Cod Tacos with Sweet Slaw Topping and Chipotle Sauce

This meal is very quick and easy to throw together; especially if you make the chipotle sauce and cole slaw topping ahead of time. Each component of the fish tacos is just as simple as the next, so don't be intimidated by the different parts of this recipe. It's easy smeashy, promise!

 

 

Chipotle Sauce

 The chipotle sauce adds a nice zip to the tacos, but I often used to frown when I saw that a recipe called for chipotle peppers because I would end up throwing away the majority of the can. Chipotle peppers are very flavor packed and most times you only need one or two to get the desired heat level and flavor you are looking for. Well, I decided that I wasn't going to let these extra peppers go to waste again, so check out the nifty storage trick that I posted at the end of the blog. Rachael Ray recently showed this storage tip on her show and it made me so happy that I will no longer have to fear spending $1.34 on a can of peppers and letting a few go to waste. How cheap am I, right?  

 When I said each part of the recipe was SO simple, I wasn't kidding. The chipotle sauce may just be the easiest component of all and the tacos are not the same without it! All you do for the chipotle sauce is combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and push a button! 

Mmmmmm....I let the food processor stay on for about a minute to make sure there aren't any large chunks of pepper in the sauce.

Spicy, creamy and full of flavor. I always end up taste testing this sauce a little more than I should. Ya know, just to make sure the flavor is right...or just because I like it so much!

Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (depending on how much heat your palate can handle)

1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can of peppers

Juice from 1 lime

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender.

2. Puree for about 1 minute.

3. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days.  

Sweet Slaw Topping

The slaw topping adds the perfect amount of crunch to these delightful tacos. And, it is just as simple as the chipotle sauce to whip together.

Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. When the water begins to boil add the corn to the pot and watch it roll around. Just kidding, don't watch it roll around...or do if you like. It might get kind of boring though; either way, let the corn cook in the boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Remove the kernels by using the base of the corn cob to help you have a steady grip while cutting. Grip the pointy side of the corn with a pair of tongs and cut down the cob towards the cutting board. If you are worried about kernels flying onto the floor then you can do this is a large bowl. My dog, Sam, enjoys when pieces of any type of food hit the floor, so I just let her savor the flying kernels :)

The last thing you do is combine the kernels, cole slaw, and dressing together. You may feel like there is not much dressing being added to the cole slaw and corn when you are mixing it together. Remember, if you are making the chipotle sauce as well then you will already have one creamy component going into the tacos. I more or less love the slaw topping solely for the crunch that it adds. That begin said, if you want more dressing, then add more dressing! I also add a liberal amount of black pepper. Pretty easy, huh?

Sweet Slaw Topping

Ingredients
2 cups cole slaw mix
1/3 cup cole slaw dressing
1-2 cobs of corn
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Make sure there is enough water in the pot to cover the corn.
2. When the water comes to a boil place the cobs in the pot and let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Cut the kernels off the cobs and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, combine the cole slaw mix and dressing in a bowl. Add the kernels and mix to incorporate.
5. Sprinkle the mixture with black pepper and toss.
6. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Now for the main attraction...

Pan Seared Cod Tacos

I won't get on my soap box about fish, but it is so very great for you and should be eaten at least once each week. Just putting that tidbit out there. Wait a second, that kind of was a soapbox. Anyhow, I mentioned once before that we have been looking for different and new ways to eat fish in our home. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good ol' piece of pan seared, grilled, or fried fish, but sometimes that gets a little monotonous.
 Fish tacos have become an easy go-to dish for many restaurants. I decided if a fast food restaurant can whip up a fish taco than so can I! These are even better than any fish taco we have ever eaten out. I take the back; Drakes in Lexington makes a pretty mean fish taco, but what the heck...mine are still pretty fabulous! My husband says they are the best he has ever had. He says that about everything I cook, but it still counts for something, right? What a sweet man! 

I start by cutting the fillets into 2 inch bite size pieces. 

I then toss the fish pieces in a flour, salt, and pepper mixture. This is a just a toss! The fish pieces do not need to be completely coated. It will actually become harder to cook the fish if you go crazy with the flour and heavily coat the pieces. 

Meanwhile, I heat about 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of 1 lime in a fry pan over medium heat. When the oil begins to ripple I add the fish to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until the fish can easily be flaked apart with a fork.

Fish is one food that I will not eat unless it is piping hot! While the fish is cooking I go ahead and lay out the soft taco shells in a row and smear one heaping tablespoon of the chipotle sauce in the center of each shell. Having the taco shells laid out in an "assembly line" fashion allows me to quickly get them to the table once the fish is finished cooking.  

When the fish is cooked through I remove the pan from the heat source and fill each shell with about 5-6 bite size pieces of fish. These look so delicious already and lucky me, I still have the sweet slaw topping to add to these beauties. Yummy!

I finish each taco off with a heaping spoonful of the slaw topping and then serve up with some black beans, salsa, and tortilla chips. You can feel free to add any additional toppings that you like, but we enjoy these just the way they are!

Lime Spiked Fish Tacos

Ingredients

2 cod fillets

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1 lime

4 tablespoons olive oil

8 taco size soft taco shells

1. Cut the cod fillets into two inch bite size pieces.

2. Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt and pepper in a medium size bowl.

3. Pat the fish with a paper towel to remove any excess water and then toss in the flour mixture.

4. Remove the fish from the flour mixture and set aside.

5. Heat the oil and juice from the lime in a fry pan over medium heat.

6. When the oil begins to ripple add the fish to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until the fish flakes when touched with a fork.

7. When the fish is cooked through, turn off the heat and evenly distribute the pieces between the taco shells.

8. Top the fish with the chipotle sauce and sweet slaw topping or any other toppings of your choice.

Extra Tidbit: How to Save Chipotle Peppers

Lay out a piece of Saran wrap and place the chipotle peppers on the wrap. Be sure to leave at least one inch between each pepper.

Fold each side of the Saran wrap over the peppers.

Twist the Saran wrap between each pepper to create a "bubble" for each pepper. Place the chain of peppers in the freezer. When the peppers have frozen you will easily be able to cut off one or two peppers from the chain as you need them in a recipe. The peppers will stay good for about 6 months in the freezer or a year in a deep freeze! No more wasted peppers here. Woot woot!