a taste of the pacific

today, i’m thinking positive. my hobbling is decreasing by the day, i’ve got an exciting event to plan, and dinner last night was super tasty and reminded me of san diego (always a good thing).

now it’s your turn: what are three things you are feeling positive about right now? seriously, i want to know! comment please

i’m really excited to share this recipe with you, because it’s so tasty and QUICK to make. there’s three essentials: FRESH halibut (pacific), a RIPE avocado (smushy), and a JUICY grapefruit (or any other citrus fruit… orange will do). it’s fun to put these guys together and then chomp on down. ideal for a small group of people for dinner.

fish tacos with grapefruit salsa

makes enough for 6 tacos – based on this recipe from the california avocado commission

the particulars:

• 1 pacific halibut fillet
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 6 corn tortillas (you can either make soft or hard tacos – we bought ready-made hard taco shells)
• 6 lettuce leaves
• 1 pink grapefruit
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and chopped
• 1/2 bunch chives, chopped
• juice of 1/2 orange
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp chipotle paste (best to use a real chipotle pepper or ancho chile, but we don’t have those in london)

1. make the salsa: slice ends off grapefruit and stand it upright on your chopping board. cut away peel and membranes, exposing fruit. working over a bowl to catch the juices, separate the grapefruit sections by slicing with a serrated knife between membranes. remove and discard seeds.
2. cut grapefruit segments and avocados into 1/2 inch dice. toss with the chipotle paste and chives in a medium mixing bowl. gently stir in reserved grapefruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. let sit 30 minutes before serving.
3. fish: on the stovetop, heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat or prepare a medium-hot grill. drizzle halibut with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill until barely done. depending on thickness, this should be 2-5 minutes per side. remove fish from grill, cool slightly, and pull apart into large flakes.
4. place warm tortillas (or taco shells) on a work surface. line each with a piece of lettuce and chunks of fish.
5. spoon some salsa over each taco and serve immediately.

lesson learned: they are very very messy, these tacos. but that’s part of the fun.

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