Fish tacos are the greatest! I made these with tilapia but you can use any mild, white fish. If you have never had a fish taco I hope you will give them a try. They are absolutely delicious! Here is what you need for these:

16 corn tortillas
8 white fish fillets – I used Basa – but you can use tilapia, cat fish or halibut
1 cup flour
1 cup Mexican beer
1 cup yogurt
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 limes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Vegetable oil
2 cups shredded green or red cabbage
1 large tomato chopped
Salt

Rinse and pat dry the fish. Cut each fillet into 4 strips. Place in a bowl and squeeze 1 of the limes, covering completely with juice. Set it aside for 15 minutes.

In a bowl mix the flour and beer. Whisk well and season with salt. Set aside for 15 minutes.
In another bowl mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, the juice of the other lime, cumin, garlic and cilantro. Whisk until blended well and season with salt to taste.

Fill a large skillet with oil and heat until the oil is very hot. Place the fish, one slice at a time, into the batter. Let the excess batter drip and place the fish in a single layer (work in batches). Fry the fish until evenly browned, turning once. Remove onto paper towels and drain off the excess oil.

Place a tortilla on top of another one. Smear with yogurt sauce. Place two pieces of fried batter in the middle. Top with cabbage and tomatoes. Serve.

Print the Tilapia Tacos Recipe Here

Tacos al pastor are barbecue flavored pork and pineapple tacos. You will need to marinate your meat overnight so make sure you allot the proper time. This is what you are going to need for these:

Serves four

16 small corn tortillas
4 dry chile Guajillo
6 dry chile Pasilla
4 dry chile Morita or Ancho
2 pounds pork loin – trimmed and cut into small dice
6 pineapple slices
¾ cup chile soaking water
½ cup brown sugar
4 garlic cloves – peeled
1 ½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 small oranges)
Zest of 1 small orange – about 1 TBS
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 TBS crushed oregano
½ cup cola
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
½ TBS white vinegar
Zest of ½ a lime
Juice of a lime – about 2 TBS

Place the cubed pork in a zip-lock bag.

Dry roast the chiles directly on the open flame of a gas burner or in a dry skillet. Once the chiles have blistered, place them in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Weigh down the chiles with a plate. Soak them for 20 to 30 minutes. When they are hydrated – stem them and seed them. Place them in a blender. Add ¾ cup of soaking liquid, the brown sugar, garlic cloves and 2 slices of pineapple. Blend into a paste.

Mix the orange juice, orange zest, cumin, oregano, cola, black pepper, salt, vinegar, lime zest and lime juice. Add the chile paste and mix well. Pour the marinade into the bag, over the pork. Take out all the air and marinade over-night.

The next day –

Lightly brush a skillet with some oil. Place the pineapples in the skillet and cook them on low heat. Cooking them on low heat will make sure that they caramelize evenly and do not char. Be patient. Once they are browned on one side, flip them over and cook the other side. Once cooked, cut the pineapple into small chunks and set aside.

Heat another skillet and remove the pork from the marinade. Add the pork to the hot skillet and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes – or until the pork is cooked through.
Heat your tortillas in the oven, on a griddle or directly on an open flame. Place two on a plate and spoon some pork in the middle. Add some pineapple and serve. Enjoy!

Print the Tacos al Pastor Recipe Here

Tacos are a great, fun, easy and inexpensive meal. I like making them when I have lots of kids over. They LOVE them! This recipe feeds eight people but can be easily divided for a smaller crowd. Here is what you are going to need:

2 pounds ground beef
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves – minced
4 tomatoes – chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 TBS taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
Salt & Pepper
16 crunchy taco shells
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced lettuce
Grated Cheese – preferable Mexican blend
2 mashed avocados with lime and salt
Sour cream

Heat a skillet with some oil. Add the beef. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder. Mix well and brown. Drain.

Wipe skillet and add some more oil. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic. Cook for another couple of minutes. Return the meat to the skillet and mix well. Add the tomatoes and the cilantro. Mix well. Add the taco seasoning and the water. Mix again. Bring beef t a simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Assemble your taco as you please. Enjoy!

Print the Ground Beef Tacos Recipe Here

Shrimp tacos are so fresh and easy to make. They are great for these days that the weather is starting to get warm. The beauty of tacos is that you really do not need a whole lot of ingredients to make a wonderful meal. Here is what you are going to need for this:

FOR THE SAUCE:
¼ cup cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 TBS lime juice
1 tsp. chipotle powder
1 TBS chopped cilantro

FOR THE SHRIMP:
1 pound shrimp – peeled, de-veined and halved
4 garlic cloves – minced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo – chopped
½ a large lime – juiced
½ cup chopped cilantro

FOR THE CABBAGE SALAD:
2 cups sliced green cabbage
2 tomatoes – peeled and diced
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 large lime – juiced
Salt

Corn tortillas

• Whisk all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt. Set aside.
• Heat 2 TBS of vegetable oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and chipotle. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp. Mix well. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes – until shrimp turns pink. Add the cilantro. Mix well. Set aside.
• Place all the cabbage salad ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.
• Heat your tortillas. Place two tortillas on a plate. Smear some sauce on the bottom.
• Top with shrimp and cabbage salad.
• Serve with a wedge of lime. Enjoy!

Print the Chipotle Shrimp Tacos Recipe Here

This recipe was made with our homemade mole. However, you can go ahead and make this with store ought if you want. Here is what you need to do for 4 people:

3 cups mole sauce
2 cups shredded chicken or 8 cooked chicken thighs or legs
3 TBS sesame seeds

Place the chicken and the sauce in a pan. Bring it to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, dry toast the sesame seeds for about 6 minutes.

Sprinkle the seeds over the cooked chicken and serve with white rice. Enjoy!

Print the Chicken Mole Recipe Here

This sauce is absolutely wonderful. The amazing combination of spices, nuts and chilies makes this a deep and bold sauce. It takes a lot of work but it is well worth it! Here is what you need to do for this:

Makes 6 cups

6 ancho chili pods
6 guajillo chili pods
6 arbol chili pods
½ cup raisins
8 garlic cloves
1 medium white onion – peeled and quartered
3 medium plum tomato
3 to 4 medium tomatillo
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
1/8th tsp. anise seeds
1/8th tsp. coriander seeds
1 TBS sesame seeds
4 cloves
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 TBS vegetable shortening or lard
½ cup raw almonds
½ cup walnuts
¼ cup raw peanuts
1 corn tortilla
½ cup soaking liquid
2 cups chicken stock
5.5 oz. Mexican drinking chocolate (1 round tablet) or 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Remove the seeds and stem from the dry chili pods. Place them in a dry skillet and toast them until starting to blister. Place in a bowl. Add the raisins to the skillet and cook for a few minutes until puffed. Add to the chilies. Cover with boiling water and weigh down with a plate. Allow soaking for about 30 minutes.

While the pods are soaking, add the garlic and onion to the skillet. Cook until charred on all sides. Set aside. When garlic is cool enough, peel it. Add the tomatoes to the skillet. Repeat the process.

Add the sesame seeds, anise, coriander and cinnamon to the pan. Toast for a couple of minutes – until fragrant – stirring constantly. Place in a mortar or coffee-grinder with the cloves and turn into a powder.

Add shortening to the skillet and melt. Add the nuts and brown. Set aside. Add the tortilla to the shortening and brown well.
Place the hydrated chilies and raisins in a blender with ½ a cup of soaking liquid. Blend well. Transfer to a sieve and strain into a bowl. Rinse the blender and add all of the other ingredients – except the chocolate – and blend. Pass through a sieve into the same bowl where the chilies are. Mix sauce well.

Place the sauce in a large pot – it will spatter so be careful – and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

You can keep this sauce for up to 6 months in the freezer.

Print the Mole Sauce Recipe Here

In my opinion, when a tamal is moist and has the proper amount of filling you have succeeded! Making tamales in not super hard but it is labor intensive. So you do need to plan ahead. You could prepare the beef and chilies a day ahead of time if you wanted too. Here is what you are going to need for this delicious and wonderful meal:

Makes 16 to 20 tamales

1- 2.5 to 3 pound flank steak or beef round roast
2 TBS ground cumin + 1 tsp. for the chilies
1 small white onion – cut into eighths + ½ for the chilies
1 chili pepper – halved (optional)
8 garlic cloves – smashed + 4 halved ones for the chilies
2 thyme sprigs
4 California dry chilies
2 ancho dry chilies
2 pasilla dry chilies
1½ a cup of soaking liquid
16 to 20 dry corn husks
4 cups masa harina for tamales
4 cups beef broth – hopefully the left over from the beef – luke warm
1 TBS baking powder
1 cup vegetable shortening
Boiling water
Salt & Pepper
2 TBS Canola oil

Rinse and pat dry the beef you are using. Season it with 1 TBS. salt, black pepper and 2 TBS ground cumin. Heat a large braising pan with the canola oil and brown the beef evenly on both sides. Set aside.

Discard all excess rendered fat. Add a little bit of water to the pan and scrape the brown bits from the bottom. Return the beef to the pot. Add the onion, garlic, chili pepper if using and thyme sprigs. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and reduce heat and cover. Braise meat for 2 to 3 hours, until soft enough to shred. Once cooked, remove meat from pan and allow cooling. Shred the beef by hand, discarding any fat. Strain the broth and save it. You will need 4 cups for the masa harina. If you do not have enough add water to complete the 4 cups.

Heat a large skillet. Add the chili pepper and dry roast until a bit charred and blistered on both sides. Place chilies in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Weigh the chilies down with a small plate. Soak for 30 minutes. Once soaked, remove the stems and seeds and place in a blender. Add the half white onion, remaining garlic cloves, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 2 tsp. salt and 1 ½ cups soaking liquid. Blend into a paste and taste for salt. Add more if necessary. Add the chili paste to the beef and mix well.

Carefully separate the corn husks and soak then in warm water in a clean sink for about 30 minutes. Once soaked, remove from sink and carefully pat dry. Place the husks in a baking sheet and cover with a damp kitchen towel.

Place 4 cups of masa harina in a bowl. Add the baking powder and 2 tsp. salt. Mix well. Place the shortening into a small bowl and whip until creamy. Using your fingertips, add the beef broth to the masa and mix well. Once you have incorporated it all, add the shortening and finish mixing.

Place a husk in front of you with the rough side down and the shorter end towards you. Spoon in a thin layer of masa harina – wetting the spoon as necessary to work. Spoon in some beef in the middle. Fold the short end onto the masa and start rolling the husk away from you until you have a nice tight roll. Press the ends. The dough will seal the husks. Do not worry if your filling seeps a little. It will steam into the masa harina and be absolutely delicious.

Stand the rolled tamales in a steaming basket. Cover them with a damp cotton towel. Cover the pot and steam for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Make sure you check the water levels in your steamer about every 30 minutes. Carefully remove the dish rag and one of the tamales. Let it cool a bit and check for doneness. If they are not fully cooked steam for a little longer.

Serve your tamales with your salsa of choice and enjoy. These will freeze beautifully so go ahead and make a bunch. Enjoy!

Note: You will find Mexican chilies, husks and the masa harina in the Hispanic aisle of your grocery store.