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Paleo Fish Tacos – Happy Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo was not something I had ever celebrated growing up…in fact, Mexican food was not something I had even come into contact with until I moved to California after college in England! Burritos and tacos were suddenly exciting oddities, and don’t get me started on mole sauce!
I grew to love Mexican food, especially fish tacos (I used to get them from Rubio’s all the time when I lived at the Paseo Colorado in Pasadena, CA). Sadly, I haven’t had fish tacos for a very long time! So, it only seemed fitting that I would make my own Paleo version of fish tacos this Cinco de Mayo.
I started by making the white sauce since it could be made in advance. Just mix together mayo (buy it here or make your own), lime juice, oregano, cumin powder, and cayenne powder. If it’s too sour due to the lime juice, add in a small amount of raw honey.
Then I fried the fish. I cut up strips (approx. 1/2 inch by 3-4 inch) of tilapia, although you can use cod, halibut or mahi mahi instead. I dipped the strips of fish into a coconut flour mixture (it also had garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin powder in it). I filled up a saucepan with coconut oil (approx. 1/2 inch deep) and placed it on high heat. Then I carefully dropped the coated fish strips into the oil and fried it (you have to turn the pieces over after a few minutes since the oil doesn’t cover them all the way).
After the fish strips turn golden (don’t worry when some of the coconut flour mixture falls off – it’s just going to be a light coating), you can take them out and place them in a bowl lined with a paper towel (to soak up some of the oil). Fry the fish in multiple batches if they don’t all fit into one saucepan.
Eat with lettuce leaves, top with salsa and the white sauce, garnish with some chopped cilantro, and serve with a few slices of lime.
Enjoy Cinco de Mayo!
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Ingredients
For the Fish:
- 1 lb tilapia (or halibut/cod), cut into 1/2 inch by 3-4 inch strips
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- dash of pepper
- Coconut oil for frying
For the White Sauce:
To Eat:
- 4–6 lettuce leaves
- 1 cup salsa (recipe here)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 4–6 slices of lime
Instructions
For the White Sauce:
- Mix all the ingredients together with a fork. Add in the honey if you find the sauce too sour.
For the Fish:
- Mix together all the dry ingredients (coconut flour, garlic powder, cumin powder, salt, pepper) in a bowl.
- Drop the fish strips into the bowl and coat with the coconut flour mixture.
- Heat up enough coconut oil in a saucepan so that the coconut oil is approx. 1/2 inch deep. Use a high heat.
- Carefully add the coated fish strips to the hot coconut oil.
- Fry until the coconut flour coating turns a golden brown color (takes approx. 5 minutes). You should turn the fish strips over after a few minutes since the oil doesn’t cover the entire piece of fish.
- Place the fried fish strips in a bowl lined with a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
To Eat:
- Wash the lettuce leaves and pat try with a paper towel.
- Place 5-6 fish strips onto of a lettuce leaf. Top with salsa and white sauce. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro on top for garnish and serve with a few slices of lime.