIETE CASSAVA COCONUT TORTILLAS 

DISCLAIMER: Before I dig in, I want to reiterate that I am NOT fancy or cool enough to be paid to say anything about any brand. If I ever do achieve such a bougie status as a blogger, I promise my readers I will NEVER speak an inauthentic word about any product I discuss. 99% of the time, the brands I mention are things I have tried or experimented with along my own health journey. Yes, some are hip brands adored on social media (like Siete), but rest assured that while Instagram might inspire me to try new things, it has never and will never inspire me to wax poetic about products I don’t regularly use, eat myself, or feed or recommend to my dear friends and family. 

Now on to my feelings about Siete. This brand is ALL over social media, which makes me a combination of curious and skeptical. Could grain-free tortillas and chips really be that good? Or is it just marketing (as is the case with SO MANY “alternative” health products)? In my experience, most replacements for the real thing simply aren’t worth it. Eliminating gluten and/or grains from your diet has both benefits and pitfalls that I could go on and on about…but the most relevant to today’s post is the typical choice between awful, brittle, dry, cardboard-like textures of many gluten/grain-free products or highly processed ones. Rarely do you get simple, short ingredient lists AND the texture and taste you’re going for. This, in a nutshell is why I love Siete. Simple, yummy, nothing I can’t pronounce.

I hear angelic voices each and every time I stuff anything and everything inside one of their coconut cassava tortillas. No joke. They are white, they are squishy, they are moist. In other words, they bring back the glory of all the white things I ate during childhood and college. I almost (almost) forgot how good white squishy things like this can be.

MFW LOVES: When warmed, the texture and “mouth feel” is phenomenal in my opinion. Traditional corn tortilla lovers might find the lack of grittyness disappointing, but flour tortilla fans will be a.o.k with these. They hold up well to stuffing aggressive amounts of taco fillings into them, which is important. They also fare well in the freezer for up to a couple of months, which is nice for people like me that tend to forget about things in the back of the fridge so prefer to store stuff like this in the ice box.

MFW DOESN'T LOVE: Only 1 size. I would love a burrito size option so I could put ALL my lunch bowls inside them. Also, why no hard shell tacos? I can’t go hog wild and make double decker creations without hard shells. Bummer.  Also, I don’t love the almond flour tortillas. They tend to be dry and don't hold up as well to moist fillings or salsa, so if you give these a whirl I only recommend the cassava coconut variety. 

Let me know your thoughts on these and the recipe above. Would love to hear from you all!