N'awlins style



One of M's and my most enduring memories is of the small taco joint 2 blocks from South Beach, Miami. It was a hole-in-the wall place with cheap white tables topped with checkered plastic tablecloths, ads for local concerts and dicey haunts on the peeling stucco walls and somewhat rough-looking local men tending the counter and back kitchen. Certainly not a tourist trap, and M and I are still not sure how we ended up there, but I am forever glad that we did. Because it was there that I found my love for fish tacos.

I had tried, and liked, fish tacos before - one of our favorite restaurants in Montreal is a small, hip, Tex-Mex place that serves up fresh gator burgers and tacos with a big ol' mug of bourbon iced tea. But what our Miami taco stand lacked in decor, it made up for in taste. The tacos were exceptional, and exceptionally simple; homemade, white-flour tacos spread with guacamole and salsa and filled with firm, white fish, cooked Baja-style, with impossibly spicy jalapeno peppers as a garnish. The fish was fresh, the guacamole bold, the cilantro sweet - a perfect meal, and all under $4.

Despite our professed love for those tacos (they come up much more often than you'd believe), M and I have never actually tried to make them ourselves. The inspiration to prepare them tonight came from a Christmas gift from our pals V and C, who gave us a bottle of authentic N'awlins French Market blackening seasoning straight from New Orleans; it smelled too divine not to try immediately. In our search for a white fish that would withstand taco-ing, we decided on some wild hake; the result was tasty, but halibut or haddock might be a better choice next time. Regardless, this was a fast, fresh, healthy and very fun meal, full of bright flavors, colors and textures. We paired it with some spruce beer, homemade salsa, guacamole (recipes to follow), hot sauce and sour cream.

Blackened fish tacos
Inspired by this recipe

Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min

Serves 4

Ingredients
 - 1 lb fresh hake (or other firm-fleshed white fish), skinned and sliced into 1"-thick and 3"-long slices
- 1 tbsp blackening seasoning, or more (to taste)
- 1 tbsp canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Slice hake and place in a large bowl. Add 1/2 tbsp oil and seasoning and mix well.

3. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or pan and add remaining 1/2 tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, add the hake and cook for 1 minute on each side, until the flesh is white on the outside.

4. Transfer the fish to the lined baking tray and bake for 7 minutes, until the fish is opaque throughout. Serve hot on flour tortilla with salsa, guacamole, hot sauce and sour cream (recipes for former two to follow)

Fresh tomato and corn salsa

Total time: 10 min

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
- 1 Roma tomato
- 1 large hothouse tomato
 - handful cilantro leaves, minced
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1 cup cooked fresh or canned corn kernels
- juice of 1/2 lime
- pinch of salt
- pepper, to taste

Optional: jalapeno peppers, garlic

1. Cut tomatoes in half and remove and discard fleshy seeds. Dice the firm part of the tomatoes and place in a bowl.

2. Mix in onion, corn and lime juice until just combined. Fold in cilantro and add salt and pepper to taste.

Avocado guacamole (best made just before eating)

Total time: 10 min

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- handful cilantro leaves, minced
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- salt and pepper, to taste.

1. Peel and pit avocado and add to a large bowl. Mash well with a fork.


2. Add cilantro, garlic and lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

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