DDD #43 – Vegan Fish Tempura Sushi Rolls

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2017

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When I went to Dallas in 2015 to MC an event for the Humane League there – everyone kept talking about how awesome these vegan fish sticks are.  So – I bought some as soon as I got home.  My first effort with them was these vegan fish tacos.

They were delicious!   The fish sticks are triangle-shaped and almost as large as the palm of my hand – and they have 90 calories each.  I am a huge fan.

So – I got it in my head that I wanted sushi.  My first thought was to make tempura chicken with Beyond Meat chicken & tempura batter but I discovered that I had no tempura batter & then I decided I didn’t want to fry anything, anyway.  Then these guys jumped into my mind!  So – while these are not fish & not in tempura batter – they are breaded & they made an excellent substitute.

I buy my nori at Bangluch Market because it costs about $1.25 for a package where Gelson’s charges almost $5 – so I recommend looking in ethnic stores for ethnic supplies.  I bought the fresh ginger & wasabi at Gelson’s.

Sushi Rice

2 cups sushi rice

2 cups water

2 TBS sugar

2 TBS rice vinegar

1 TBS salt

Put the rice & water in a pan.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low & cover.  Cook for 25 minutes.

Let the rice cool & then mix in the other ingredients.

Vegan “Fish Tempura” Sushi Rolls

INGREDIENTS

Gardein fishless fillets (or other brand) – cooked according to package instructions

Carrots – cut into sticks

Daikon – cut into sticks

Cucumber – cut into sticks (I forgot to use mine)

Avocado – sliced

Nori sheets

Sesame seeds – white & black

Wasabi, ginger & soy sauce for dipping.

DIRECTIONS

Get all your ingredients ready.  Press some rice onto the nori – leaving about an inch on one end uncovered.  Layer the ingredients & roll tightly.  Wet the naked end of the nori with water on your fingertips.  roll until the seam side is down & rub the roll back & forth on the counter a few times to better seal the seam.  Cut with a sharp wet knife.

Serve with ginger & wasabi & soy sauce & a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Vegan Fish Tacos

 

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2016

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

So – I have been experimenting with some vegan seafoods.  So far – I have tried the crab cakes & the shrimp seen just above.  They LOOK promising but they are truly vile. Absolutely disgusting & inedible.  The shrimp are TEENY & look and taste like breaded paste.  The crab cakes are only slightly better but certainly NOT worth the calories they represent.  I have not yet tried those freezer-burned scallops (above) but I think they might be best served in a scallop salad – like a tuna salad – and I am not ready to get into that yet.

The Gardein fishless filets, however, are a REVELATION!  The breading is good, there is only 180 calories in two filets & they look and taste like any frozen fish stick – but with none of the kinda gross fishy-ness some of those products have.  These are truly genius & made wonderful fish tacos!  I give these a very enthusiastic endorsement!

As to tacos – people like them the way they like them.  I think – like pizza – nobody really needs a recipe but, rather, maybe a few suggestions.  For my fish tacos, I used street-taco-sized corn tortillas, grilled them on my stove burners a bit & topped them.  I cheated a teensy bit & used real feta on these – because I had it & I thought it would photography well – but feta is certainly not the star of this dish.  The stars are the fishless filets & avocado – because avocado can hold its own in most flavor battles.

Vegan Fish Tacos

INGREDIENTS

Corn or flour tortillas – grilled on the stove burners

Fishless filets – cooked according to the package (takes 12 minutes once your oven is to temperature) and sliced up (I used two filets for 3 tacos)

Cilantro

Avocado – sliced

Purple cabbage – sliced

Red bell pepper – diced

Chipotle vegenaise (or vegan sour cream)

Lime wedges

Crumbled vegan cheese of your choice (optional)

OTHER TOPPINGS – diced tomato, sliced lettuce, jalapenos, pico de gallo, sliced scallions, sliced radishes, diced red onion, hot sauce

DIRECTIONS

Grill the tortillas on the stove burners a bit on each side to warm & add grill marks. Assemble at will!

Vegan Jackfruit Tuna Salad & Avocado

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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Flipping around on Pinterest the other day – I spotted a vegan tuna melt & the photo was SO convincing – I had to see WTF the tuna was made from.  I should have guessed.  Jackfruit.  Just above is my Vegan Pulled Chicken with Jackfruit in a Sriracha and Blackberry Jam BBQ Sauce for the Slow Cooker.  I was already aware of jackfruit being any incredible proxy for pulled chicken & pork but tuna had never crossed my mind.  I had to try it!

FYI jackfruit is literally a fruit – a pretty flavorless fruit – that shreds like chicken & pork and TUNA!

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Wikipedia says, “The jackfruit, also known as jack tree, jakfruit, or sometimes simply jack or jak) is a species of tree in the Artocarpus genus of the mulberry family. It is native to parts of South and Southeast Asia, and is believed to have originated in the southwestern rain forests of India, in present-day Goa, Kerala, coastal Karnataka, and Maharashtra. The jackfruit tree is well suited to tropical lowlands, and its fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit, reaching as much as 35 kg (80 lb) in weight, 90 cm (35 in) in length, and 50 cm (20 in) in diameter.^[9]

The jackfruit tree is a widely cultivated and popular food item in tropical regions of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Jackfruit is also found across Africa (e.g., in Cameroon, Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar, São Tomé and Príncipe, Ethiopia, and Mauritius), as well as throughout Brazil, west-central Mexico, and in Caribbean nations such as Jamaica. Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh.

Because unripe jackfruit has a meat-like taste, it is used in curry dishes with spices, in Bihar, Jharkhand, Sri Lankan, Andhran, eastern Indian (Bengali) and (Odisha) and Keralan cuisines. The skin of unripe jackfruit must be peeled first, then the remaining whole jackfruit can be chopped into edible portions and cooked before serving. Young jackfruit has a mild flavor and distinctive meat-like texture and is compared to poultry. Meatless sandwiches have been suggested and are popular with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian populations.”

(these two images below of the jackfruit tree & the split fruit were stolen from Google)

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Look at that label!   Cheap & good for you!  Jackfruit is found in every Thai market I have been into but you can buy it HERE on Amazon.

This recipe is really just a guide to use the jackfruit.  Tuna salad is a dish people have lots of opinions on – from using sweet relish in it (yuck) to adding mustard or whatever.  I will tell you what I did but you can just make this the way you would make your favorite tuna salad recipe.

I added one sheet of nori & about a TBS of the stuff below to add a seafood essence – and it worked.  I might try it with just the nori next time as I would like to maybe lose the sesame element.  You could try it without one or both or add kelp granules.  Most recipes add mashed chick peas for density – and I did, too.  The result was INSANELY convincing  Not as specifically fishy as real canned tuna but the texture was spot on & all the other flavors of tuna salad were there.  I recommend this very highly – especially to veteran vegans who have learned to be open-minded about vegan versions of things we all have visceral memories of.

Vegan Jackfruit Tuna Salad & Avocado

Makes about 2 cups tuna salad

INGREDIENTS

1 (10 oz) can jackfruit – IN BRINE OR WATER (not syrup)

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans – drained

olive oil

1 sheet nori

1 TBS roasted sesame & seaweed OR kelp granules (optional)

1 small onion – diced

2 celery stalk – diced

2 scallions – diced

1 TBS Dijon or other mustard (optional)

Vegan mayo (I used a lot – make a full cup of more – but the mayo ratio is up to you)

Avocado halves

S&P

Paprika (optional)

OR – whatever your favorite tuna salad ingredients are.

DIRECTIONS

Drain the jackfruit & smash it by hand until it looks like tuna.

Prep the other ingredients.

Heat a TBS or so of olive oil in a pan & heat the jackfruit – not to cook it – but to dry it out.  Put into a large bowl.

I pulsed the garbanzos & nori in my food processor but you can easily mash them together by hand.

Then just mix everything (except the avocado) together & season with S&P.  Add as little or as much vegan mayo as you like.

Halve the avocados – remove the pit & scoop the “tuna” in there.  Sprinkle with paprika & devour.

Vegan “Fish Tempura” Sushi Rolls

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

Follow @celisemccarthy

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

When I went to Dallas last month to MC an event for the Humane League there – everyone kept talking about how awesome these vegan fish sticks are.  So – I bought some as soon as I got home.  My first effort with them was these vegan fish tacos.

They were delicious!   The fish sticks are triangle-shaped and almost as large as the palm of my hand – and they have 90 calories each.  I am a huge fan.

So – yesterday – I got it in my head that I wanted sushi.  My first thought was to make tempura chicken with Beyond Meat chicken & tempura batter but I discovered that I had no tempura batter & then I decided I didn’t want to fry anything, anyway.  Then these guys jumped into my mind!  So – while these are not fish & not in tempura batter – they are breaded & they made an excellent substitute.

I buy my nori at Bangluch Market because it costs about $1.25 for a package where Gelson’s charges almost $5 – so I recommend looking in ethnic stores for ethnic supplies.  I bought the fresh ginger & wasabi at Gelson’s.

Sushi Rice

2 cups sushi rice

2 cups water

2 TBS sugar

2 TBS rice vinegar

1 TBS salt

Put the rice & water in a pan.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low & cover.  Cook for 25 minutes.

Let the rice cool & then mix in the other ingredients.

Vegan “Fish Tempura” Sushi Rolls

INGREDIENTS

Gardein fishless fillets (or other brand) – cooked according to package instructions

Carrots – cut into sticks

Daikon – cut into sticks

Cucumber – cut into sticks (I forgot to use mine)

Avocado – sliced

Nori sheets

Sesame seeds – white & black

Wasabi, ginger & soy sauce for dipping.

DIRECTIONS

Get all your ingredients ready.  Press some rice onto the nori – leaving about an inch on one end uncovered.  Layer the ingredients & roll tightly.  Wet the naked end of the nori with water on your fingertips.  roll until the seam side is down & rub the roll back & forth on the counter a few times to better seal the seam.  Cut with a sharp wet knife.

Serve with ginger & wasabi & soy sauce & a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Potato & Fish Tacos at Tacomiendo in West Los Angeles – America’s 17th Best Taco

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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I love tacos.  I really do.  But I have become pretty snobby about them.  I usually get fish tacos (as I do not eat meat or chicken) and I prefer it not be fried.  Though I’ve had some might fine fried babies.  So – when I saw an article listing the “35 Best Tacos in America” – I knew I had to try any local ones on the list.

#17 was Tacomiendo.

17) Tacomiendo, Los Angeles: Potato Taco

At the no-frills, order-at-the-counter Tacomiendo, where you’ll hear much more Spanish than English spoken, the tortillas are homemade, the prices are reasonable, and the tacos are big. Burritos are a favorite here, but the tacos get high marks, too — and if you don’t mind carbo-loading, the unusual potato taco, potato chunks and cheese in a crispy shell, is certainly memorable.

They specifically mention which KIND of taco won at each joint.  As it turns out, Tacomiendo is over at Pico & Gateway – an area you couldn’t pay me to trek to under normal circumstances but my dog, Dexter, is undergoing physical therapy at Two Hands Four Paws which is only a few blocks away!  So, yesterday, as Dex had his day at the spa, I hopped over to Tacomiendo & ordered me some tacos (to steal the vernacular of my badass boyfriend, Miles).

There is a boatload of construction over there & it was a very confusing few blocks to navigate but, eventually, I spotted the place, tucked into an auto court sorta strip mall – on the southeast corner of Gateway & Pico.  Here is the outside.

And here is the rest of that mall as seen from inside Tacomiendo.

ALL car places so Tacomiendo can be easy to miss.  The obscurity of the place & the strip mall exterior actually raised my hopes about Tacomiendo.  I mean – who would even SEE this place, let alone put it on the list of “must try” taco spots?  If it was singled out – it must be incredible!  So – I ventured forward.

Here is the interior.

There is a little salsa & other appropriate toppings bar over on the left on the yellow wall.

I looked at the menu overhead & couldn’t spot potato anything so I asked when it was my time to order.  Yes, I was told, they do serve a potato taco but it comes in a hard shell.  I was informed of this as if it would make me reconsider.  But – I was here expressly to try America’s 17th best Goddamn taco & I had good information that it was the potato taco here at Tacomiendo – so, undeterred, I ordered it.  I also ordered a fish taco & a Diet Coke (even though I think Diet Coke is tantamount to drinking engine fluid – as far as how good it is for you).   I paid my bill.

Lunch for $7?  Not bad!  It seems the potato taco might be considered an appetizer.  Hmm.  I went to the salsa bar & stocked up & ate a bunch of these carrots & jalapenos.

Pretty soon, a woman delivered this little basket to my table.

That is the potato taco on the left.  The fish taco was a purist’s dream as it came in a homemade soft taco shell – naked.  Solomente grilled fish.  I topped it with cilantro, onion & two salsas and squeezed two limes over it.

Then I bit into the potato taco.  It seemed to be filled with a cheesy mashed potato.  Tasty – but not remarkable.  The potato taco at Senor Fish is better, in my opinion.  In fact, I preferred the fresh & delicious fish taco to the potato variety – primarily due to its simplicity & the wonderful homemade taco it was wrapped in.

So – there you have it.  Both tacos were good enough to order again but I definitely preferred the fish one.

How anyone can list the 35 best tacos in America is beyond me.  I would have a very hard time listing the 35 best in Hollywood alone.  Taco stands are EVERYWHERE.  But there are a few more local joints on this list & I aim to try them all.  So far – the taco to beat (if you ask me) is the INSANE lobster taco here – at Benny’s in Venice – the best taco I have ever had.   Not sure how they missed that bad boy.  But – as I said – I will try the others they suggest & I will keep you posted on any changes & developments!

Lobster taco at Benny’s in Venice.

Benny’s Tacos & Chicken Rotisserie in Venice, California

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option.  Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out.  It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing.  The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.

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I am a Hollywood snob.  An east side snob.  Driving west of La Brea gives me the vapors.  The words “Beverly Hills” are greeted with a roll of my eyes.  I go years without seeing the ocean.  It is pretty twisted actually.  Matters are made worse by the fact that Miles’ favorite LA meal & favorite bar at which to linger – is Birds – right within walking distance of my home.  Here is Miles’ favorite meal there.

That is a half chicken, loaded baked potato & baked beans.  Birds can be pretty limited in its selection if you are a pescatarian, like me.  But they added this new flatbread with mozzarella & jalapenos & I have become mildly obsessed with it.

I love Andrew & Brooklyn, the bartenders at Birds, and so I can easily have my arm “twisted” and agree to Birds – sometimes EVERY day that Miles is here.  It has happened.

But, sometimes, when he is in town – I find occasion to venture out – sometimes even out past La Cienega.  Recently, we found ourselves in Venice.  Before I headed out there, I scoured Yelp for out best lunch options & came up with Benny’s Tacos.  It is difficult to guess what to expect from the exterior but there was parking & I am all about that.  Here is the exterior (image stolen from Benny’s site).

On the left of the image, you see their al fresco dining area.  We meant to eat out there but the tables all seemed very unstable so we moved inside.  Here is the interior.

And look at that cool tortilla heater thingy back there!  It rotates.

The greatest thing about Benny’s (for me) is their wide selection of seafood & vegetarian options.  I ordered a lobster & a fish taco – grilled not fried – and Miles got some massive chicken burrito.  We got drinks, chips & some salsa from the salsa bar & chose a table.  Benny’s also serves beer & wine!  There is a little three-seater bar in there, too!

If I lived close to Benny’s – I can promise you – Miles & would make that bar our own.

Chips & salsa were good.  Beer is served in frosted mugs.  Always a nice touch.

Then my tacos arrived.

That is the lobster taco on the left.  And let me tell you – that was the best Goddamn taco I have ever had in my life!  I don’t typically eat lobster because I feel really bad for them.  Seeing them in those tanks at the supermarket or in restaurants – claws bound & crawling all over each other waiting to die by being BOILED ALIVE – moves me to tears.  But, hypocritically, so did that lobster taco – as I washed it down with ice cold beer.  I kept photographing it in an effort to prolong the pleasure.  The fish taco was delicious, too, but that lobster fucker was a revelation!

Miles was served a burrito nearly the size of a football.

Miles pointed out that serving a burrito that size – largely filed with rice & beans (and TONS of chicken) – with additional rice & beans might be considered a rice-n-beans overkill but that is a minor complaint.  Especially for Miles – who can be very finicky about food minutia.  We both found our meals to taste fresh & clean & to be quite substantial.  I wanted to go right back up & order every other taco they offered that fit my diet but – alas – we were both stuffed.   My only complaint about Benny’s is that it is all the fuck the way in Venice – I place I have gone to more often than Venice, Italy – primarily because I have never been to Venice, Italy & that number (zero) is hard to beat.

But if you live anywhere near there – I cannot recommend highly enough that you give Benny’s a try.   They do a whole rotisserie chicken thing there, too, that we never even got into.  The menu – HERE – is far more varied than your average taco stand.  You could eat there every night for a week & never feel like you are ordering off the same menu.  And you can get likkered up, to boot!  What is stopping you?  Go there now!  And save me a seat at the bar!

Pepper & Sesame Crusted Seared Ahi with Spicy Mayo or Wasabi Mayo & Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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If you read this blog regularly, you know I burned $5 recently on a little container of micro arugula.  It is that little shamrocky looking stuff in these pictures.  I just wanted to follow up on my confession that I bought something so silly by pointing out how much mileage I am getting out of it!  It is really a pretty (and SPICY) little thing & it dresses up food spectacularly.  And it really does add flavor so – that might not be the last time I splurge on it.  So there.

There is nothing easier than this recipe.  The hardest part is finding a quality piece of fish & then ponying up the cash for it.  I got two 3/4 pound slabs at Costco recently for about $20.  That felt steep but then I saw the same fish at Gelson’s for $27 a pound so I felt better.

I felt even better when I used this stuff.  You might have already seen my pretty Sushi Tower

which was a massive success both on the plate and in my mouth.  This seared option is also wonderful & far easier to pull off.  The two sauce options are really easy, too.  I am posting a little baby kale & arugula salad I made here, too, because it isn’t really a recipe that warrants its own post but the Matsuhisa dressing is so unbelievably delicious – I had to share it with you.  It would go well on any salad or seafood or chicken.  Crazy yummy!

Matsuhisa Dressing

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup finely diced sweet onion

2 TBS plus 2 tsp soy sauce

2 TBS plus 1 tsp rice vinegar

2 tsp water

1/2 tsp sugar

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp powdered mustard

pinch fresh ground pepper

4 tsp grapeseed oil

4 tsp sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

Shake together.

OK – now onto the mayo concoctions.

Wasabi Mayo

Blend 1/3 cup mayo with 2 tsp prepared wasabi.

Spicy Mayo

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup mayo of your choice

2 TBS sriracha

1 tsp sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

Blend together.  If you have a squeezy bottle to put it in do – because then you can make pretty designs on the plate with the mayo.

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As to the tuna, I used a mortar & pestle to grind up

1 TBS peppercorns

1 TBS white sesame seeds

1 TBS black sesame seeds

1 tsp ground pepper

It was hard to grind them.  Next time – I will just use a pepper mill for grinding the pepper & not bother grinding the sesame seeds.

Then – simply press your ahi into the mix.

Press the spice mix in with your hands.  Then, on a very hot grill, sear for about two minutes on each side.

Cut it up right away to disperse the heat & to keep it from cooking more.  Dress with your mayos & serve with Wasabi Mashed Cauliflower and/or the salad with Matsuhisa dressing!  What a fabulous, light & healthy meal!

Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” with Caramelized Fennel & Spicy Orange-Glazed Albacore

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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Holy crap!  I could live on this mashed cauliflower dish!  I added 1/2 cup heavy cream to this but I do not think that is necessary.  Butter or a little milk (even plain soy milk) would likely be cool.  And wowza!  Are they easy.  I added caramelized fennel just to get fancy & it added a really nice flavor but caramelized onions or roasted garlic or goat cheese or any number of additions could take this dish in a multitude of directions.

As to the albacore – I buy it like this at Trader Joe’s.

Two decent sized slabs of tuna for just over $5.  Can’t beat that!  The problem is, I find this to sometimes be a tad fishy so I intentionally cook the bejesus out of it.  I cook it until the fat bubbles out of it.  At that point – it is virtually indistinguishable from some dry chicken breast.  At least – for me – it is because I haven’t eaten actual chicken breast in like 25 years.  Dry chicken might not sound appealing to you but I gave up meat to avoid giving my money to factory farms (and savage, MASS cruelty), not because I don’t like it.  I miss things like the awesome hotdogs at Costco, chicken piccata, rare steak and bacon.  So – I eat veggie dogs and Bacos in a jar & I try to make chicken piccata from this overcooked fish thing.  I used it here to simulate a glazed chicken dish & it works for me.  You might want to use actual chicken or salmon, if this albacore isn’t available to you – or if my description above was a bit on the soft sell side.

These flavors worked really well together & it was a very filling while still pretty healthy dinner.  But, whether you make the funky chicken albacore or not – TRY THE MASHED CAULIFLOWER!

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Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” with Caramelized Fennel & Spicy Orange-Glazed Albacore

INGREDIENTS

For the spicy orange-glazed albacore

2 pieces of albacore (or chicken breasts or salmon)

2 TBS butter

juice & zest of 2 oranges

2 TBS honey

2 TBS Dijon

2 tsp (or to taste) crushed red pepper

S&P to taste

For the cauliflower mashed potatoes with caramelized fennel

1 head cauliflower – cut into florets

1 bulb fennel – shaved very thin

2 TBS butter

1/2 cup heavy cream (or milk or soy milk)

1 TBS horseradish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

For the Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” with Caramelized Fennel 

Boil water & add the cauliflower & cook until soft.  Maybe 15 minutes.  Turn off heat & let cauliflower sit in the hot water.

Slice the fennel very thinly – reserving the dilly tops for garnish.  Melt the butter in a saute pan.  Saute the fennel, stirring constantly over medium heat – just until it begins to brown.  Remove from heat.

Drain the cauliflower & put it, the heavy cream, horseradish, and 1/2 of the caramelized fennel in a food processor & puree until smooth.  Add a little water to thin them if you desire.  Reserve some caramelized fennel for garnish.

Taste & add S&P to taste.

For the spicy orange-glazed albacore

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a saute pan.  Add the orange juice & zest, honey, Dijon & crushed red pepper & saute over medium heat until it thickens enough to coat a wooden spoon.  Add S&P to taste.

Coat the top of the fish with the glaze – reserving a little extra for garnish.  Bake the fish for about 20 minutes or until done.  I then turned the broiler on & put the fish near the flame for several seconds, watching VERY closely, until the glaze bubbled & boiled.

To serve – put a generous helping of the cauliflower puree on two plates.  Top with the cooked fish & then garnish with the reserved orange glaze, caramelized fennel and maybe some of the chopped dilly tops of the fennel and lots of freshly cracked pepper.

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La Sirena Azul in Inglewood, California

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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Another airport run – another opportunity to sample some of Inglewood’s finest.  This place is ON Century, about 5 minutes (3 miles?) away from LAX.   It is a perfect stop if you want to send folks off to their destinations full of awesome Mexican food.

As of today, with 19 reviews, this place only got three reviews that were not 5 stars.  That is pretty amazing – especially considering the TINY size of this place, absolute lack of curb appeal and its lowbrow interior (lack of) decor…and the fact that people are always more likely to take the time to talk shit about someplace – rather than saying something nice.

YELP REVIEWS

There are 7 tables in there & a TV playing Spanish Judge Judy court shows.  Surprisingly, they have a small selection of beer – critical for my boyfriend’s satisfaction.  Chips & salsa were delivered promptly.

We ordered way more food than we needed – mainly because I wanted to try so many things.  I ordered the shrimp ceviche tostada, the cold shrimp cocktail (yes, they offered it warm, too) and fish tacos.  Miles ordered their Diablo spicy Shrimp.  The salsa was decent – not award winning & the chips were standard, too, but the ceviche tostada was beautiful & super fresh & tasty and served with wedges of avocado.

The shrimp cocktail was served in a huge goblet in a very thin broth with shrimp & giant chunks of avocado.  It wasn’t very pretty – sorta like an uncared-for fish tank – but it was delicious, too!

My fish tacos were tasty & HUGE and filled with fish & corn & lima beans & green beans and peas.  They were served with rice & an iceberg salad – with even more avocado.

Miles’ dish was served with salad & rice, too, and was genuinely spicy & really flavorful.  Both Miles & I have a pretty high tolerance for heat but Miles commented a few times on how hot the shrimp were and even asked for a glass of water (unheard of!).  I only ate one shrimp & would just say – they are definitely hot but not blow-your-mouth-out hot.  Certainly, however, too hot for a sensitive mouth.

When we arrived at 12:30pm, we were the only ones there.  It began to fill up pretty quickly, however, and all the food I saw being delivered to other tables looked amazing & substantial (as to quantity).  Miles & I could easily have split an entree & been fine.  As it was, I went home with half his food & a fish taco.

The bill with two beers & a diet Coke (and the two appetizers – ceviche tostada $2 & shrimp cocktail $7) & two entrees (each about $10) came to $42.  That might seem high but remember – two beers & WAY too much food.  You could get in & out of here for far less.  And – whether you order light or go nuts – I absolutely recommend this joint with complete enthusiasm.  We all go to the airport – so you have no excuse!

Fiesta Martin Mexican Grill in Inglewood, Ca

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

Follow @celisemccarthy

I hate the airport.  Going to the airport in LA – for me (and likely you, too) – means that I am about to face too many hours hours in a too-small seat with too little to do, read, eat & drink and that I am likely to do these things to the dulcet tones of screaming babies.  Or – it means (half the time) that I am dropping someone off – someone I am sad to see going.  Today – it was the latter.  Today – I dropped off my boyfriend at the end of his Thanksgiving visit so he could head home to Little Rock.  😦

One thing that has made the airport run business more fun, though, has been seeking out little restaurant gems down in that neighborhood – areas I typically only ever drive through (over) on the freeway.  It was an airport run that helped me discover the INCREDIBLE soul food dished up at  The Serving Spoon and the awesomeness that is Pepy’s Galley (A diner AND a bowling alley?  Hey, what the…?).  Today resulted in another incredible find.

Let me introduce you to Fiesta Martin!!!  Mexican food, really good Mexican food, is abundant in Los Angeles.  I can’t believe I let myself squander decades pacified by adequate-at-best Mexican joynts like El Coyote, Mexico City & Mexicali – places that left me saying, “Ooof, OK.  Fine,” with disappointment and some irritation any time anyone insisted we go Mexican for dinner.

Tacos Delta in Silverlake always stood out as the best of what I’d experienced but lately – it seems amazing taco stands & trucks & shacks are popping up everywhere & dishing out incredibly fresh & clean Mexican fare.

Fiesta Martin is a full-blown restaurant with a decent selection of beer & margarita’s – one served with a mini bottle of Corona upended in it like this (images pilfered from Yelp):

I’m not sure what a margarita tastes like with a mini-beer poured into it & I was unable to sample one today – but they sure look cool.  And check out the festive interior there:

It would appear they do a $1 Taco Tuesdays thing – which it seems everyone is doing lately.  These never work for me because I do not eat meat or chicken & these $1 taco days always exclude the fish & vegetarian tacos.  But full price tacos are $2 – so what the fuck?  I can swing that.

Today I ordered both the shrimp & fish tacos (soft tacos) and a crunchy potato taco.  Miles, my boyfriend, ordered a chicken quesadilla.  I’d love to show you a picture of him enjoying his traditional Bud Lite & his massive quesadilla – but he isn’t one to be happily photographed.  So – I will just show you how he looked as we waited outside the vet for my pug, Memphis’, nail trimming appointment.

Aren’t they a cute pair?  Miles looks distinctly suspicious & Memphis looks a bit concerned – but everything, I am happy to report, turned out delightfully there.

While we waited for our food, a huge basket of hot corn chips was delivered along with a salsa that was spiced to perfection.  Then the food came.  Miles’ quesadilla – huge and THICK with cheese & chicken:

And my three tacos:

also HUGE (on full-size corn tortillas) and outrageously good.  The two seafood tacos had battered & deep fried seafood in them & were doused with pico de gallo, Mexican crema & thinly shredded cabbage.  The potato taco was simpler with a crunchy taco casing & simply tomato, cabbage & shredded cheese on top with what seemed to be steamed, sliced potato inside.  I am a huge fan of the potato tacos at Senor Fish and the potato taco here was no match for those but, in fairness, it was no match for the two incredible fish tacos that I tried before it, either.  I’m not sure I’d be so impressed with the Senor Fish potato tacos either – if I tried them right after a few bites of a Fiesta Martin shrimp taco.

The other impressive thing about Fiesta Martin is the pricing.  Miles’ quesadilla was $5.99, my tacos were about $2 each and beers were $2.99.  Our bill came to $25 with three beers & a diet Coke on the tab.  Ridiculous!  Just awesome!

While there – I checked in on FourSquare & noticed that someone had mentioned giving the art by the front door a close inspection.  From where I sat in the back, they looked like standard sorta fantasy portraits of old men.  Up close – they are much more.  Take a peek:

At any rate – our experience here was pure pleasure.  Some folks on Yelp mentioned this place used to have bad service – but that is no longer the case.  Cheerful ladies tended to us very carefully.  The place is lively with all its traditional decoration & music & everything looks very clean.  Yelpers complained the taco bar on Tuesdays can get crazy – but I cannot comment on that.  What I can say is that this place is CHEAP and delicious & I wish it was MUCH closer to my house because I would eat there on a weekly basis.  I recommend it VERY highly as a stop for anyone on the way to drop off a traveler at LAX – especially if that traveler prefers to travel well-fed & content.

Taco Cupcakes with Chipotle Fish & Mango Salsa or Garlic Lime Fish or Spicy Soyrizo or Rustic Corn

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

So – I really enjoyed the results I got from the lasagna cupcakes – and thought, “Why not try other savory cupcakes?”  There really is no end to what you can prepare in the cupcake pan.  And what a great way to make lots of little freezable, single-serving sized portions!  So – since I had taco fixings on hand – I thought I’d experiment there.  Here are the four versions that I made but do not feel you need to follow these very loose recipes much at all.  It’s kinda like a Color Me Mine kitchen project where you can put anything into these taco cupcakes that suits your fancy.  I made three different kinds using wontons (as I did with the lasagna cupcakes) and then one version using corn tortillas.  The tortilla version came out a tad more rustic in appearance because I used tortillas cut round with a cookie cutter & therefore they had no outer shell to hold them together.  The others came out a bit more elegantly – exactly as the lasagna versions had.

Here are the corn tortilla taco cupcakes:

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TACO CUPCAKES

Ingredients

corn tortillas OR wonton skins

Grated cheese (I used pepper jack)

Salsa – (I used mango-peach salsa and regular salsa and salsa verde)

Fish (I used tilapia)

Soyrizo or chorizo

1 7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo

Olive oil

honey

limes

1/2 poblano pepper seeded then charred over your stove burner & diced

BLACK BEANS

1 15oz can black beans – drained & rinsed

1/4 onion – diced

1 carrot – diced

1 celery stalk – diced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup tomato paste

GARNISHES (your choice) – Anything you’d put in a taco –

Guacamole (recipe below)

Avocado

Cabbage or lettuce – chopped

Diced Tomatoes

Cilantro

Sour Cream

Grated cheese

sliced jalapeno pepper

DIRECTIONS

Chipotle Fish

In your blender or food processor – puree

1 can chipotle in adobo

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp each S&P

Marinate your fish (or half your fish) in this for an hour or more.

Garlic-Lime Fish

Place your fish (or half if you are doing a chipotle version, too) in a single layer in a marinating dish.  Squeeze the juice of two limes over it & add a lot of sliced garlic.  I used about 6 cloves.  You can go lighter or heavier.  Sprinle with a little S&P – toss a bit & let marinate for about an hour.

Black Beans

In 1 TBS olive oil, saute the onion, carrot & celery until they begin to soften.  Add the can of drained black beans, cumin & tomato paste.  Stir around for about 5-10 minutes.  Remove them from heat & set aside.

Chipotle & Garlic Lime Fish

Remove from marinade & cook either on a grill or in a grill pan or frying pan sprayed with a nonstick spray – keeping the two flavors (Chipotle & the Garlic-Lime) separate.  Once cooked through – break up into smaller pieces.  Set aside.

ASSEMBLY

Spray your cupcake pan with nonstick spray.  Line each cup with a square wonton or with a corn tortilla cut to the size of the cupcake hole – either with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass.  I used a cookie cutter & used a smaller circle for the first two layers then the larger one for the top layer in both the tortilla version & cut only the top layer in the wonton version.

I layered the wonton versions three ways:

______________________________________________

CHIPOTLE FISH & MANGO-PEACH SALSA

Wonton Papers

Chipotle fish

mango-peach salsa

__________________________________________________

GARLIC-LIME FISH

Wonton Papers

grated pepper jack

Garlic lime fish

salsa verde

____________________________________

SPICY SOYRIZO

Wonton Papers

blacks beans

soyrizo

poblano peppers

hot salsa

pepper jack

______________________________________

RUSTIC CORN TORTILLA TACO CUPCAKES

corn tortillas

pepper jack

mango-peach AND hot red salsa

black beans

chipotle fish

________________________________________________

So – in each cupcake tin – layer a small amount of the ingredients you selected (or other variation).  Then add another square wonton or round corn tortilla.  Another layer of ingredients and then top with a large rounded wonton wrapper or a larger corn tortilla disc.   Top everything with a little more salsa & top all of them with pepper jack cheese.  In the case of the wonton versions – press the protruding wonton corners down into the topping so they look like little flat bundles.

Cook in the oven for 18-25 minutes – checking frequently to be sure they do not burn.  Remove from the oven & let cool for at least 5 minutes before trying to remove them from the pan.  The corn tortilla ones will naturally be harder to get out of the pan.  Maybe use a large serving spoon to assist in the lifting.

Top with either: sliced avocado or guacamole or more salsa or cilantro or more cheese or jalapeno peppers – whatever sounds good to you.

GUACAMOLE

1 large avocado

lime

Salt

Remove the skin & pit from the avocado.  Retain the pit.  In a bowl – chop the avocado very fine.  Squeeze a little lime juice in there & add a little salt.  Mix it up until it become creamy but some small chunks of avocado remain.  Taste. Add more salt or lime to taste.  Once it tastes good to you – put the pit back into the guacamole.  It will keep it from turning brown.

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Spicy Hoisin BBQ Salmon Tacos with Asian Slaw & Micro Cilantro

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

Again – I found myself with ingredients & the desire to create something unique from them.  I had some old salmon in the freezer & two giant bags of small corn tortillas and a fat ass.  What could a girl do with those ingredients?  Hmmmm…fish tacos & a smaller ass?  Tacos are a surprisingly good choice if you are hoping to have a healthy meal.  Three of the little taco-sized corn tortillas have about 100 calories – combined.  As long as you eschew the cheese and any sour cream or that Mexican Creme stuff (which is delicious) – you kinda can’t go wrong.  And you can even use those – in moderation – and still come out ahead of a sandwich or a salad with things like avocado & heavy dressing.  Also – if you serve them, as I did, with a giant quantity of steamed broccoli or other steamed vegetable (I flavored the broccoli on my plate with a little tempura dipping sauce) – you end up full & satisfied and hopeful that soon, the shadow cast by your ass in the late afternoon sun will become less conspicuous.

So – here is my recipe for Spicy Hoisin BBQ Salmon Tacos with Asian Slaw.  I had two pieces of salmon each about the size of a giant Snickers & didn’t even eat one of them in my three tacos.   So – I guess this amount of salmon might feed three people a light dinner.  Typically, the ratio is 1/2 pound fish per person – so – if serving others – you might want to keep that in mind.

Also -I used micro cilantro – which cost me $5 basically because it looks really pretty, makes my post sound more foodie & because I am trying to impress people & establish my cooking bona fides through smoke & mirrors & exotic sounding ingredients.  But $5 for garnish when a .69 cent bunch of regular cilantro is probably better tasting – is really just silliness.

More silliness?  NEW AGE DRINKS?   Such a supermarket staple that they needed an aisle marker the way bread, cereals, canned vegetables & dairy do?  Who are these folks with a new age thirst?    Are they coming right from yoga or an ashram or a Deepak Chopra reading?  I Googled it & got some Time magazine article that seemed to equate new age drinks with smaller distributor iced teas.   But Gelson’s seems to think both iced tea AND new age drinks need their own labels so – I’m lost.

Anyway – on to tacos!

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Spicy Hoisin BBQ Salmon Tacos with Asian Slaw

INGREDIENTS

Salmon (1/2 lb per person) – try to get wild caught – not farmed.

MARINADE

Hoisin sauce

Sambal Olek or Asian chili paste

honey

soy sauce

Asian Slaw

1/4 medium head cabbage – shredded fine

3 inches of daikon – cut into short matchsticks

4 scallions – sliced fine

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 TBS rice vinegar

1 TBS sesame oil

1 TBS black sesame seeds (optional – but they look pretty)

1 tsp black pepper

Chili Sauce

1/2 cup sambal olek

2 TBS sesame oil

1 TBS white sesame seeds (optional – but they look pretty)

Corn Tortillas (small taco size – if possible) – 3 or more per person

Micro cilantro or regular cilantro for garnish

lime wedges

DIRECTIONS

Put the salmon in a something to marinate it.  I used a freezer baggy.  I put the salmon in & then added a good amount (1/4 cup?) honey & the same amount of soy, sambal olek & hoisin sauce.  I sealed the bag, smooshed everything around in there & put in in the fridge all day.

For the slaw – blend the mayo, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar & pepper.  Mix the cabbage, scallions & daikon & then add the sauce.  Finally – add in the black sesame seeds – if you are using them.  Set aside – or chill if you made this in advance.

For the chili sauce – blend the sambal olek, sesame oil & white sesame seeds.  Set aside.

Remove the fish from the marinade but keep the marinade nearby in a bowl.  Grill your salmon a few minutes on each side over high heat.  I used a round grill pan.  I left the center of the salmon rare.  Feel free to poke into the salmon to check doneness – as you will break it up into small pieces later.  You may like your fish more cooked than I do.  Just eyeball it until you think it is ready. Return the cooked fish to the marinade.

Heat your tortillas on BOTH SIDES on a grill or in a frying pan or over your burners until they soften & just start to show browned patches.  Now it is time to assemble the tacos.  You can put a portion of fish (broken into small chunks) & slaw & tortillas on each plate & let folks assemble them themselves – or put everything out buffet style.  I was alone so I assembles the three tacos on my plate.  Easy.  Tortillas, slaw, fish, a drizzle of chili sauce, cilantro & a squeeze of lime.  Shove it in your face.  Enjoy!   PS – the slaw can be served as a side dish, too!

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Fish Tacos at The Cat & Fiddle in Hollywood

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

Yesterday was a ridiculously gorgeous day & I needed a way to kill it – with dignity  – not holed up in my troglodyte’s haven – day drinking over my millionth homemade pizza.  My friend Katie & I decided that something greasy, perhaps on a bun, definitely in public, maybe with a rowdy or, at least, spirited crowd, beer & outdoor seating was in order.  After rejecting Saddle Ranch (which we only considered due to its proximity to our decision-making locale) as a place for the Jager & beer bong crowd – we remembered Cat & Fiddle.  It seemed a perfect choice – though I feared it would be packed & the outdoor seating option (a primary concern) taken out of play.  Sitting inside a dark pub on a gorgeous Los Angeles holiday weekend would be a sin.  As it happened – we got rock star parking & the place was deserted.

Inside & out.

Pardon the sub-par images but the bright, speckled sunlight made getting surreptitious but lovely outdoor photos impossible – and inside – it just felt rude to linger photographing the few folks that were belly up to the bar.

After some discussion – Katie opted for fish & chips & a hard cider – while I had fish tacos & a Stella.

I find the food here quite good – assuming you are ready to eat PUB food & not fucking quinoa risotto and things made of kale, sea palm & kelp.  If healthy eating is your goal – head to the good but insanely pretentious Cafe Gratitude (check out this menu http://cafegratitudela.com/menu/) – which isn’t far away.  My fish tacos – while fried – were very yummy.  I ate everything – including a side of fries.  Katie cleaned her plate, too, except for the infinity of peas that made up the bed for her haddock & fries.  Seriously – they must have given her and entire bag of frozen peas.  I wonder in what quantity they get their peas delivered – because they cannot seem to unload enough on any one unsuspecting diner.

The patio outside is full of trees & umbrellas & flowers & a center fountain.  And – most delightful – is the doggy menu – for when your dog is your date – DOG MENU.  It is a perfect place for summer eating & drinking & getting fat.  With your dog.  Can’t beat that!  So after 2500 calories, two beers & both of us feeling like we’d swallowed a cinder block, Katie & I stepped out of Cat & Fiddle very happy to have killed a few sunny hours in their dog-friendly, garden patio.

http://www.thecatandfiddle.com/

Fish Tacos – Bentwood Tavern – New Buffalo, Michigan

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bentwood-Tavern/176874977368

http://www.marinagrandresort.com/bentwood

 

Photo © Christine Elise McCarthy 2012

These are incredible!!!  And you can sit outside on the water, too!