Fish Tacos w/ Spicy Southwestern Slaw and Roasted Chile and Avocado Salsa

My, my it's been far too long. Sorry for the post-educational blog drought.

This past weekend I had the pleasure to cook with my pal Amber (w/ Carianne and Matt). This is the woman who taught me how to make homemade tortillas; so you know she's special. The last time we cooked we whipped up a batch of Chile Verde, so the next logical step is obviously fish tacos, right? Ever since coming home from Tampa, Fl. over spring break I've been craving fish tacos. Amber sounded interested when I brought them up in conversation so we decided to go ahead and try our luck. Surprisingly, Amber had never eaten fish tacos. I curse myself for this geographical isolation I've been born into. You just don't come in contact with fresh seafood out here in the Heartland.

Fish taco virgin, no more!

It doesn't matter if it's ground beef, steak, or fish; tacos are easy. One and a half pounds of tilapia provided the foundation for our tacos. White fish is bland and takes whatever flavors you throw at it. So I took olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper, cumin, cilantro, jalapenos, garlic, and lime juice and let all of those flavors mingle with the fish. After allowing the fish to marinade for 30 minutes, Matt and I cooked the filets on a foil lined grill (as to deter any sticking of the fish). That's it! The fish turned out good, too.

The roasted chile and avocado salsa took these tacos to a whole other level. I wish I always had a jar of this stuff in the fridge. I wouldn't hesitate to eat a pile of peapod gravel if it was topped with this concoction. Amber bummed this one off our good buddy, Emeril. Here are the ingredients:

• 1/2 Hass avocado, flesh removed from peel
• 2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
• 1 jalapeno, roasted, peeled and seeded
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion, divided
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons water

I thought Amber made a batch of pesto when I saw the finished product. It's an earthy green color with a relatively smooth texture. It's fantastic and you HAVE to make it. That's an order, dammit.

The slaw was pretty good. I think Amber and I could have created something with more flavor. But it still complimented the tacos well. Slaw adds this cool, crisp crunch that I just can't deny. Tacos are a combination of textures and a homemade slaw is an easy way to add a crunch. Here's the recipe.

"No only fish and pretzels!"-Jake Cuevas

The fish, slaw, and salsa were all housed by homemade tortillas. Thanks to Amber and Carianne's "Uelita" (famous for her salad) for the recipe. With Uelita's permission, I'll have to feature the recipe. You'll never feel the same about store bought tortillas.

Fryin' tortillas.