Bay Scallop Tacos

Before you’re able to cook scallops, you need to buy the scallops. Unfortunately, that’s not always so simple. Fresh scallops can be sold under a bewildering array of names — such as “bay” scallops, “sea” scallops and “jumbo” scallops — and these names don’t necessarily indicate a specific size or weight. And then there’s the mysterious “diver” scallop. What do all these descriptions mean?

Retailers should describe scallop sizes by using a range of numbers indicating how many of them there would be in a pound. Designating scallops as “20/30” would mean that it would take between 20 and 30 of them to make up a pound. The smaller the number is, the larger (by weight) the scallops are. You may also see size designations that look like “U/15” or “U/10.” In these cases, the “U” stands for “under,” indicating that it would take fewer than 10 (or 15) of these to make up a pound. U/10 scallops would be the biggest ones available.

Among the smallest of the scallops, corresponding to 70/120 using the numerical scale described above — meaning that there would be between 70 and 120 meats per pound of scallops. Bay scallops are particularly sweet and delicate tasting.

Scallops are a quick and versatile menu item for home cooking. Search out fresh scallops at a reputable fish market or fish counter at your grocery store. The scallops should be moist and have a sweet smell. Frozen scallops are convenient and rival fresh ones in terms of taste and texture.Scallops are a lean protein source and should be cooked quickly under high heat to prevent them from drying out. Also, a high-heat cooking method results in a pleasant browning on the outside and a delicious caramelized flavor. Because scallops are so lean, they require some fat such as oil or butter during cooking. Scallops are mild and need a little flavor boost. It can be a complex sauce or as simple as a squeeze of lime, as in our recipe.

Scallop Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Sour cream
• 2 tablespoons Orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated Orange peel (zest)
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 cups Coleslaw mix
• ½ Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Lime juice + more to taste
• Scallops
• 8 Tortillas, warmed
• Diced avocado, for garnish
• Minced cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Whisk together sour cream, orange juice and zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, toss the coleslaw mix with the jalapeno pepper, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the lime juice. Season to taste with salt and plenty of pepper, adding more lime juice if desired.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet until almost smoking. Add scallops to pan and sauté for 2 minutes – be careful not to overcook!

To assemble, fill each tortilla with a scoop of the slaw mixture, diced avocado and scallops. Drizzle with cream and top with cilantro, if using.

Indian Spiced Fish Tacos

On an elemental level, the fish taco can be reduced to a very simple equation: Fish + Tortilla = Fish Taco.

From this perspective, there is little question that people have been eating fish tacos in the coastal areas of Mexico for an awfully long time. It is said that the fish taco came about thousands of years ago when fishermen in seaside villages wrapped raw small fishes in stone-ground tortillas and ate them for lunch.  They ate from the land and lived off of what was plentiful.

The fish taco then became popular in Baja, Mexico around the late 50s, early 60s and into the 70s through street vendors and taco stands. According to aficionados, this humble delicacy consists of a lightly battered mild white fish that is deep-fried, then served in a corn tortilla with shredded cabbage, a thin sour-cream- or mayonnaise-based sauce, a bit of salsa, and a spritz of lime.

 As with most food history, there are at least two explanations as to where fish originated. Ensenada, Mexico claims to be the birth place of the fish taco. Ensenada has an incredible market or Mercado that opened in 1958 where fresh fish is sold and stands at every corner are offering tacos made with that very fresh fish. Ensenada is proud of their claim to fame and they advertise at restaurants throughout the city that their taco is the original.

San Felipe claims that their port town is the true home of the fish taco. San Felipe was on the way to some of the best surfing secrets in Baja and is where Ralph Rubio happened upon a stand in 1974. He loved the fish tacos and asked the owner, Carlos, to come to San Diego and open up a place. Carlos refused to leave his home but he did share the recipe. Rubio took his notes home, somewhat re-worked on the recipe and opened up his first restaurant in San Diego in 1983. Rubio’s is now headquartered in Carlsbad, California and operates, licenses or franchises more than 195 restaurants in California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.

Although fish tacos started out as fried and simply prepared – many changes have come along and those changes can be seen at different beach taco stands and restaurants across the country. My version doesn’t contain battered, deep fried fish and is seasoned with Indian spices.

Indian Spiced Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

• ⅛ cup Chives, chopped
• ¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons Sour Cream
• ½ clove Garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon Lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Cod fillets
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1 Green pepper, sliced
• 1 large Onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground Coriander
• ½ teaspoon smoked Paprika
• ½ teaspoon Red Pepper flakes
• ⅛ teaspoon Garlic salt
• 4 Tortillas

Combine first 7 ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until almost smoking. Add the green pepper and onion and cook, stirring often, until crisp tender – approximately 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Season the fish fillets with the cumin, coriander, paprika, red pepper flakes and & garlic salt. Place in skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes. Carefully turn fish and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Warm tortillas in the microwave. Cut the fish into bite sized pieces and place in tortillas. Top with green peppers and onions. Serve with cilantro sauce.

Beer Chicken Tacos

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables and cheese, which allows for great versatility. A taco is generally eaten without utensils and is often accompanied by garnishes such as salsa, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, tomatoes, onions and lettuce.

According to the Real Academia Española, publisher of Diccionario de la Lengua Española, the word taco describes a typical Mexican dish of a maize tortilla folded around food. The original sense of the word is of a “plug” or “wad” used to fill a hole. The Online Etymological Dictionary defines taco as a “tortilla filled with spiced meat” and describes its etymology as derived from Mexican Spanish, “light lunch,” literally, “plug, wadding.” The original sense of the word “plug” may have taken place among Mexican silver miners, who used explosive charges in plug form consisting of a paper wrapper and gunpowder filling. Interestingly, the taco predates the arrival of Europeans in Mexico. There is anthropological evidence that the indigenous people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate tacos filled with small fish.

 Beer Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless Chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup Beer (I used Guinness Extra Stout)
• 1 tablespoon Chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoons Pepper
• 3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
• Taco shells or Tortillas
• your favorite toppings: greek yogurt, avocado, cilantro, salsa, chopped onion, black beans, shredded lettuce, etc.

Make taco seasoning: In a bowl, mix together chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning into the beer.

Place chicken in the crockpot and pour in beer mixture. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Remove the crockpot lid and shred the chicken.  Taste and season with additional taco seasoning if desired, then let sit in the crockpot for another 15 minutes or so. Turn the crockpot off and toss in cheddar cheese right before serving. Once combined, make your tacos.