Fish Tacos with Guacamole & Pea Tip Salad

Tonight's dinner goes against everything I am genetically coded to be as Maine native. In fact, I was not even aware that these existed until after I moved to Arizona in 2000.

Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes two, 700 calorie, 27 Weight Watchers Point Plus servings), plan on 35 or so minutes to prep and cook this.

• 2, 6 Ounce Mahi Mahi Fillets
• 4 Flour Tortillas
• 2 Ounces of Pea Tips
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Golden Beet
• 1 Lime
• 1 Ounces of English Peas
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper
• 1 Shallot
• 1/4 Cup Pistachios
• 1/4 Spice Blend (to taste) - All Purpose Flour, Ancho Chile Powder, Chipotle Chile Powder, Ground Cumin, Koher Salt, and Baking Soda
• 1/4 Cup Club Soda

1. PREP WORK: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry all the fresh produce and heat a small pot of salted water to boiling. Halve each fish fillet and pat dry with paper towels - seasoning each side with salt and pepper. Peel the beet and cut into matchsticks. Use a zester to remove the rind of the lime, quarter the lime.  Shell the peas and cut out and discard the stem, ribs, and seeds of the jalapeno; small dice the meat (be sure to wash your hands, knife, and cutting surface immediately afterwards.  Roughly chop the pistachios. Peel and mince the shallot; place in a bowl with the juice of two of the lime wedges, seasoning with salt and pepper.

2. BLANCH THE PEAS & MAKE THE GUACAMOLE: Add the peas to the pot of boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes (or until bright green/tender). Drain thoroughly and rinse under cold water for 30 or so seconds to stop the cooking process. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Transfer to a medium bowl and use a fork to mash the avocado until smooth. Stir in the lime zest, half of the nuts and as much of the jalapeno as you would like. Gently stir in the cooled peas and the juice of the remaining lime wedges, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

3. COAT AND COOK THE FISH: In a medium bowl, combine the spice blend and roughly 1/4 a cup of club soda; whisking to combine completely. Dip each fillet into the batter, letting the excess drip off. Place on a wire rack on a sheet pan and put in the oven for 25 minutes. Once you remove them from the oven, allow to cool for a couple of minutes before plating.

4. WARM THE TORTILLAS AND MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: Stack the tortillas with a sheet of tin foil between each tortilla. Toast in the oven for roughly 2 to 3 minutes, or until warmed through and pliable.  While the tortillas warm, slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the remaining shallot-lime juice mixture until well combined.

5. MAKE THE SALAD AND PLATE: In a large bowl, combine the pea tips, beet, and the remaining pistachios; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add enough of the vinaigrette to coat the salad and toss to combine. Divide the guacamole, mahi, and a few dressed peas tips between the tortillas. Serve with the remaining salad on the side.

Ok, so these are not as good as what you can get from Rubios but, they were not all that bad from my perspective. The original instructions called for us to deep fry the fish but, we did not regret our decision to bake it.  Also, if we did this again, we would skip the pistachios - we did not think they actually added a whole lot to the finished product. 

Eat Well My Friends...