Posts tagged lime zest
taco tuesdayz: salmon tacos

since i grew up in sunny socal, tacos are basically a food group. and in our house, they are eaten in one form of or another a few times a week. so i decided to start diving deep into my taco recipes on the first taco tuesday of every month.

first up on the list is one of my favorite fish tacos. salmon makes a tasty, beautiful substitute to the usual white fish options used for fish tacos. the sauce is zesty and bright and the purple cabbage adds some delicious CRUNCH to each bite.

salmon tacos

serves: 2

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 8 oz wild salmon (i like the skin on, but if you are not comfortable cooking the skin to a crisp, ask your fish guy to remove the skin, remove it your self or purchase salmon with the skin already removed). .5 cup greek yogurt. .25 mayonnaise. 1 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp fresh ground pepper. .5 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp cumin. .25 tsp paprika. 2 lime. 1 clove garlic, minced. 3 tbs coconut oil. 1 shallot, thinly sliced. .25 tsp apple cider vinegar. .25 cup cilantro leaves. 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage. 6 small corn tortillas. large non-stick pan.

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start by patting your salmon down with paper towels. put it in the back of your refrigerator, uncovered to dry out the skin about while you prep your other ingredients. combine your shallots and the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl to make quick pickled shallots. zest one of your limes and juice it. slice the second lime into wedges and reserve for serving. combine all but .5 tsp of your salt in a small bowl to make your spice blend.

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then in a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, greek yogurt, .25 of the spice blend, the lime juice, the lime zest and the garlic clove. mix well to combine and set it aside. start heating your pan over medium high heat.

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while the pan is heating, season the fish with .5 tsp of salt and then rub it with the remaining spice blend.

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when the pan is hot, add in the coconut oil till it is shiny and hot. cook your salmon, skin side down first if you have skin on, until the skin is really crispy and you can see the fish is cooked a little more than half way through. flip the fish and continue cooking until you can see that is cooked through. remove the salmon and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.

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while the fish is resting, wipe out your pan and heat your tortillas for 30 seconds a side until they are nice and toasty. chop up your salmon.

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to assemble your tacos, spread some of your zesty sauce on the bottom of your taco.

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top with salmon, crunchy cabbage, pickled shallots, some cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime. serve hot and enjoy.

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xo, a

salmon tacos

serves: 2

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 10 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 8 oz wild salmon (i like the skin on, but if you are not comfortable cooking the skin to a crisp, ask your fish guy to remove the skin, remove it your self or purchase salmon with the skin already removed). .5 cup greek yogurt. .25 mayonnaise. 1 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp fresh ground pepper. .5 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp cumin. .25 tsp paprika. 2 lime. 1 clove garlic, minced. 3 tbs coconut oil. 1 shallot, thinly sliced. .25 tsp apple cider vinegar. .25 cup cilantro leaves. 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage. 6 small corn tortillas. large non-stick pan.

start by patting your salmon down with paper towels. put it in the back of your refrigerator, uncovered to dry out the skin about while you prep your other ingredients. combine your shallots and the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl to make quick pickled shallots. zest one of your limes and juice it. slice the second lime into wedges and reserve for serving. combine all but .5 tsp of your salt in a small bowl to make your spice blend. then in a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, greek yogurt, .25 of the spice blend, the lime juice, the lime zest and the garlic clove. mix well to combine and set it aside. start heating your pan over medium high heat. while the pan is heating, season the fish with .5 tsp of salt and then rub it with the remaining spice blend. when the pan is hot, add in the coconut oil till it is shiny and hot. cook your salmon, skin side down first if you have skin on, until the skin is really crispy and you can see the fish is cooked a little more than half way through. flip the fish and continue cooking until you can see that is cooked through. remove the salmon and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. while the fish is resting, wipe out your pan and heat your tortillas for 30 seconds a side until they are nice and toasty. chop up your salmon. to assemble your tacos, spread some of your zesty sauce on the bottom of your taco. top with salmon, crunchy cabbage, pickled shallots, some cilantro leaves and a squeeze of fresh lime. serve hot and enjoy.

friyay happy hour: naranja margarita

yeah yeah. i know. it's saturday. well i'm late for good reason. 

yesterday, i catered an elopement at one of my favorite places. the ocean institute in dana point, where wes and i got married. every time i'm there it feels very surreal. it feels like a place i keep being pulled back to. i first went there as a nine year old for a field trip. over the years, i visited it for random reasons. a charity event when i was twelve, a party i attended as my dad's date when i was a teen, getting married there. wes and i worked a wedding for another catering company there last year and even rented the couple the marquee letters from our wedding. 

and yesterday, i went back. to serve my own food. it was a total trip. it doesn't hurt that the locations is stunningly beautiful. it perfectly embodies the expression "breath taking." but what was supposed to be an easy job was of course way more difficult than expected. instead of serving food up by the kitchen, i had to trek four styled food platter & a beverage dispenser 500 yards down the beach. over rocks. so this friyay cocktail is now your saturday libation. trust me, it will be just as good. 

naranja margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 5 minutes ingredients: 2 oz blanco tequila. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz orange juice. 1 oz triple sec (or other orange liquor). zest of 1 lime. 2 tsp kosher salt. 1 cup ice. shaker. tumbler glass. lime wedge (or dried blood orange in my case) for garnish. 

*note that you could serve this margarita three ways. you could serve it straight up with no ice since you are shaking it over ice. you could serve it on the rocks (over ice). or you could take all the ingredients and blend them for a blended margarita. 

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start by combining the lime zest and salt on a shallow dish or on plate. rub the rim of your glass with a lime and then dip the limed rim into the zest and salt mixture. 

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coating the rim of the glass. set aside.

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fill your shaker with ice. 

pour in the tequila, juices and triple sec (if you are blending your marg, just place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth). 

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shake well.

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strain into your prepared glass straight up or over a large ice cube or additional cup of ice. 

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garnish with lime wedge and enjoy. 

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xo, a

naranja margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 3 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 5 minutes ingredients: 2 oz blanco tequila. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz orange juice. 1 oz triple sec (or other orange liquor). zest of 1 lime. 2 tsp kosher salt. 1 cup ice. shaker. tumbler glass. lime wedge (or dried blood orange in my case) for garnish. *note that you could serve this margarita three ways. you could serve it straight up with no ice since you are shaking it over ice. you could serve it on the rocks (over ice). or you could take all the ingredients and blend them for a blended margarita. start by combining the lime zest and salt on a shallow dish or on plate. rub the rim of your glass with a lime and then dip the limed rim into the zest and salt mixture. coating the rim of the glass. fill your shaker with ice. pour in the tequila, juices and triple sec (if you are blending your marg, just place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth). shake well. strain into your prepared glass straight up or over a large ice cube or additional cup of ice. garnish with lime wedge and enjoy.