I truly think one of the biggest benefits to living in So Cal is the warm summer nights. This year it has been a really mild summer and I have been craving an evening to sit on the patio, eat dinner and drink wine while listening to the crickets and watching the tiki torches. My dreams came true last night and although the day was a scorcher...one in which you feel like you are walking on the surface of the sun...no drama there at all. After the sun went down it was a beautiful evening so of course I had to plan a meal to match the mood. I decided on grilled fish tacos because for some reason fried fish tacos just don't usually do anything for me and I wanted something fresh and light. Ok lets be honest I love fried fish tacos but 9 times out of 10 anything fried makes me ill and for some reason it just kills the enjoyment for me. The tacos had avocado, salsa verde, chipotle cream and lettuce on them. As you all know I am a huge wine fan however on a night like this you just have to drink cold beer especially while eating tacos. It was perfect in every way!!!

Here is the fish taco recipe:

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

4 (4-5oz) fresh or frozen skinless red snapper, tilapia or sole fillets 1/2" thick
*** I used tilapia and it worked perfectly ***
Local hint: If you live in Moorpark the Albertsons by Cafe Firenze has the best fish counter. The rest of the store is a little ghetto but they have the best fish selection in town

2 T cooking oil *** I used olive oil of course ***
1 tsp ancho chile powder ***ancho chile powder is easy to find in grocery stores and it has a more smokey flavor than generic chile powder ***
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp blk pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp finely chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
12 6" corn tortillas (you can also use flour )
2 cups shredded cabbage or romaine lettuce ***I used romaine lettuce ***
1 avocado-halved, sliced
1 cup salsa ***I used salsa verde from the Farmers Market ***
1 lime

1. Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Brush oil evenly on both sides of fish. For rub, in a small bowl stir together chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Sprinkle rub over both sides of fish and rub in with your fingers.
2. For chipotle cream, in another small bowl stir together sour cream and chipotle chili peppers and set aside. Wrap tortillas tightly in foil. *** I cook my tortillas over an open flame on a gas stove. I just use tongs and cook them on both sides until they are nice and soft. Got this tip from my husband actually who got it from a girl he dated in college...Thank you random ex-girlfriend. ***
3. Grill fish and tortilla packet (If you don't want to cook them on the stove like I do) over med coals for 4-6 min or until fish begins to flake when tested with a fork and tortillas are heated through. *** I cooked the fish on a grill pan covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spray just so it didn't stick or fall through the cracks. *** Turn fish and tortillas once halfway through the grilling.
4. Fill warm tortillas evenly with fish, lettuce, avocado and serve with fresh salsa, chipotle cream and lime wedges.


I also made some rice. I just cooked the rice in a rice cooker and added some avocado, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and some caramelized onions (just sauteed these in a pan with olive oil until they were good and caramelized) once the rice was done cooking.  The peppers definitely made it zesty but with the beer it was the perfect contrast.

Random thought for the night: Does anyone watch Jersey Shore? Or am I the only person who is addicted to that trashy reality TV show (ok please don't answer that question)? Anyway has anyone else noticed that they all have an Italian Sunday dinner together where usually the guys all cook? I just find it amusing that one of the most gratuitous shows on tv still has a cooking element. And I would love to say that I watch it just because I am curious as to what they will make for Sunday dinner but dang it that just isn't true. I watch it because its like watching a car accident...you always know Sammi and Ronnie are going to fight but you are always optimistic that they eventually will live happily ever after, you think "The Situation" is a douche but his abs are still beautiful to look at, you think  that every time Pauly D opens his mouth he his extremely unintelligent but you still have a trashy little crush on him, you think its cool that Vinny speaks Italian even though he has a STD, you think Snooki is a troll but she is so dumb its funny and Jwoww is probably the most normal of the bunch and that is just outright frightening.