Hello Fellow Foodies!
I must confess... I love to eat out! Its quick, easy, usually delicious, but NOT CHEAP! With the uncertainty of the economy, lately I have been eating out less and less. I still crave my favorites but I just can't justify the expense anymore.
I have made a short list of things that I just don't want to live without! ( :
First and foremost are the recipies for RUBIOS! I love to have the main dishes with sides of chips&salsa, beans&cheese, and spanish rice.
For me the best part is the sauce! Fish Tacos come with a tasty white sauce:
RUBIOS FISH TACO SAUCE
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
Mix the mayonnaise and yogurt together in a small bowl. Chill and spoon liberally over the fish before you add the pico de gillo and shredded cabbage.
SALSA:
1 (or more) garlic cloves, peeled and minced (I like more!)6 tomatoes, ripe, diced1/2 onion, minced2 Tbs cilantro leaves, chopped, stems removed2 serrano chilies, seeded and chopped (or jalepenos)1 1/2 tsp salt1/4 tsp pepper
FISH TACOS:
12 Cod or favorite whitefish
-fillets (1-1/2 oz ea.)
12 Tortillas, corn, as
-thick/fresh as possible
------------BEER BATTER-----------------
1 c Flour
1 c Beer
Garlic powder, pepper to
-taste
------------WHITE SAUCE-----------------
1/2 c Mayonaise
1/2 c Yogurt
---------------SALSA--------------------
1 Garlic clove, peeled and
-minced
6 Tomatoes, ripe, peeled,
-seeded and diced
1/2 Onion, minced
2 tb Cilantro leaves, chopped,
-stems removed
2 Jalapeno chiles, seeded and
-chopped
1 1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Pepper
Oil for deep frying
--------------GARNISH-------------------
1 Head cabbage, green,
-shredded
1 Lime, cut into wedges
1. Mix flour with favorite spices such as garlic powder, red or black ground pepper. Stir the flour mixture into the beer and mix until well blended. Wash fish by dipping in cold, lightly salted water or water with a little bit of lemon juice added. Be sure fish is completely dry before dipping into batter.
2. Prepare salsa; reserve.
3. Put the vegetable oil into a deep skillet and bring to 375F. Place fish in a single layer--do not let pieces touch each other. Cook fish until batter is crispy and golden brown.
4. Heat corn tortillas lightly in a skillet or Mexican comal until they are soft and hot.
5. To assemble, on each tortilla layer the fish fillet, white sauce, salsa and cabbage. Top it off with a squeeze of lime. Fold tortilla over to serve.
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The best sauces by far are rubios habanero citrus salsa and creamy chipotle sauce. Here is another sauce:
Creampy Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 cup
mayonnaise1/2 cup
sour cream1/2 teaspoon
garlic powder3 tablespoons chopped
fresh cilantro1 tablespoon
fresh lime juice1 tablespoon
pureed chipotle chile or one cube of dried chipotle chili, crushed
salt and pepper
Directions
1. Mix all ingredients except chilies in a bowl.
2. Put about one or two or the chilies in a food processor and whir until smooth. You may need to add a little bit of the mayo or sour cream to get it going. (Note: if you are using the cubed kind, ignore this step).
3. Add the chilies to the mayo mixture. You may want to add more or less chipotles, depending on your tolerance level. Even a little can be very spicy.
4. Serve on your favorite tacos.
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Mahi-Mahi Burritos
Directions
1. Layer cheese, beans and mahi in tortilla. Add cilantro, onion and cabbage.
2. Top with guacamole, chipotle white sauce and salsa.
3. Roll tightly into burrito shape.
To make Chipotle Cream Sauce:
5. Bring large pot of water to boil.
6. Add chilies and boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
7. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
8. Puree chiles with 1/4 cup cooking liquid in blender. Strain through sieve. Set aside.
9. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat.
10. Add 1 tablespoon chipotle paste, onion, rosemary, pepper, shallot and garlic and stir 2 minutes.
11. Add wine and boil until reduced by half.
12. Add cream and boil until reduced to thin sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
13. Taste, adding more chipotle paste if desired. Add cornstarch mixture and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using.) Add chipotle cream sauce to your burrito to give it that creamy and tangy Rubio's flavor.
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Fish Tacos
Ingredients
1 Halibut or flounder
2 Panko bread crumbs (reg bread crumbs ok)
3 Corn tortillas
4 Egg wash
5 S and p
6 Peanut oil (any oil ok)
7 Shredded cabbage
White sauce;
Equal parts mayo and sour cream, blended
Chipotle chili
Juice of 1/2 lime
Preparation
White ( pink ) sauce;
add equal parts Mayo and sour cream ( 1 cup each) to a blender, add in 1 or 2 ( or more if you like it spicy) Chipotle chili's, squeeze in lime juice (bottled juice ok) and blend until smooth.
cut fish into strips, s and p, dip in egg wash then crumbs, fry in oil, a little more salt when it comes out. Assemble with cabbage and sauce in warm tortillas
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boneless fish fillets, cut in small pieces
egg bath (equal parts eggbeaters and lowfat or nonfat milk)
breading (equal parts bread crumbs and corn flake crumbs)
corn tortillas
grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
shredded cabbage
Pico de Gallo (below)
White Chipotle Sauce (below)
Preheat oven to 400˚. Spray a metal baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Dip fillets in egg bath, then in breading, and place on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Serve in warmed corn tortillas with cheese, cabbage, Pico de Gallo, and Creamy Chipotle Sauce.
Pico de Gallo
1 medium tomato, diced
1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeno
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
Creamy Chipotle Sauce
This is very similar to the sauce from Rubio's Baja Grill
2 tablespoons lowfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle powder
Mix all ingredients. Serve on fish tacos.
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I will keep you posted what the results are when I get a chance to try these out!
