Grilled Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw

Recipe taken from Feasting at Home

Ingredients

• 1-2 lbs grill able white fish (tilapia, red snapper, maki-mahi) or 1 lb extra firm tofu
• Spice Rub
  • 1.5 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1.2 tsp sugar (optional)
  • 1.4 tsp chipotle powder (or cayenne and a little smoked paprika)
  • for a more smoky flavor, add 1.2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• Cabbage Slaw
  • 1 lb thinly sliced or shredded cabbage (green and purple is nice)
  • 1.2 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, more to taste
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4-1/2 of a jalapeño, finely chopped, more to taste
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, more to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
• Garnishes (optional)
  • Lime wedges, avocado, Chipotle Mayo

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium high heat (see notes for oven or stove top version).
2. Rinse and pat dry fish (see notes for tofu). In a small bowl, stir fish rub spices together. Sprinkle all sides of fish with the spice rub (you most likely will not need all). Set aside.
3. Place the shredded cabbage in a medium bowl. Toss with the salt. Add the onions, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, olive oil and toss well. Adjust lime, salt and jalapeño–you want this to taste tangy and flavorful.
4. Grease the grill well before placing fish on it. Turn heat to medium. Grill each side a few minutes, letting grill marks develop and use a metal spatula to flip. Cook until desired doneness and squeeze with a little lime juice.
5. Then quickly;y grill the tortillas on the grill, brushing with olive oil if you prefer.
6. Assemble tacos by placing fish in the tortillas, top with cabbage slaw and optional avocado. Garnish with lime and cilantro.

Notes

If using tofu, place block of tofu on paper towels and press down gently to release more liquid, patting dry. Cut into 1 inch thick,  3 inch long strips for easier grilling. Coat strips lightly with spice rub, grill on well greased grill or pan-sear the tofu, until crispy, in a little olive oil.

Pan-Sear: This is the easiest and quickest way to cook this recipe. Heat up a skillet coated with oil, and pan sear the spice coated fish or tofu,  until golden, crispy and cooked through. Squeeze with lime.

To Bake : If cooking for both vegans and non vegans, you could also place both tofu and fish on a sheet pan in a 400F oven and bake. Coat them both with spices and spray with olive oil.  ( Or mix a little olive oil into the spice mix to create a “paste”, then lather all sides up and bake. The tofu will most likely take longer than the fish to get crispy. Plan on 10-15 minutes for the fish and 20-30 mins for the tofu. Place tortillas right on the oven rack to heat up for the last 5-7 minutes of cooking.

The Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw is enough for 2 pounds of fish ( feel free to halve) but I like to make big batch and keep the leftovers – and use on everything ( bowls, sandwiches, wraps, side salad…) during the week.