Single Girl Dinner

With both of our husbands away on business, my friend Wendy came over for a single girls' dinner last night.  I wanted something healthy with lean protein and lots of veggies and it had to be easy to prepare quickly after work.  Typically, as the weather cools, I start to crave heartier dishes but I woke up craving fish tacos.  Perhaps my appetite isn't ready to say good-bye to summer just yet...

This is a super quick weeknight meal, since most of the preparation can be done ahead of time.  I did everything after work but I could have easily made the slaw and pico the night before and just kept them chilled in the fridge.  The fun thing about taco night with your girlfriends is that you can just lay out a bunch of ingredients and each person can add what they want.  As long as you have a decent variety, you can accommodate bunch of dietary restrictions.

Carolyn's Weeknight Fish Tacos

Ingredients
1 pound of white flaky fish (I used tilapia but you could use mahi mahi, cod, really anything)
8 limes (1 lime for the fish, 3 for the slaw, 2 for the pico, 1 for the crema, and 1 cut into wedges)
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1 small head of red cabbage, shredded
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, julienned or shredded
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Dash of Cholula (or your favorite hot sauce)
1/2 cup olive oil, divided in two
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 ripe avocado, sliced
6 corn tortillas

Directions
For the slaw, whisk juice of 3 limes, 1/4 cup olive oil, cumin, garlic, hot sauce, and olive oil until smooth. Combine cabbage, red onion, and carrots in a bowl and toss with the dressing.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To make the pico de gallo, combine diced tomatoes, onion, and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro in a bowl.  Season with the juice of 2 limes and salt to taste.  

For the crema, mix the sour cream and juice of 1 lime until smooth.

Rinse the fish and pat dry.  Place the fish in a medium sized baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper.  Whisk together remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, lime juice, ancho chili pepper, and cilantro.  Pour over the fish and allow to marinate for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Place the fish on the middle rack for 20 minutes.  Switch to the top rack and broil on high for 4 minutes, until golden.  Flake the fish with two forks.  Lightly toast the tortilla over a low flame (if you have a gas burner) or in a toaster oven.

Lay out your taco bar and go to town!