Day 26 & 27: Fish Tacos and Christmas Cookies

Today turned out to be the busiest day I've had all year and so I had no time to publish Tuesday's post. So I am writing for two days.

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The Geek and I frequently laugh about how well we eat but recently we agreed that we have been eating a little TOO well since this experiment started. When I think about it, it makes sense that my cooking has been laden down with calories and fat because those are the kinds of things I buy in bulk and store in my pantry and freezer. The healthy stuff (aka fruits and vegetables) is best when it is fresh and I have not been doing much grocery shopping lately.

On Tuesday I decided to make something a little lighter than our usual fare. At the bottom of my freezer I found a bag of frozen cod fillets from the local warehouse store. I love these bulk packages of fish (and chicken breasts) because each fillet is very conveniently, individually vacuum-sealed. I also have a ton of frozen corn tortillas and so the natural conclusion was that we would have fish tacos.

Fish tacos are very popular here in Southern California. Mexican fast food chains serve batter-coated, deep-fried fish in corn tortillas with cabbage and a slice of lime and I found several recipes online for exactly that. But I don't like to deep-fry at home (too messy and the smell lingers too long) and was looking for something lighter. I found the perfect recipe for tacos with marinated cod on epicurious.com.

Something else about tacos here in SoCal... True Mexicans (or at least the ones I know), don't eat them like they are served at Taco Bell (loaded with cheddar cheese, lettuce, sour cream etc). My friends eat them very simply dressed with chopped onions and cilantro, some lime slices for squeezing, and fresh salsa (not cooked like you find in store-bought jars). They are wonderfully flavorful, especially with freshly roasted jalapénos.

I found this recipe intriguing because of the suggested toppings. The recipe included instructions for marinated red onions, and recommended serving with homemade salsa and crema, a Mexican sour cream that is much lighter than traditional American sour cream. This trio of condiments was absolutely delicious.

I ran out of the first batch of salsa, which was made from the traditional tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, cilantro in lime juice with salt, before I remembered to take a picture. For the second batch I was out of cilantro so I decided to make a fruit salsa. Fruit salsas are very popular around here and it's not unusual to find mango or pineapple salsa in most grocery stores. I like to make it with whatever is in season - usually melons or firm peaches in summer, apples in the fall. Since we still have an abundance of Fuyu persimmons, I decided to try that and it turned out yummy. I had to add quite a bit of salt since the tomatoes were not very flavorful and some sugar to bring out the flavor of the fuyus over the tart lime juice.

Tonight is my weekly Wednesday night Bible study. I've been bitten by the Christmas bug and signed up to bring cookies and ice cream. I've included my shortbread recipe at the end of this posting. I love this particular recipe because it only requires three ingredients and produces a delicious cookie that only gets better after sitting for a day or two. This recipe was given to me by a friend when I was in college, a woman who is an extraordinary hostess and fabulous cook. I don't know where she got the recipe, but I call the cookies "Priscilla's Shortbread" in her honor. For decorating, I used canned whipped frosting since I was short on time. The cookies were decorated with green sprinkles or drizzled with AB's dulce de leche.

The Results

Delicious! Even my finicky kid, who does not like fish, corn tortillas, or salsa, thought these were really good.

Ratings

• Difficulty: Easy
• Time to prepare: The fish tacos take about an hour, including marinating time
• Prognosis: Definitely will be making these again!

My Shopping List

• Cucumbers (3): $1.49
• Tomatoes: $0.50
• Cilantro: $0.33
• Limes: $1.85
• Jalapénos: $0.14
• Red Wine Vinegar: $1.69
• Crema: $0.83 (you can buy it by the half-pound at the deli counter at the Mexican grocery)
• Lettuce (for salads): $1.78
• Ice Cream: $6

The Tally

• The two days' tally: $14.61
• Total this week so far: $14.61
• Total this month, to date: $50.61

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Priscilla's Shortbread
1 lb (2 cups) butter, softened
1 c sugar
5 c flour

1. Cream the butter.
2. Gradually add the sugar.
3. Slowly add the flour.
4. Mix until completely combined.
5. Divide dough in half and wrap each in plastic wrap.
6. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
7. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F.
8. Knead the dough a few times to make it smooth then roll out and cut into shapes.
9. Bake on an un-greased cooking sheet until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes.
10. Cool on a rack before decorating.