Fish Taco Tuesday

This fish taco on Tuesday started out like this on Monday.

A barely legal Nothern Pike (aka shovelnose) caught on a Mepps #3 as we were trolling back to the dock Monday evening.

Filleting a Northern is a bit tricky because of the "Y-bone" structure. I was not happy with previous efforts so tried this technique to produce five fillets:

It worked out pretty well.

Everything I know I learned on the intertubes.

I then combined the fish preparation technique from this recipe...

FISHERMAN'S LOBSTER     

1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/3 lb. butter
1 stalk celery, chopped
Paprika
Salt to taste
2 lbs. Northern Pike or trout fillets

Place 1 1/2 quarts of water, the onions, salt, lemon juice, celery and wine in a 2 quart pan and bring to a boil.

Then add the fish and reboil for 5 minutes. Drain and place the fish on a cookie sheet, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika. Boil fillets for 2 minutes and serve with melted butter.

... with a modified version of the sauce from this recipe:

Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle-Lime Dressing
   
Ingredients:
Marinade
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as
Old Bay™
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into chunks

Dressing
1 (8 ounce) container light sour cream
1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle
peppers
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such
as Old Bay™
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings
1 (10 ounce) package tortillas
3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 small head cabbage, cored and
shredded
2 limes, cut in wedges

Directions:
1.     To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.

2.     To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

3.     Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate. Set grate 4 inches from the heat.

4.     Remove fish from marinade, drain off any excess and discard marinade. Grill fish pieces until easily flaked with a fork, turning once, about 9 minutes.

5.     Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and cabbage; drizzle with dressing. To serve, roll up tortillas around fillings, and garnish with lime wedges.

Dad rated the result a C+.

He thinks I overreached.  He was right. It was ok, but it was no Nick's Crispy Taco.