Try this Alaskan Halibut Tacos recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt to taste
- pepper
- salt
- salsa
- 1 bunch green onions sliced
- lemon or lime wedges
- 2 lb halibut steaks
- 2 t canola oil
- taco seasoning (your favorite or homemade)
- 20-24 small white corn tortillas
- 2 c shredded cabbage
- 1/2 c cilantro chopped
- 1 ripe avocado sliced
- 1/2 c sour cream (i use lite)
- 2-3 t milk for thinning
- juice of half a lime
- 1-2 t hot sauce depending on how spicy you like it (like
- 1 t taco seasoning
- Carbohydrate 1.8799246875 g
- Cholesterol 29.02991168 mg
- Fat 2.1209595546 g
- Fiber 0.652988117206097 g
- Protein 19.2842696269 g
- Saturated Fat 0.3074044155 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -12 taco (120g)
- Sodium 421.02635096 mg
- Sugar 1.2269365702939 g
- Trans Fat 0.4509239739 g
- Calories 108 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small bowl whisk together sour cream, milk, lime juice, hot sauce, taco seasoning and salt. Cream should be thin enough to drizzle. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet to medium heat. Swirl the pan with canola oil.
- Pat the halibut dry with a paper towel. Season both sides generously with taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Place into hot skillet and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, being careful not to overcook and dry out. Halibut is cooked when it flakes with a fork, but is still moist inside. Flake halibut apart in pan.
- Steam corn tortillas in a tortilla warmer or ziploc bag in microwave for 2 minutes.
- Take two steamed corn tortillas and place some cooked halibut in the center. Top halibut with cabbage, and a generous amount of cilantro and green onion. Top with an avocado slice and drizzle with crema. Serve with salsa and lemon/lime wedges on the side.
Standard fish tacos often rely on battered and deep-fried fillets, whereas this preparation utilizes pan-searing to highlight the clean flavor of lean white fish. Coastal preparations throughout Baja California and the Pacific Northwest traditionally emphasize fresh catches folded into pliable masa wrappers, though home kitchens require specific gear to replicate those textures without a commercial flat-top griddle. Achieving the right exterior crust on dense fish steaks depends heavily on thermal conductivity, meaning cast iron skillets outperform thin aluminum pans by retaining steady heat.
Mastering the Sear and Crema
Patting the 2 pounds of halibut steaks completely dry with paper towels is mandatory before seasoning, because surface moisture causes steaming rather than browning. Cook the fish over medium heat until it flakes easily with a fork while retaining interior moisture, which typically requires just a few minutes per side depending on thickness. Whisking the sour cream with 2 to 3 teaspoons of milk and half a lime's juice yields a fluid consistency that can be drizzled uniformly across the filling instead of clumping.
Warming Tortillas and Assembly
Corn tortillas crack easily when cold due to the starch retrogradation that occurs during storage. Steaming twenty to twenty-four small white corn tortillas inside a damp microwave-safe bag or dedicated tortilla warmer for precisely two minutes restores flexibility so they fold without splitting. Layer the flaked fish with shredded cabbage, fresh herbs, and sliced avocado immediately after warming to maintain contrast between the hot protein and crisp vegetables.
