The Captain's Table

Tales and recipes from my kitchen.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Salsa Verde

A colleague of mine brought back a gallon of salsa verde from a Mexican restaurant in NYC. The TSA didn't even touch it, but if they had tasted it, I'm sure it would have been confiscated. It was full of fresh tomatillos, cilantro, onion and lime, and it was 8 on a spicy scale of 10.

The Strip District here in the 'Burgh didn't have any tomatillos this weekend, so I bought a jar that didn't have any preservatives, just the same ingredients mentioned above. Garbage. Lifeless, limp, no spice, no bite. This wouldn't do.

I found a pile of tomatillos yesterday at the supermarket, and so today we have fresh...

Salsa Verde

2 lb. tomatillos, husked, washed and dried
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used a sweet onion)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
juice of one lime, or more to taste
hot peppers to taste (I used pickled habaneros and jalapenos)
dash of salt

Slice the tomatillos lengthwise and place cut side down on a foil-line sheet pan. Roast them under a broiler until the skins begin to blacken, about 5 minutes. Transfer them into a food processor with all the other ingredients and whirl until well blended. Tastes great warm, but it will stay fresh in the fridge for several days. Serve with chips, tacos, flautas, carnitas, or even Indian food. I tried it on some palak paneer the other day, and it's like they were born for each other.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Fish Tacos

Grilling season is here, finally, and I've been grilling up a storm at every chance. Fish tacos are on the menu pretty often. Check them out.

Fish Tacos

tilapia fillets or similar
salt and pepper
lime juice
white wine
finely diced onion
cajun seasoning

Place a fillet on one half of a large sheet of foil. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning. Squeeze a dose of lime juice and sprinkle a little white wine over the fillet. Add a dash of diced onion and fold the foil over, crimping the three sides to seal in the steam. Grill on a preheated medium-high grill for 12 minutes. Why 12? It was a good guess once, and it gave perfectly cooked, but not dry, fish.

Place a chunk of fish down the middle of a flour tortilla. Add toppings to taste, such as: shredded queso blanco, sliced avocado, pickled onions, hot sauce, salsa verde, lettuce, and shredded cabbage. For a veggie version, just cut out the fish!

Figure on 1/4-1/3 lb of fish per person. You can also do this in a home oven, just cook at about 400 for 12 minutes.