Beer Battered Fish Tacos

I think everyone can pretty much agree that fish tacos are fabulous. Surprisingly, there are a lot of restaurants out there that do. fish. tacos. wrong. I think we can all attest to that! We had some friends in town this weekend so we decided to try out some new spots in Virginia Beach, one of them being Gringo's (known for being the 'best fish taco place at the beach'). It certainly hit the spot and inspired me to try out beer battering some fish for myself. My favorite part about this recipe is that they don't taste fried. They are so light and airy, which compliments the light flaky white cod really well.

I must say, this was a winner. And it was too easy! I don't know why I haven't tried it before - I guess it is just one of those cooking 'things' you hear about, eat and talk about but never really try for yourself.

Side note: If you are from the area or are visiting in the near future I recommend trying A) Gringo's for the fish tacos B) Back Bay Brewing Company for their decor and C) Young Veterans Brewing Company for their beer. All will be frequent stops when we visit the other side of the bridge.

Now let's get to cooking...

Beer Battered Fish Tacos

1 cup of Flour

1 cup of Dark Beer (I used Fat Tire)

1 teaspoon of Salt

1 pound of Cod 

1-2 cups of vegetable oil (depending on how large your pan is - needs to be about a half inch high)

Pour your vegetable oil in a pan and heat to medium. Mix the flour, beer and salt in a bowl until it becomes a thick milky consistency to make the batter for the cod. Next, cut your cod into long thick strips.

To begin the cooking process, dip each piece of cod into the batter and place into the heated vegetable oil one-by-one until they are a light brown color and flip. Once they are done, remove and lay on a paper towel to dry.

Now it's time to assemble your tacos! For mine, I chose to place my cod pieces on a flour tortilla, top with salsa, cilantro, and sriracha slaw. DELISH.

Enchilada Pasta

I make enchiladas just about every couple of weeks but this just changed up the game a bit. Well really, it means that I will probably be making them once a week (changing it up between the typical tortilla version and this new pasta version). It is to die for! I recommend adding in whatever extras you like. This recipe calls for corn, black beans, and avocado... But if you like jalapenos, pinto beans, etc... mix it up! This is the mexican version of comfort food.

Enchilada Pasta

16 ounces extra wide egg noodles (1 bag)

1 1/4 cups enchilada sauce

1 cup canned corn kernels, drained

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups of Kraft Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese

1/4 cup Greek yogurt (or Greek Yogurt Sour Cream)

1 can Diced Green Chiles

1 pound Ground Beef

4 ounces cream cheese

½ a packet of Taco Seasoning *Tip: Save the other half for your next Mexican dish! Or use it all for extra flavor

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Avocados

1 bunch fresh Cilantro



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil your baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

In a large bowl, combine enchilada sauce, corn, beans, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, Greek yogurt and green chiles; set aside.

Side Note: Funny story. So the first time I made this I somehow missed out on cue to add enchilada sauce (even though I had purchased it). Exit stage left Mary, I know. However, I wanted to mention it here because if you have someone in your family, someone you are cooking for, or whatever the case may be, that doesn't like enchilada sauce… this recipe turned out amazingly without it. Just trust me. All of the other flavors from the diced green chiles, cilantro, avocado, etc are enough to get you in the fiesta mood.

Now that I have sufficiently embarrassed myself. Let’s move on J Add ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese and taco seasoning until cream cheese has melted. Stir in pasta and enchilada mixture until well combined; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add pasta to prepared baking dish and top with avocado and remaining cheeses. Place into oven and bake until cheeses have melted, about 5-10 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro. The more the merrier.

Korean BBQ Steak Tacos with Honey Sriracha Slaw

Who said Crock-Pot recipes needed to be hard? Campbell’s certainly didn’t. They recently came out with a line of ‘Slow Cooker’ sauces that have made making Crock-Pot dishes almost impossible to turn down. With my pure love of Asian food, I was ECSTASTIC when I saw they had a Korean BBQ version of the sauce.  Instant light bulb went off: TACOS!

It’s fairly easy to come up with things to put on a flour tortilla, but it is not often that you find something new and different. I thought you all would really appreciate this Mexican dish with some Asian flare for not only its flavor but its simplicity, too! Have at it :)

Korean BBQ Steak Tacos with Honey Sriracha Slaw

2-3 pounds of Chuck Roast Steak (make sure there is some marbleization so that it doesn’t get tough)

1 package of Campbell’s Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Sauce

1 carton of sliced Mushrooms

1 package of shredded Cabbage (you only need to use about 3 cups worth)

¼ cup of Mayo

1 tablespoon of Sriracha

1 tablespoon of Honey

1 package of small Flour Tortillas

Optional:

1 bunch of Green Onions

1 bunch of Cilantro

Set your Crock Pot to low and add your whole chuck roast as well as your mushrooms.

Pour the entire contents of the Campbell’s Slow Cooker sauce into the Crock Pot. Let it sit on low for the remainder of the day (6-8 hours).

Once it is done cooking, use a fork or tongs to shred the meat a bit. Add your desired amount of shredded steak and mushrooms to your flour tortillas.

In a bowl, combine your shredded cabbage, mayo, sriracha and honey. Stir the ingredients and top your tacos off with the mixture. Lastly, add chopped green onions and cilantro to your tacos, if you wish (I would recommend doing so!)

And that’s all folks. You heard it here first.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Pico De Gallo

My two ultimate favorite versions of Shrimp tacos have to be either Pelon's (Norfolk, VA) or Plaza Azteca (Hampton Roads, VA). You'd think this would be a dish that no one could royally screw up, but from experience, I can tell you people SURE have! I think with some fresh ingredients and passion for good tacos, you can create the perfect ensemble! Don't let the amount of ingredients deter you from making these. You can always incorporate store bought Pico De Gallo with these delicious spicy shrimp!

Pico De Gallo

1 small yellow onion

1 jalapeno pepper, quartered and seeded

2 garlic cloves, peeled (or garlic salt)

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped (the more the merrier)

 

Shrimp

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

A pinch of cayenne pepper

1-1/2 pounds large or extra large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

*I recommend making them as spicy as you like, these are not strict measurements

 

For Assembling

8 - 10 six-inch corn or flour tortillas

Approximately 2 cups chopped red cabbage, for garnish (I buy it pre-chopped in a bag)

2 limes, cut into wedges, for garnish

Approximately 1 cup sour cream, for garnish

To make the pico de gallo, dice all of the veggies finely. Add all of the ingredients into a medium sized bowl and stir lightly (not too rough because you want the avocado to be in tact). If you’re not going to use the mixture right away, place a piece of saran wrap inside the bowl and directly over salsa to prevent discoloration and refrigerate.



Now it is time for the shrimp. Heat the grill to medium. Meanwhile, mix the olive oil, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper and shrimp in a large bowl. Stir until shrimp are evenly coated with seasoning. Add the shrimp to skewers and place them on the grill. Cooking the shrimp only takes about 1-1/2 - 2 minutes per side until they are just opaque. Cover to keep shrimp warm.



Spoon avocado salsa generously over tortillas (heated if you want), then top with 3 (or 10) shrimp, red cabbage and dollops of sour cream. Serve tacos with lime wedges on the side or more importantly, drizzle some Sriracha Hot Sauce on them for some extra heat :)


Tip: Adding fajita or taco seasoning to the sour cream turns a simple ingredient into a zesty condiment. Take my word for it, it is deeeeeeeelicious!

Teryiaki Pork Tacos with Sriracha Slaw

As I've stated before, who in the world doesn't love tacos? You can (quite literally) put anything in them! This specific taco recipe came about due to our love for those already-marinated pork tenderloins at the grocery store. Smithfield is probably the most popular brand, but there are tons out there with lots of fun flavors like garlic & herb, cajun, and… teriyaki! We eat them all the time, but I wanted a new way to utilize them in a dish other than just pairing it with some mashed potatoes and veggies. And then came these Asian-inspired pork tacos…

The pork is already done for you, minus the cooking part, so the only ‘work’ portion of this recipe is the toppings and the sides! My kind of dinner.

Teriyaki Pork Tacos with Sriracha Slaw

1 already-marinated pork tenderloin (teriyaki preferred)

2 cups of packaged shredded cabbage (coleslaw without the sauce)

2 tablespoons of Sriracha (hope you like it hot!)

2 tablespoons of Sour Cream

4 flour tortillas

1 avocado

1 lime

Cilantro for garnish

Cook the pork tenderloin based on the directions indicated on its’ packaging. While that is cooking, mix the cabbage, sriracha, and sour cream together in a bowl and set aside. Next, sliver the avocado into slices that will fit well on the tortilla. Once the pork tenderloin is done (be sure it is 160 degrees and has no pink areas) cut it into bite size pieces. Place these pieces, the sriracha slaw, and avocado onto your tortillas… And… THAT IS IT! Serve a lime wedge on the side in-case your taste testers want to add a little zing to their tacos (this is recommended).

This recipe is beyond easy, not to mention, has a wonderful depth of flavor and is perfect for any night of the week. You’d be crazy not to try! What is your favorite kind of taco? Fish? Spicy Chicken? Please share!