Fish Tacos with Strawberry Salsa and Beer Caramelized Onions
Much tastier and healthier than heavily battered fish tacos, brining fish in beer impregnates it with flavour and makes the flesh tender. If you’re concerned about sodium intake, you can cook it in a skillet. If time permits, make the salsa a day in advance to allow the flavours to meld.
1 lb (450 g) catfish filets
3 cups (750 mL) lager or pilsner beer
2 Tbsp (30 mL) kosher or sea salt
2 Tbsp (30 mL) natural cane sugar, divided
2 cups (500 mL) strawberries, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 green onions, green and white parts, sliced
1/3 cup (80 mL) cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) lime zest
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp (15 mL) butter
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp (5 mL) balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) smoked paprika (optional)
8 corn tortillas
In a container large enough for fish filets to lie flat, add 2 cups (500 ml) beer, salt, and 1 Tbsp (15 mL) sugar. Place fish in liquid and add additional beer if needed to cover filets completely. Let soak in refrigerator for about 6 hours, flipping once.
In large bowl, toss together strawberries, red pepper, jalapeno, green onions, cilantro, honey, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, and salt to taste.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Mix in remaining sugar, balsamic vinegar, and remaining 1 cup (250 ml) beer. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
Remove catfish from brine, pat dry with a paper towel, and season with smoked paprika, if desired. Place on parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until opaque throughout. Let catfish cool and then slice into thin strips.
Warm tortillas, according to package directions.
To serve, divide catfish among tortillas and top with strawberry salsa and onions.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 401 calories; 22 g protein; 13 g total fat (4 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 46 g carbohydrates; 6 g fibre; 571 mg sodium
source: "Think Outside the Mug", alive #353, March 2012
Fish Tacos with Strawberry Salsa and Beer Caramelized Onions
Directions
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD
Matthew Kadey is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Crab Cap Salad
These crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms can do double duty as a fancy starter for a casual dinner party or a light main course on any given night. Meaty and umami-rich portobellos serve as a holder for a light-tasting seafood salad. Gills begone Even though the gills of mushrooms are edible, they will darken and discolour everything they touch. Besides, after you scrape out the gills, you’ll have more room for stuffing. And don’t discard the stems; they can be saved and used when making veggie stock.
Curried Lentil Stuffed Squash
Serving saucy lentils in squash halves is a sure-fire way to elevate your plant-based menu. And, yes, the whole bowl is edible, skin and all. If desired, you can add dollops of Greek yogurt or sour cream. Spice of life Garam masala, a blend of spices traditionally used in Indian cooking, usually includes cardamom, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, fennel, cumin, and coriander. It’s great on roasted meats and vegetables.
Kartoffelknödel Potato Dumplings Stuffed with Toasted Bread and Spinach
“Germans do potatoes in general very well,” says Canadian expat Chris Gilles, who now lives in Munich and has celebrated many an Oktoberfest there. “Knödel seem kind of rubbery. You don’t really think it’s potato when you first see it, but it’s tasty.” But he might be surprised to find that this alive -inspired version of Bavarian potato dumplings is made with a combination of potato and cauliflower, because as anyone who’s eaten cauliflower gnocchi knows, the low-carb vegetable is a great way to lighten up starch-heavy foods (and Biergarten menus). Happy Knödelfest! The original version of these snacks are so popular that it even gets its own food fest: Knödelfest, which happens in September in Austria, about a 1 1/2-hour drive from Munich. If alive threw a Knödelfest, these dumplings would definitely be on the menu, served simply as snacks with sliced radishes and fresh parsley or dill, or topped with butter, beer gravy, or mushroom sauce. The dumpling test You can test one dumpling by shaping it and then boiling it before shaping the rest. If the water is lower than a boil and it still falls apart, add more starch to the batter before shaping another ball and testing again.
Dunkel Beer-Marinated Rotisserie-Style Chicken
This dark beer-marinated chicken uses the convection setting on your oven to create a crispy skinned bird. Convection cooking circulates air around the meat, crisping it like rotisserie without needing a spit or a lot of oil, similar to an air fryer (which you can also use!). If you don’t have a convection setting on your oven, you can simply bake the chicken for longer at the same temperatures as below, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 F (74 C). You can use any dark beer, but our pick is, obviously, something German. Oktoberfest barbecue You can also grill the whole chicken on a barbecue—which makes for an impressive presentation and a gorgeously crispy bird—but it’s best to spatchcock it first (take out the backbone) so it cooks more evenly and quickly. Make it fast! If you don’t want to make an entire chicken—or if you want your dinner to cook faster—use this marinade (without stuffing the chicken cavity) on chicken breasts, thighs, or iron-rich chicken livers instead.