Recipe #165: Grilled Fish Chipotle Lime Tacos

I had two swai (pangasius/basa/Vietnamese catfish) filets in the freezer for too long, and I decided that with my newfound interest in grilling, it was time to defrost and grill them.  I really like fish tacos, so naturally they were destined for such a meal.  I searched on allrecipes.com as usual and found this great recipe.  It was on the spicy side (although Nick and I aren't very tolerant to spicy, so these might be nothing to someone who loves spicy food)... but the flavor was fantastic and very fresh.  The only modifications I made were to use red cabbage, and to omit the cilantro.  Also, I only had a half hour to marinate instead of overnight.

Side note- this fish, which is known by the names basa, swai, and pangasius, is really good.  I've posted about it before.  (see here.)  REALLY cheap (two big filets cost me less than four bucks) but still good and very versatile (and MUCH better than cod, IMO)- light white flakey and not too fishy.  I've seen it in any grocery store I've gone to.

Not too photogenic, but really delicious.

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.