Category Archives: Mexican

Semi-gourmet Fish Tacos

One of the more popular posts on House of Annie is the pan-fried tilapia post (which reminds me, I really gotta update that page and do a proper recipe for it). When I was growing up in Hawaii, tilapia used to be known as a “rubbish fish” because it lived anywhere (fresh water, brackish water, salt water) and ate anything. We’d catch it in the stream behind our house, let it live in the laundry room sink for a week to clean out and then we’d steam it whole with black bean and ginger to mask the muddy smell.

Mmmmm.

Nowadays, tilapia is becoming more widely used around the world, especially as frozen fillets become available in local markets. You don’t have to gut, skin, or fillet it. It tastes fine, with no muddy smell or flavor. Tilapia fillets have a firm, white flesh that lends itself quite well to lots of different applications.

Here’s a semi-gourmet, muy delicioso fish taco recipe using tilapia fillets that is perfect for Cinco de Mayo, or any day of the week for that matter.

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Chicken Quesadilla, Fresh Salsa, Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers

"Cuostralee" heirloom tomato from last year’s harvest

I didn’t get a chance to weigh it but it must have been about a half-pound in weight and 5 inches in diameter. The amazing thing is the amount of flesh on the ‘mater – the whole center section is solid. What I liked about it was the pretty design that the seed pockets made.

Continue reading Chicken Quesadilla, Fresh Salsa, Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers

Rotisserie Chicken, mango salsa

Annie and I were out on a date in Los Altos, a small town northwest of San Jose, one Thursday evening. We were going out for sushi but, when we got out of the car, we noticed a farmer’s market that was open in the evening one street over from the restaurant. We hadn’t been to a farmer’s market in over a month, so we went over to investigate.

It was a very bustling farmer’s market. As it turns out, a Roli Roti rotisserie truck was there selling rotisserie chicken and baked potatoes. We had read about Roli Roti in a post on EatingAsia that enthused about their porchetta (roast pork). Too bad only the San Francisco one sells it.

Even though we were planning on sushi that night, we still picked up half a rotisseried chicken to take home for the next night’s dinner. Here it is, served with kalamansi limes. It was very flavorful but, being reheated in the microwave, it probably would have been better eaten the day we bought it.

At the farmer’s market, Annie got some mangoes for cheap. She made a mango salsa using one of the mangoes, the tomatoes we bought, plus a mild, sweet pepper. Seasoned with lime juice, s&p, and ground cumin and coriander.

The porchetta will have to wait till another day.

Aloha, Nate

Musgovian Salad

I’m one of those people that doesn’t like to have leftover stuff sitting and getting old in the fridge and freezer. So every so often I go in there, look at what’s available, and try to figure out how to make a dish with what I’ve got. I call this type of cooking “Musgovian” for “must-go”.

Here’s a Musgovian salad consisting of rotisserie chicken, romaine lettuce, napa cabbage, celery, green onions, cilantro, blanched beans, steamed corn, tomatoes and avocado. Dressing was made with lime juice, honey, garlic, olive oil, s&p.
 

I think it leans Mexican, but whatever it was, it was good!

Aloha, Nate