Growing up in Toronto, my exposure to Mexican food was limited to A) Taco Bell (fries supreme anyone??), B) Old El Paso taco kits and C) Cancun resort food (spring break at a 3 star = Pepto Bismol appetizers).

Fish tacos are pretty easy to find on a lot of restaurant menus, especially here in the Southwest.  For a while, I thought that in order to get them, I had to go out to eat .  But I figured out how to make them and now my fast fish tacos are a go-to meal when I want a yummy and healthful meal, with minimal effort.

Authentic Mexican?  Um no.  Infinitely better than Taco Bell/Old El Paso/Cancun all-you-can-eat?   Si.

A note about corn tortillas: living in Scottsdale, Arizona is amazing for authentic Mexican food.  Ingredients like Mexican hot sauce and fresh corn tortillas are staples in grocery stores but definitely harder to find in Toronto.  I know they carry the fresh corn tortillas at Whole Foods in Hazelton Lanes in Yorkville (not sure where else though).

I used blue corn tortillas from Trader Joe’s for these tacos here but like using white and yellow corn tortillas too.  I don’t discriminate, just appreciate.

The hot sauce is the secret ingredient here to keep the tacos somewhat authentic tasting – it’s smokey and delicious and I use copious amounts.  D adds it to ketchup for a spicy ketchup-y dipping sauce for his grilled cheese sammies… so clever.  Secret sauce no more.  Go find it… Cholula and Tapatio are the best (Cholula ships to Canada!).  Don’t you just love the dude on the Tapatio label?  We use this one at home.

Fish tacos are typically garnished with shredded cabbage; I add a dollop of fresh guacamole (avocado dip) and/or pico de gallo (a fresh condiment made from tomato and onion).  To heat the tortillas, I pile them on a  plate (max 5 at a time) and put a damp but not wet paper towel over them and microwave for about 30 – 45 seconds.  Or if you have a tortilla warmer, use that instead (duh).  Or you can individually heat them in a pan with a little spray oil.

You can use just about any firm white fish – I used sea bass here but have used halibut, cod, tilapia, and trout in the past and all have been great.  I really like the texture of the sea bass so that’s my preferred fish taco fish choice.

And of course, you don’t have to make all the condiments for the tacos.  Store-bought salsa or guacamole are great time-saving options or you could just use a few slices of fresh avocado and/or tomato.  That’s what makes this such a great meal – you can usually find enough of the basics to whip this up with just about anything you happen to have on hand.

PS – when cutting the jalapeno, de-seed them to reduce the heat factor as most of the heat is in the seeds.  I also removed the white parts and dice the green, which adds flavour without too much heat.  And don’t touch a jalapeno and then touch your eyes – your eyes will burn like crazy (trust me, I learned the hard way).  Wear gloves or use a fork when handling jalapenos or any hot peppers.

PPS – I revised the recipe because I’ve started adding some tapioca powder or cornstarch to the spice mixture to coat the fish before pan-frying.  This gives the fish an amazing lightly crispy coating making these tacos even more delicious.