Grillin' With Wolf: Miami Fish Tacos

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The U is located in Coral Gables, Florida about 14 miles south of downtown Miami. The University was founded in 1925, the NCAA most likely investigated later that year. Some notable alumni who aren't athletes are Ray Liotta, Sylvester Stallone, Gene Roddenberry, among others. The city of Miami is home to wonderful weather and an excellent selection of seafood. So I will make fish tacos, even though I know it would be great fun to grill up some ibis.

Ingredients

  • Fresh caught fish - The best fish for tacos will be something that will hold up to some grill time such as: swordfish, cod, mahi-mahi, or any other fatty white fish.
  • Tortillas
  • Cilantro, tarragon, and parsley (any fresh herb can work though, will explain later)
  • Arugula
  • Sour cream, guacamole, or pico de gallo (or all three!)
  • Lemons or limes
  • Salt and pepper
  • Garlic
  • Tomatoes
  • Cabbage
  • Olive oil
  • Green onions
  • Saffron threads, Goya Sazón or Adobo
  • Cabbage
  • Red onion
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Jalapenos

I cooked fish fillets instead of the whole fish because I didn't want to deal with extra hassle while tailgating. I used mahi-mahi that was caught earlier that morning. I used a salt water fish because their bones are larger and easier to take out, so that there is one less thing to fuss with when grilling. In order to keep fish from sticking make sure you have a really clean grill, cook it hot and fast, and put oil on both the grill and the fish. If you go with a whole fish, then stuff it full of herbs, lemons, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. The grill and fish will do all the work, you just have to flip it. When cooking fillets you have a few options: 1) you can marinate the fish and place it straight on the grill 2) you can wrap the fish in aluminum foil with the garlic, lemon, and herbs or 3) you can use a grill basket like I did.

The fish is done when it is flakes easily with a fork. Like I said, cook that fish on a hot grill in just enough time before it dries out.

How you season your fish is up to you, but my recommendation is to not use taco seasoning. I use either sazón, adobo, or saffron threads dissolved in water. I make sure that there is an even coating, even on the skin, and I add a little salt and pepper. The lemon, garlic, and herbs will give the fish a lot of flavor as well. I leave the herb choice up to you, but I typically cook with a little parsley, thyme, tarragon, and sometimes even a sprig of mint. I then use cilantro on the finished taco with arugula, sour cream, lime juice, and tomatoes.
The rest of the taco prep is fairly simple. Brush a tortilla with oil and toss it on the grill over indirect heat. Heat the tortilla to your own liking, I usually make mine a little crispy. Add red cabbage, chopped red onion, de-seeded and chopped jalapenos, and some red wine vinegar to make an off shoot slaw that goes really well with a fresh taco. Pico de gallo is easy to make at the tailgate too. One 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and garlic in a food processor for a few seconds makes great pico. Try not to over mix the salsa, and drain a little water out of the canned tomatoes for perfect consistency.

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Chris
Virginia Tech Alum '12 Marketing Management
Twitter: @cybrooks11