{the dish} asian inspired fish tacos

Tonight ... I did not get chopped!

My kids were skeptical ... heck I really didn't know if it would work. A had a bit of this and a touch of that ... I had about 40 minutes... and in my basket: fish, mushrooms, mango and edamame ... time was a ticking...

So that is where it started and this is where it ended ... a really fun go at a taco.

But the pressure was building and the judges (a.k.a. my kids) were getting hungry. So I had to act quick. I soaked the fish in coconut milk, lime and lemon grass 1/2 hour. Made a salsa of mango, edamame, cilantro and jalapeno with lime and let that sit.

I tossed the fish in panko and sauteed it in a little sesame oil and olive oil. Unfortunately the breading did not hold to the fish. I knew my judges (a.k.a. my kids) might take off points but .... since this was a taco meal it didn't really matter so I kept going- I did make sure that I scraped the bottom of the pan and got all of the stuck breading ... that is where the flavor is at baby!

I served the taco with warm white corn tortillas with a side of asian slaw (store bought ... shoot another deduction)... I was done. Simple, fresh and fun. Did I make it????? Should we switch to a commercial break to beef up the intensity of the moment?

We loved it and happily I made it to the next round!

asian inspired fish tacos by ann west

marinate your fish in:

1/2 can coconut milk (shake the can to incorporate the fat into the milk)

2 limes squeezed

1 -2 stalks of lemon grass (if you don't have this no worries perhaps some basil might do)

Shake this all together and pour over your fish and let sit for 1 hour or more. I used cod, but tilapia or another white mild fish will do fine.

mango edamame salsa by ann

1 cup edamame (i used frozen and just thawed)

1 good handful of cilantro

1 mango peeled and chopped

1 jalapeno finely chopped

1 1/2 limes juiced

salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne

mix and let sit.

shiitakes if you wish .... chop with some onion or shallot and saute in olive oil and sesame oil add salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime. done!

{recipe box} pot stickers and lettuce wraps

Dumplings, pot stickers, pan fried, boiled ... little pockets filled with a savory insides dipped in a perfect blend of salt, heat and sweet! what ever - they are all good!

This meal was a blast. Fun to make ... so good. We made three fillings which... yes... was a bit to ambitious. (shrimp & pork, egg & scallion, and shitake mushroom). Next time I will simplify and make just one. The recipes that I worked with were from the magazine "Fine Cooking". If you haven't picked one up.. try it out...it is a fabulous cooking magazine. Great tips and wonderful steps if you like to create in the kitchen!

The shrimp and pork filling was our favorite ... next time I might just add in the mushrooms to that and maybe some water chestnuts. Remember when using any recipe try the filling. It should be tasty. If not you need to add more so it tastes the way YOU want it to! We used store bought wonton wrappers found in the freezer section. They were GREAT!

The leftover fillings made some wonderful small lettuce wraps with romaine lettuce. delicious!

And here was our very fun, family dinner of pot stickers, lettuce wraps and edamame. The kids had a blast and wanted more. Good times!

pot sticker & dipping sauce recipes found here! If you check out Fine Cooking's home page (click below on image) I think they even have a vidoe of how to make these dumplings. Resourses, resourses.... I love it!