Fish Tacos with Pickled Red Onions & Spicy Aioli

Have you ever wondered how many different kinds of tacos exist? I mean really. 

Grab a tortilla and throw some stuff in it and Voila...a chicken taco, a bean taco, a tofu taco, a peanut butter and jelly taco. Mind-blowing!!!

But out of all the tacos out there, I'm pretty sure fish tacos are my favorite. I think I also read in the beginning of the year that fish tacos were going to be a food trend of 2012. Or was that in 2011? 

Either way I must be trendy (or not). 

 I think in that same article about trending fish tacos I heard pickled foods would be a big hit. And I won't complain about this because as I have told many people, you could pickle a boot and I would eat it. I'm not sure if it is a polish (pickles) thing but I really do love anything pickled. 

Ever had pickled green beans with your Bloody Mary? Hands down so much better than chomping on raw celery. I swear. Try it. You won't be disappointed.  And pickling is so easy that even your dog could do it. That is if you had a dog. And if your dog liked to cook.

 So back to this taco business, and it is a business, people have created food trucks to distribute these delicious things. And no taco will ever be better than when made with fresh ingredients. And with a little bit of creativity you can call your tacos "gourmet" or "fancy" or something like that. 

I have had fish tacos at nearly every restaurant that serves them. Admittedly, I have eaten some bad fish tacos. Which breaks my heart. But I have also had some really spectacular fish tacos, which reassures me there is a Food God (or Goddess...which is probably more accurate since food is just so damn sexy.)

Most fish tacos I have had come with a grilled or fried fish some cabbage slaw, pico de gallo and guacamole. Pretty traditional. That is a totally delicious way to make fish tacos, which I have before but I think nearly every time I make them I try to change things up. So this time I added arugula instead of slaw, pickled red onion for the pico de gallo, and sliced avocado versus guacamole. Oh and some spicy aioli and a little Mexican blend cheese.

I know some of you think it is such a fallacy to have fish and cheese but let me tell you it works. It is almost a binding agent...holding the fish in the taco ever so gently. 

So what I will provide you below is simple recipes for the tacos, pickled red onions, and the spicy aioli. I hope you enjoy pickling, grilling, mixing, or whatever it is you like to do in your kitchen. 

Easy Pickled Red Onions

3/4 cup white vinegar
3 Tbls white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
5 allspice berries
5 whole cloves
splash of water
1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
In a saucepan, heat the all the ingredients except for the onion until it comes to a boil. Then add the sliced red onion and lower the heat to a simmer for about a minute. Remove from the heat and let the onions cool completely. Transfer the onions and the cooking liquid into a glass jar and refrigerate until you are ready to use them.
Note: Feel free to leave out the cloves and allspice berries and even the bay leaf. I enjoy when the pickled onions have a bit of spice to them. This is a commonly used recipe above but modify to your liking. Sometimes people add a dried chili to the liquid for a little heat. 

Fish Tacos

1/2 pound firm farmed white fish such as tilapia
1/2 avocado, sliced
4 flour or corn tortillas
1/4 cup pickled red onions
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese
2 Tbls spicy aioli (recipe below)
1 small bunch of arugula
1 small bunch cilantro leaves
1 1/2 limes
1 Tbls blackened Cajun seasoning
salt and pepper
2-3 Tbls olive oil

Pat dry your fish and then mix 1 Tbls of olive oil with the blacked Cajun seasoning. Pour marinade over fish.

Heat 1-2 Tbls of olive oil in a frying pan. Place marinated fish into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for approximate 4 minutes untouched on one side and then flip and cook 2 minutes more. Immediately remove from pan and flake the fish. Then squeeze half lime over the cooked fish

Take another "dry" skillet over medium heat and place your tortillas in the pan. Heat for about 1 minute then add a sprinkle of cheese and the spicy aioli. Add your flaked fish to the tortilla and heat for another minute. Remove the tacos from the pan and top with the arugula, sliced avocado, pickled red onion, cilantro leaves and another squeeze of lime.
 (Makes approximately 2 servings or 4 tacos)

Spicy Aioli
1/3 cup mayo
2-3 Tbls Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp of Mexican oregano

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. All of the measurements above are approximate. I never really measure I just taste and adjust as necessary. Oh and it makes it easy if you place the aioli in a kitchen squeeze bottle for easy application over the tacos.