Fish Tacos with Chipotle-Lime Crema and Zesty Rice

By Sweet July

Is dinner at home starting to feel like Groundhog Day? Solution: tacos. Struggling to find a good dish the whole family will love? Try tacos. Need an excuse for a weeknight margarita? Wait for it… tacos.

Serves: 4

Time: 45 minutes

Tacos are simply the answer to nearly all of life’s tough questions. And if you’re looking for a new go-to easy yet flavorful taco recipe, you’ve come to the right place.

Our fish tacos start with a marinated and then perfectly fried cod, which is topped with crunchy cabbage, cotija cheese and a bright crema zhooshed up with adobo and lime. Serve them up family-style with a big bowl of zesty rice on the side, a pile of fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

Ingredients

- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro, divided
- 3 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice, divided
- 1 lb cod
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 small flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce from can
- 2 cups finely sliced cabbage
- 12 ounces cotija cheese

Instructions

step 1

Preheat oven to 375°.

step 2

In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, chipotle, honey, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon cilantro and 1 tablespoon lime juice until combined. Pour marinade into a large resealable plastic bag.

step 3

Cut the cod into 8 evenly sized pieces, and place in the bag with the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

step 4

Meanwhile, add the rice, butter, 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring once; reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered. Wrap the tortillas in foil, and place in the oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

step 5

Meanwhile, add the flour to a shallow dish. Remove the fish from the marinade and transfer to the flour; discard the marinade. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Shake excess flour from the fish and cook in the skillet until golden brown on both sides and the fish flakes with a fork, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

step 6

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the crema, adobo sauce and 1/2 tablespoon lime juice. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the remaining lime juice and cilantro.

step 7

To assemble the tacos, place 1 piece of fish in each tortilla, drizzle with spicy crema, and top with cabbage and crumbled cotija. Serve with the rice alongside.