Chef notes
Tangy blueberries add a tart twist to a classic pico de gallo style salsa. Paired with tomatoes and crispy white onions, they’re the perfect patriotic topper for simple pan-fried fish tacos. This makes enough salsa for the fish tacos, but if you prefer, you can double or triple the salsa recipe and serve with chips as a snack. To keep the red, white and blue theme, I recommend looking for red jalapenos or serrano peppers (they’re the same variety — just a little more mature). If not available, feel free to use the green peppers, or stick with red chile flakes to stay on theme!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces blueberries, halved (if using small wild blueberries, OK to leave whole
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 3 plum tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
- chile flakes
- 2 large limes, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 large lime, juiced (about 1/4 cup fresh juice
- 1 1/2 pounds firm white fish, such as mahi mahi, cod or halibut
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- freshly ground black pepper
- vegetable or grapeseed oil, for frying
- cilantro additional lime wedges, for garnish
- soft corn or flour tortillas, for serving
Preparation
Make the salsa:
In a medium bowl combine the halved blueberries, diced onion, diced tomato, diced red pepper (or dried chile flakes), lime juice, kosher salt, sugar and black pepper. Toss to coat and set aside.
Make the sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cumin and lime juice. Set aside.
Make the fish:
1.Cut the fish into 2- to 3-inch pieces. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, paprika, cumin and black pepper.
2.Coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet with oil for frying and heat over medium-high.
3.Dredge the pieces of fish in the flour mixture until fully coated. Tap off excess flour and fry in batches in the hot oil, taking care to not crowd the pan, about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Add more oil to the pan as needed. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Assemble the tacos:
Heat a clean cast-iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Warm the tortillas for 1-2 minutes per side (or char directly on a gas flame or grill). Top each tortilla with a few spoonfuls of the cumin mayo, add 2-3 pieces of fish and top with the blueberry salsa. Garnish with cilantro, if desired, and serve with lime wedges.
