Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle-Lime Dressing
Choose toppings to your liking, such as tomatoes, cilantro, cabbage, lime, or salsa.
Choose toppings to your liking, such as tomatoes, cilantro, cabbage, lime, or salsa.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- marinade
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning such as old bayâ„¢
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or to taste
- 1 pound tilapia fillets cut into chunks
- dressing
- 1 (8 ounce) container light sour cream
- 1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning such as old bayâ„¢
- toppings
- 1 (10 ounce) package flour tortillas
- 3 ripe tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 small cabbage cored and shredded
- 2 lime cut in wedges
- Carbohydrate 49.596914 g
- Cholesterol 50.9741666666667 mg
- Fat 15.9169701666667 g
- Fiber 9.1237682945932 g
- Protein 25.5938433333333 g
- Saturated Fat 5.56536158333333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (512g)
- Sodium 796.334016666667 mg
- Sugar 40.4731457054068 g
- Trans Fat 0.639194999999998 g
- Calories 425 calories
Step-by-step
- To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.
- To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate. Set grate 4 inches from the heat.
- Remove fish from marinade, drain off any excess and discard marinade. Grill fish pieces until easily flaked with a fork, turning once, about 9 minutes.
- Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and cabbage; drizzle with dressing. To serve, roll up tortillas around fillings, and garnish with lime wedges.
How long should delicate tilapia actually sit in an acidic marinade before the structure breaks down entirely? Acid denatures fish proteins rapidly, turning the exterior mushy if left unchecked; restrict the soak to between six and eight hours maximum for firm texture.
- Oil the grill grate thoroughly with a high-smoke-point oil to prevent lean tilapia chunks from sticking and tearing during the single turn.
- Keep the heat high at approximately 450 degrees Fahrenheit so the fish develops exterior char marks before overcooking internally.
- Check doneness visually by testing whether the flesh opaque white and flakes apart easily with a fork at roughly nine minutes total cooking time.
- Store leftover shredded cabbage and diced tomatoes separately from the assembled components to prevent excess moisture from dissolving the tortillas by day two.
- Repurpose remaining grilled fish chunks and chipotle-lime dressing into a cold grain bowl or packed lunch wrap within forty-eight hours for food safety and optimal texture.
