Fish tacos with red cabbage and tangerine slaw

By Nikki & Jordan Shearer

Featured in Capital #63
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There is something drool-worthy about a good fish taco.

This is a quick and easy recipe for the most delicious tacos. We have crumbed and fried our fish, but feel free to season and grill for a healthier version.

Tortillas are also easy to make if you would like to give it a shot – get your hands on some masa harina (which is a corn flour). Two cups masa, ½ tsp salt and 1 ½ cups warm water are all the ingredients needed, and some excellent techniques are available online to perfect your pressing.

We have kept these tacos fresh and citrusy, using tangerines from our back yard which are in abundance at this time of year. Tangerines can be peeled and eaten straight from the tree, have a strong and sweeter flavour than an orange, and are great added to salads as here, mains, desserts, or baking.

Serves 4
(About 3 tacos per person)

Ingredients:

Tangerine slaw
1 cup shredded red cabbage
3 radishes, finely sliced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 handful chervil, roughly chopped
2 tangerines, peeled and cut into segments
1 cup your choice of lettuce greens

Dressing
1 kaffir lime leaf, finely sliced
juice of 1 lime
juice of half tangerine
2 tsp runny honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup rice bran oil
salt and pepper

Fish
oil − for frying
2 big fillets of white fish (we used tarakihi), cut into 4cm portions
juice of one lime
½ cup flour
salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

To serve
12 corn tortillas

Method: 

In a large bowl toss together cabbage, radishes, spring onion, chervil, tangerines and lettuce greens.

Set aside.

In a jar with a lid, add all ingredients for the dressing (except the salt and pepper) and shake well until dressing combines.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Cut fish into 4cm chunks.

Squeeze juice of one lime over fish (you will have to work quickly from here as the acid in the lime begins to cook the fish).

Heat oil in a large frying pan.

Season flour generously with salt and pepper.

While oil is heating, dip each piece of fish first in flour, then egg, then panko breadcrumbs.

Fry until golden.

Warm the tortillas.

Drizzle slaw with dressing.

Assemble tortillas by dividing the fish between them and topping with 2–3 Tbsp of the tangerine slaw.

Demolish!