A sunny day in Seattle is a life changing experience. I am not kidding you, when the sun comes out in Seattle there is a completely different “aura” in the air. All the pasty white people (including myself) drop whatever they were doing and seek a seat in the sun. Any restaurant or dive bar with an outdoor patio is crowded to the rim and the Home Depot parking lot is humming with hobby gardeners looking to score this years planting bounty.

Seattle is a more friendly place when the sun is out but then again which place isn’t. I am so happy to see all the plants coming up in the yard, the Magnolia blooming and the Vietnamese ladies are back with their gorgeous flower arrangements. They grow their flowers right here in the area I live in and then sell them at Pike Place Market in downtown. I am lucky enough though that one of the Vietnamese ladies has a flower stand right on Mike’s fishing route and so I get weekly fresh flowers until fishing and/or flower season ends.

The weather also determines our food choices it seems. I do not like to cook a lot in the house when its nice outside and Mike has BBQ duty. Because my hubby will be gone fishing in Mexico next week and most likely will bring back fresh fish, it also behooves us to make room in the freezer. So we decided to make some BBQ Baja Style Fish Tacos with the Dorado Mike caught on his last fishing trip to Los Barilles.

Fish Taco’s are such a great summer dish, they are easy and fast to make, super fresh, look beautiful and they make a great dish for a crowd. You could easily have a “Taco Bar” with some fried up fish and/or Carne Asada and offer a variety of toppings such as tomato’s, cole slaw, Avocados, Guacamole, roasted bell peppers, grilled onions, different Salsas, Tartar Sauce etc. and everybody can serve themselve. That makes it interactive, offers plenty of options and lets the host eat with their guests.

Baja Fish Tacos:

Ingredients for 6 Tacos

• 12 Corn Tortillas
• 2 pieces (each 10-12 ounces) of white flaky fish (e.g. cod, halibut or Tilapia)
• oil
• Cajun Blackening Seasoning (you can buy it ready made in the store or mix together: 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper)
• Avocado
• Tomato
• Mexican Hot Sauce or Salsa
• Mexican Crema
• Lime wedges
• Optional: Cilantro, fresh jalapenos cut into very thin slices

Directions:

1. Rinse off the fish and pat it dry.
2. Season it with salt, pepper and the blackening seasoning
3. Chop the Avocado and Tomatoes into small cubes
4. Fry the fish on medium to high heat 4-5 minutes on each side in a frying pan or grill it on medium heat on a gas or BBQ grill in a fish basket. Check with a fork if the fish is flaky, if it feels too firm fry it a couple more minutes.
5. Grill the Tortillas until they have light grill marks (or heat them up in a pan or microwave).
6. Take 2 corn tortillas and double them up as one tortilla, spread 3-4 small pieces of fish on to the tortilla together with some tomatoes and avocado and top with salsa and/or hot sauce and Mexican Crema. If you like it a little bit spicy, top with a few jalapeno slices.
7. Serve with Spanish Rice and some lime wedges.

Note: If you prefer white sauce instead of salsa or hot sauce and would like to make your own “white sauce” (instead of using store bought Tartar sauce) try this recipe: mix together 1/2 cup plain yoghurt, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, juice of 1 lime, 1 minced jalapeno pepper, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper)

Guten Appetit!