California Dreamin'

View from the San Clemente Pier

Last summer around this time, the hubs and I were visiting the small town of San Clemente, California. Most afternoons after spending time at the beach, we would head over to the restaurant on the pier for happy hour--one of my favorite things we had there were the fish tacos. They were the perfect accompaniment to a nice, cold cocktail and the freshness of the fish was delicious. Since we're not able to go back to California this summer, we decided to recreate those fish tacos but with a twist of our own by adding picked onions and tomatillo salsa.

Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos

adapted from Epicurious

Fish

1/2 pound Mahi-Mahi

Salt

Pepper

1 tsp. paprika

Lime zest

Olive Oil



Accompaniments

Pickled Red Onions--recipe below

Tomatillo Salsa--recipe below

Baja Cream (equal parts sour cream and mayo with lime zest)

Corn tortillas

Avocado

Season the Mahi-Mahi with salt, pepper, paprika and lime juice. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and bring to temperature. Add fish to pan and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, or until flaky. Remove from heat and flake fish into pieces. Serve on warm corn tortillas with accompaniments and enjoy!

Pickled Red Onions

1 small red onion, halved lengthwise, cut into thin pieces

1 whole jalapeno, de-seeded and sliced thinly

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup rice vinegar

Juice from 2 large limes, approximately 1/4 cup

Salt

Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, mix to combine and marinate in refrigerator for at least 8 hours before serving.

Tomatillo Salsa

4 medium tomatillos, husked, stemmed and divided

4 green onions, white and green parts separated

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Juice from 2 large limes, about 1/4 cup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line shallow cookie pan with foil and add tomatillos, the white parts of the green onion and garlic. Roast until vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add vegetable mixture and remaining ingredients to food processor and pulse until chopped and combined.

Do you have any dishes inspired by vacation dining? I'd love to hear what food takes you back to one of your favorite vacation destinations!

Ahi Tuna with Poblano-Corn Salsa

Dave and I have recently been adding more fish to our weekly menus. Since he grew up in Louisiana he's used to the freshest fish around, which we obviously don't have here in the Midwest. Luckily, we've found that Costco has seafood that is fresh enough for his taste and there is a great variety available.

We picked up two ahi tuna fillets to experiment with--it was our first try with ahi and it sure didn't disappoint. The only problem with this meal is that there really isn't a "recipe" to share. Basically, Dave took the tuna and seasoned it with salt and pepper then seared it on the grill. It was delish!

Ahi Tuna with Poblano-Corn Salsa

A Warren Original Recipe

As far as the salsa goes, here are the ingredients that were used:

1 poblano pepper
1 ear corn
1/2 cup red onion
Juice of one lime
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper

Basically, we did a rough chop on the pepper, corn and red onion and sauteed those ingredients with the lime juice, cilantro and red wine vinegar for about 5 minutes. After removing from the heat, the tomatoes were added and the salsa was seasoned with salt and pepper. We then chilled it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

We served this with wild rice and sliced avocado, creating a fresh and easy meal that's perfect for the upcoming summer months.