One of my favourite things to do as of late is to hack recipes and make them a little more healthful. From my Mom’s homemade barbecue sauce (which I will share soon) to some good old fashioned chocolate fudge, I’ve been on a mission to take back our food from what has become known as the SAD, Standard American Diet. Over the weekend I happened upon a program on the Food Network called Carnival Eats and was salivating at one particular dish, a fish pita that for the most part was pretty healthy actually, but still had a few things that could be improved. I swapped out the pita bread for some cassava flour wraps and made a healthier chipolte sauce using plain coconut yogurt versus sour cream. The corn salsa in this recipe is so fresh and delicious, you’re going to want to eat it just like it is (as a salad), but I just made sure to use organic corn, as most of our conventional corn has unfortunately been sprayed with some really bad pesticides and in particular, one of the worst, glyphosate. The ewg.org is a great resource for more info on pesticides/toxins in our food system. I always follow their guides when shopping for produce and meats – they have a list you can download to your phone which is really handy when you’re out and about.
What I love about this dish is that it has so many good nutrients for our health. The omegas from the fish, the healthy fats from the avocados and coconut yogurt, and especially the abundance of fresh cilantro which is a very good herb known for naturally detoxing heavy metals.
The combination of the spicy flakey cod, and fresh salsa had my family coming back for seconds, and I will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotations for years to come I’m sure. Check it out!
Pacific Northwest Coast Fish Tacos with Fresh Corn Salsa
Serves 4
Fish Filling
2-3 fillets of white fish (we used Wild Alaskan Pacific Cod)
1-2 Tbsp of coconut oil or ghee
Taco seasoning (1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp paprika, salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp minced onion powder)
Melt fat on a cast iron skillet. Place cod fillets and sprinkle taco seasoning on top of each fillet, spreading to cover the top of each piece. After approximately 5 minutes or until half of the fish looks cooked, flip and grill the other side. Sprinkle any leftover seasoning. Once fully cooked (another 5 minutes or so), flake each fillet with a fork until well flaked. Set aside (keep warm).
Corn Salsa
20 – 25 grape or cherry tomatoes (halved) or 2 firmer tomatoes (cubed and seeded)
2 fresh organic corn on the cobs or 1 can of organic corn
4 green onions (chopped)
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 to 2 avocados (cubed)
1 garlic chopped
Salt to taste (we use Redmond’s)
Juice of one lime
Layer each ingredient starting with the cherries, then the corn, then the onions, cilantro and topped with the avocados. Slowly drizzle the lime juice. Sprinkle with the garlic and salt. Bring to the table in all the beautiful layers. Then when ready to serve, gently toss all the flavours together.
Chipolte Sauce
1 cup plain-flavoured coconut yogurt (let it warm up slightly to make it a little more runny for a sauce consistency).
1/2 tsp chipolte spices (crushed chipolte spices, or powdered)
Mix for drizzling over salad.
Build Taco
9 cassava flour wraps– ( I used La Tortilla Factory brand – no affiliate/sponsor)
1/2 purple cabbage (cut slaw-style)
I like to build the taco a certain way to avoid sogginess. Starting with the meat, then the salsa, then sprinkling on the purple cabbage and finally drizzling on the Chipolte Sauce.
