California dreaming

A few months back Dan applied for a job in sunny San Francisco. Even though it was a long shot I got a little dreamy about the idea of moving to SF.



Sunshine, sushi and outdoor pursuits all figured in my day dreams. Sadly, the job didn't happen, but in my general musing on the lifestyle possibilities I did come across Fish Tacos; a speciality of Baja in California. A flour tortilla is liberally filled with grilled or fried white fish, guacamole and tomato salsa, and topped with a dollop of sour cream. Friday night called for a light supper, so I made an attempt.

First the tomato salsa: Skin 3 tomatoes, deseed, chop finely, mix with half a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, a finely diced (small) red onion and seasoning. Put to one side for the flavours to mingle.

Make the tortillas (or you could use bought ones, which would be a bit thicker and floppier): Mix 150g flour with a pinch of salt. Add just enough water to bring it together to a soft, but not sticky, dough (probably about 100ml). Kneed for a few minutes until soft, then divide into 4 golf-ball sized portions. Roll each of these into as smooth a ball as you can manage then roll them out to thin circles about the size of a dinner plate. Heat a heavy-based frying pan until hot, but not smoking. Dry fry the tortillas one at a time, for a couple of minutes on each side until bubbled and lightly coloured.
Mine weren't exactly round, but never mind!



Cover the cooked tortillas with foil and keep them warm in a low oven (120C).

Season the fish: Using about 350g white fish, cut it into bite sized chunks. If you plan to fry the fish lightly dust it with well-seasoned flour, then shallow-fry in vegetable oil. If you are grilling the fish just season the fish, but don't use flour.

While the fish cooks make guacamole by mashing an avocado, add lime juice to taste and half a finely chopped green or red chilli.

Place everything on the table, including some sour cream (or thick yoghurt), and help yourselves.



Expect to get your hands mucky!



These quantities were good for 2 people for dinner, or would make a light lunch for 4. We slightly ruined the healthiness of it all by having chocolate icecream for pudding.