Fish Taco Bowl
January 4, 2020 by Nicole Collins
It's a new year!
And if I'm being really honest, I feel like I'm completely missing it.
The past few days have been kinda “meh” for me. I think I still haven't fully recovered from losing little Charlie on New Year's Eve last year. And, my baby Bella has not been feeling well or acting herself since Monday. I was having some major anxiety and having deja vu thinking about the possibility that she might pass on New Year's too. It just hasn't felt like much of a time to celebrate, for me.
And, little Bella and I have a vet visit this morning; so keep her in your thoughts and prayers!
Anyways, that's why I've been a little MIA this week, and that's why I totally flaked on giving you that last promised recipe of 2019. Please forgive me! We'll still have it, just not today.
While I've been hibernating, I've been keeping myself busy by binge watching Queer Eye on Netlfix. So, I'm basically ready to redecorate my entire house. And I had to buy Antoni's cookbook, of course. So, I've got a new source of recipe inspiration too!
In the Queer Eye spirit of “new year, new me”, we're going to follow suit and eat a little healthier for a few days. Then once that gets old, we'll go back to the good stuff.
Kidding...maybe!
First up on our healthy journey...Fish Taco Bowls!
My favorite thing about eating healthy is the challenge of thinking beyond the salad. Bright, colorful, fresh ingredients make me think of summer and warmth. So, I'm actually so ready to move on from the heavy, sugary comfort food that I've been eating for the past month.
I ADORE fish tacos, but I was trying to save a couple carbs by ditching the taco shell. So, that's how we ended up with this delicious, salad like situation. It comes together really easily, so there's no reason not to go for it today!
We start by roasting some fish in the oven. I like to use tilapia or any other white fish, because it's a nice blank slate that can take on whatever flavor we choose. We're going to make a taco like spice mix to rub on our fish before we send it to the oven, and then we can leave it alone to do it's thing while we work on other parts of the salad. And, a frozen fish works just fine here, so it's not necessary to hunt down a fish monger!
While the fish roasts, we can start prepping our crunchy tortilla topping. Now, I know I said I was trying to save a couple carbs by ditching the shell, but we seriously can't have a Fish Taco Bowl without some kind of tortilla. So, a few crispy strips that we bake in the oven will not break our carb bank. And pro tip, use a pizza cutter to cut the tortilla into strips. It's so much easier and faster than cutting with a knife!
Next, we need to make our sauce. Our bowl gets topped with a creamy sauce with a tiny kick to really complete the fish taco experience. Sour cream, mayo, lime, garlic, and adobo sauce get a quick mix together. And bam...sauce done!
The last step is to assemble our bowl. Shredded cabbage, baby tomatoes, sliced avocado, spicy red onion, and crumbled cotija cheese round out the list of players in our bowl. These fresh veggies get mixed together, topped with our flaked fish and tortilla strips, then finished with a squirt of our yummy cream sauce. Are you drooling yet, or what?
This salad is so light and refreshing while being completely filling and hearty at the same time. It's also a dish that we can make year round, and we can adjust the veggies as things become seasonal. Mmmm...I'm dreaming of some fresh corn in here come summertime. YUM!
Ok guys, thanks for letting me be a downer for a sec. I'm trying really hard to be human again, and gorgeous meals like this Fish Taco Bowl certainly help put me on the right path.
So, enjoy! And, let's eat!
Fish Taco Bowl
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the Fish:
24 oz tilapia filets (thawed if frozen)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cumin
olive oil cooking spray
For the Sauce:
¼ cup sour cream
3 tbsp mayonnaise
juice of half a lime
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo)
salt, to taste
For Serving:
1 8-inch flour tortilla
4 cups cabbage, shredded (or 4 cups coleslaw mix without the dressing)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 oz queso fresco, crumbled
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
olive oil cooking spray
salt, to taste
lime juice, if desired
Directions:
Roast the Fish: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet tray with foil, and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Place tilapia filets on the pan, and spritz the top side of the fish with olive oil cooking spray. Combine the spices in a small bowl. Season both sides of the fish with spice mix, rubbing spices in to the flesh with your fingers. Roast for 6-8 minutes until cooked through and the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Make the Tortilla Strips: Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Line the sheet tray with a new piece of foil. Cut the tortilla in half, then cut into ½ inch strips. Spray with cooking spray, flip, and spray the other side with cooking spray. Bake for 7 minutes, flipping half way through, until golden. Sprinkle with salt, to taste, as soon as the tortilla strips come out of the oven. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make the Sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl, and stir well to mix. Set aside.
Assemble the salad: Divide cabbage, tomatoes, red onion, avocado, queso fresco, fish, and tortilla strips evenly between 4 bowls. Top with sauce. Finish with an extra pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime juice, if desired. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*You can store the sauce in a squeeze bottle for easier distribution over the salad.
*I cheated and bought coleslaw mix so that I didn't need to shred the cabbage myself. No one will know!
*To take the bite out of the raw red onion in the salad, soak the red onion in cold water after you slice it for about 25 minutes. Drain and dry onion slices completely on a paper towel. Soaking them takes away some of the sharp sting.
*Use a pizza cutter to cut the tortilla into strips. It's way easier than trying to slice it with a knife.
*If you're not making all 4 salads at once, store the ingredients separately, and assemble when you're ready to serve.
