OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

cinco de mayo

Grilled Pacific Rock Fish Tacos

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Nearly guilt free, these Grilled Pacific Rock Fish Tacos skip the typical dredging and go straight for the grill. Topped with fresh mango salsa and served in a warm flour tortilla with chipotle slaw.

Skip the dredging and go straight to the grill for these blackened Pacific Rockfish Tacos with mango salsa and chipotle slaw.

Grilled, not fried

I love a good fish taco, but normally they are fried and that’s not so good on the waistline. These Grilled Pacific Rock Fish tacos will have you feeling a step ahead of the calorie count AND they are packed with flavor and freshness from the mango salsa. You’ll feel like you’re sitting on the beach somewhere near Baja, just sipping a margarita with taco in hand.

Rock Fish, Snapper, Red Perch

I recently did a Google search on rock fish and was very surprised at how widely the term rock fish was used. Here in the Pacific Northwest we typically refer to rock fish as Pacific Snapper or sometimes, Cat Fish because of the “whiskers”. Watching cooking shows I always hear about Striped Bass and can never seem to find it here on the west coast. Well, according to my Google search, it is one in the same. How about that?

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Grilled Pacific Rock Fish Tacos

Skip the dredge and go straight for the grill with these blackened Pacific Rock Fish Tacos with mango salsa and chipotle slaw.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Cinco de Mayo, Fish tacos
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Mango Salsa

  • 1 large mango, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 cup red onion, fine diced
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, fine diced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed if you like mild and diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 lime, squeezed for juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Chipotle Slaw

  • 2 cup green cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce (just the adobo sauce)
  • 1 splash milk to thin
  • salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Rock Fish

  • 4 small fillets or about 1 lb rock fish (such as snapper or catfish)
  • 1-2 tbsp Cajun seasoning (such as Zatarains or Slap ya Mama)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Other

  • 8 small flour tortillas, warmed
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • 1 avocado, sliced

Instructions

Mango Salsa

  • Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside until ready to serve.

Chipotle Slaw

  • Toss together green and red cabbage in a large bowl.  
  • In a small bowl combine mayonnaise and white vinegar until smooth.  Stir in sugar and chipotle in adobo sauce.  Stir in milk to thin to a semi-creamy , but not liquid consistency. 
  • Combine the mayonnaise mixture with the cabbage and set aside until serving.

Grilled Rock Fish

  • Start a charcoal grill (I prefer charcoal, but you could use gas).  Wait until charcoal is completely grey and will not flare up when cooking.
  • Pat each rock fish fillet dry with a paper towel. Rub Cajun seasoning over each fillet, making sure to completely coat. 
  • Coat a paper towel with vegetable oil and rub over grate of grill.  Drizzle a vegetable oil lightly over seasoned rock fish.
  • Grill rock fish on first side for about 3-4 minutes. This really depends on how thick your rock fish fillet is.  Grill until you can see the flesh turning from clear white to opaque white about half way though. Do not move the fish while it is cooking on the first side because it may stick and start to flake apart. 
    After 3-4 minutes, using a thin  metal spatula, flip and repeat on second side. 
    You will know it is cooked when it starts to flake and the center is opaque, but still moist.

Serving

  • Place a little chipotle slaw on flour tortilla, top with some flaked rock fish and mango salsa.  Serve with lime wedges and avocado slices.
  • Bite size lettuce wraps with mango chile shrimp and mango salsa
  • Buttery, crunchy macadamia crusted cod in a smoky mango sauce

Related Recipes:

Carne en su Jugo

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Carne en su Jugo is a flavorful broth of tomatillos and spices with bits of steak, pinto beans and smoky bacon served with a variety of toppings such as radish and cilantro.

I’m re-naming this soup the ‘feel good’ soup because after just one slurp, you can’t help but feel good. There’s something about the concentration of flavors in the broth that soothe your soul. I came across this soup from my good friend Dani who had been talking it up about this steak soup that was just A M A Z I N G. She finally made it for our Easter dinner and man, I could have eaten the entire pot. No joke.

It’s really a very simple soup to make, but there are a few very important steps that make this soup spectacular. The steak must be cut in very small pieces, the more uniform the better. This helps the overall texture of the soup because it cooks evenly and you don’t end up with any chewy pieces. Also, you really want a lean piece of steak, otherwise you end up with fatty pieces and that, my friends is no bueno! This goes for the bacon too. Render all that fat out of the bacon. You want crispy bacon.

Finally, you may end up with extra tomatillo mixture. This is a good thing! Use it as a topping or salsa on the side. It’s pretty much my salsa verde recipe anyways! Here’s the link to my Salsa Verde, because trust me, you’ll want more! https://outwestlifestyle.com/2019/04/25/salsa-verde/

Carne en su Jugo
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Carne en su Jugo

A flavorful broth of tomatillos and spices with bits of steak, pinto beans and smoky bacon.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Mexican, Soups, Stews, Chowders
Keyword Cinco de Mayo, mexican soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 4-5 tomatillos, husks removed
  • 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, fresh
  • 5 strips thick cut bacon fine chopped
  • 1 lb lean steak, such as loin, skirt or flank fine chopped
  • 8 cup good chicken broth
  • 1 can pinto beans, drained (or 1.5 cup soaked pinto beans)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper

Instructions

  • Place tomatillos, onion and jalapeno on a sheet pan under broil until charred on all sides.
  • Remove from broiler and place in blender with garlic and 1/4 cup of cilantro.  Blend until smooth.
  • In a large soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp.  Remove bacon from pot and set aside, leaving grease in pot. 
  • Increase heat to medium high, add diced steak and cook until browned.  
  • Pour 2 cup of the tomatillo mixture into the pot with the grease and browned steak.  Cook for about 2 minutes. 
  • Add remaining ingredients, including remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and simmer until steak is tender about an hour.  Right before serving add bacon back to soup or use as a topping.
  • Serve with a variety of toppings such as diced radish, fresh cilantro, cotija cheese and tortilla chips.

Grilled Seafood Tostada

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Grilled shrimp and scallops get piled high on a crunchy tostada with fresh corn and tomato salad drizzled with a refreshing cilantro lime vinaigrette.

We’re one week away from Cinco de Mayo and I’d say that’s a reason to celebrate Mexican food! I mean, do we really need a reason? I could eat Mexican food everyday especially if it’s paired with succulent seafood.

All those bright, fresh colors and textures layered with a depth of spices and the crunch….Yep, Mexican food has it all. When you fuse it with Pacific Northwest flavors it just gets better. Elegance.

Shrimp and scallops get gently grilled adding a hint of smokiness as they top a fresh and crunchy salad that’s drizzled in cilantro lime vinaigrette. This Grilled Seafood Tostada has it all, the crunch, the freshness and the smoky sweetness of the shrimp and scallops all in one weeknight meal.

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Grilled Shrimp & Scallop Tostada With Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Grilled shrimp and scallops piled high on a crunchy tostada with fresh corn and tomato salad drizzled with cilantro lime vinaigrette
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Cinco de Mayo, Seafood tostada
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Seafood:

  • 12 shrimp peeled, deveined, leave on tail
  • 8 sea scallops patted dry
  • 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
  • ½ cup mayonnaise

Salad:

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • ¼ cup red onion fine diced
  • ½ clove garlic minced
  • ½ jalapeno diced
  • 1 cup red cabbage finely shredded
  • 2 ears corn grilled and cut off cob (brush with olive oil and grill until charred . I like to do this before the seafood when grill is super hot)
  • 1 avocado diced
  • ¾ of the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:

  • 1 lime juiced
  • ¼ cup cilantro fine chopped
  • ½ clove garlic minced
  • 1 tsp agave nectar
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 can of Mexican seasoned pinto beans such as Bush’s Cocina Latina
  • 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese shredded
  • 4 Tostada shells
  • A few kabob sticks
  • Lime for serving

Instructions

  • Prepare grill.
  • In a small bowl, mix together chipotle in adobo and mayonnaise.
  • Toss together with seafood and keep in fridge until grill is ready.
  • In a small saute pan, heat can of pinto beans and keep on low until ready to use.
  • Prepare Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl.
  • Prepare Salad by gently mixing all ingredients together in a large bowl.
  • Drizzle ¾ of vinaigrette over salad and gently combine. Set aside until ready to use.
  • Thread seafood on kabob stick. Shrimp will cook quicker than scallops, so thread shrimp on separate kabob stick from scallops.
  • Grill seafood until cooked through and slightly charred. Remove from heat and remove from kabob sticks for plating.
  • Place tostada shell on plate. Spoon ¼ on the beans over tostada, sprinkle ¼ of the cheese over beans, mound up about a cup of the salad, top with three shrimp and two scallops and drizzle with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.

Salsa Verde

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Salsa Verde a.k.a The Easiest Salsa E V E R! And when I’m talking easy, I mean throw all the ingredients on a sheet pan, broil until charred and blend it up. YES! No chopping, dicing or teary eyed just S I M P L E.

Charred tomatillos, onion and jalapeno make this salsa verde as simple as can be.
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Salsa Verde

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword green salsa, mexican salsa, salsa, tomatillos
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

Base Recipe

  • 8-10 tomatillos, husks removed
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered
  • 1 jalapeno, remove seeds for a mild version
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup water, if needed to thin
  • salt and pepper to taste

Additions to Make it Your Own

  • 1/4 cup cilantro, fine chopped
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 avocado, mashed
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions

Base Recipe

  • Place tomatillos, onion and jalapeno on sheet pan. Broil on middle rack until charred, flip and repeat on other side.
  • Transfer to blender.  Add sugar and water.  Blend until smooth.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week.

All it takes is a sheet pan, some tomatillos, an onion, a jalapeno and a blender and if you want to add cilantro, you can. Sometimes I add a little cream for a creamy enchiladas verde. I’ve created a list of add-in’s in the recipe, so you can make it your own. This salsa verde is the base for many Mexican dishes and even soup (a recipe that I’m still working on).

National Taco Day

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Smokey, spicy, chipotle shrimp pairs perfectly with sweet pineapple

Anything having to do with tacos is always my favorite. Maybe because they are usually accompanied by margaritas and tequila shots! Or maybe because they are just fun to eat. One of my favorite local taquerias is La Catrina Tacos and Tequila in Mount Vernon, WA. They have really good margaritas, a super fun atmosphere and lots of different tacos to try. Check them out https://www.facebook.com/lacatrinatacostequilamv/ I dare you to try the Chapulines (Yes! Grasshopper Tacos! I bet they are crunchy!!) If you’re staying home try one of my recipes.

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Smokey Chipotle Shrimp Chorizo and Pineapple Tacos

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, tacos
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 16 Argentinian Pink Shrimp peeled, deveined
  • 1 tbsp Zatarain’s Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • ¼ cup pineapple juice
  • 1 20 oz can pineapple tidbits juice reserved
  • 6 oz beef chorizo
  • 4 chipotle tortillas
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ½ cup tomatillo salsa

Instructions

  • Pat shrimp dry
  • Season shrimp with Zatarain’s Cajun seasoning, set aside
  • Drain pineapple and reserve ¼ cup of juice
  • Place pineapple on sheet pan and broil until slightly charred
  • In a small saute pan, cook chorizo on medium heat until cooked to 160 degrees
  • Heat a large cast iron pan on medium high heat
  • Add cooking oil
  • Sear shrimp on one side until browned
  • Turn shrimp over and add pineapple juice, cook until opaque
  • Assemble tacos: tomatillo salsa, shrimp, chorizo, pineapple, cilantro
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Pork Belly Bahn Mi Tacos

Bahn Mi inspired tacos with melt in your mouth grilled pork belly and quick pickled crispy vegetables.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, Pork, tacos
Keyword asian tacos, pork belly
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Grilled Pork Belly:

  • 2 lb pork belly strips
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp hoisin
  • 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ½ tsp fresh ginger grated
  • Very small corn tortillas heated

Quick Pickled Vegetables

  • ½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
  • ½ cucumber thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise with peeler
  • ½ red bell pepper thinly sliced in long strips
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ¼ cup green onion sliced

Instructions

Grilled Pork Belly:

  • Start charcoal grill
  • In a medium bowl combine soy sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, raw honey, garlic and ginger
  • Place pork belly strips in bowl and let site until grill is ready
  • Grill pork belly until caramelized and fat rendered, remove and let rest for 10 minutes
  • Chop and serve on tortilla with quick pickled vegetables

Quick Pickled Vegetables

  • In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and let sit at least 15 minutes. Serve with grilled pork belly.
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Tinga de Camarones

Smokey chipotle tomato tinga sauce that you traditionally see with chicken, but we love it on shrimp.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, Seafood, tacos
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 12 Argentinian pink shrimp shelled, deveined
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or lard
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 1 pinch mexican oregano
  • 1 pinch cumin
  • 2 large tomatoes roasted
  • 2 large tomatillos roasted
  • 1 cup tomato bouillon found in Mexican section at grocery
  • S & P
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • cilantro
  • red onion
  • lime

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan over medium high heat saute onion in 1 tbsp olive oil until softened.
  • Add garlic and stir together, cooking lightly, taking care not to burn.
  • Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes, then set aside.
  • Pat each shrimp dry and season each shrimp with S & P.
  • In a large saute pan over high heat sear shrimp on each side in remaining olive oil.
  • Add sauce to shrimp and toss together.
  • Serve in warmed tortillas and top with cilantro, red onion and squeeze of lime.
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Pasilla Pepper & Pineapple Short Rib Tacos

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, tacos
Keyword short ribs, taco tuesday
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2-3 beef short rib steaks they sell them in packs at Costco
  • 1 cup pasilla sauce recipe below
  • 12 small “street tacos” corn tortillas
  • ½ yellow onion slivered
  • ¼ cup cooking oil
  • S & P
  • 1 lime cut in wedges
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ½ cup pineapple chopped
  • ¼ cup cotija cheese

Pasilla Cream Sauce

  • 2 dried Pasilla peppers seeded and stemmed
  • ¼ onion diced
  • 4 large garlic cloves diced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup roasted tomatoes
  • 2 ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 small corn tortilla torn into pieces
  • 4 tbsp heavy cream
  • S & P to taste

Instructions

  • Start charcoal grill
  • In a large bowl, combine ½ cup pasilla sauce and short rib steaks, let sit until grill is ready. When ready, grill, making sure to get charcoaled edges. Let rest and rough chop in fairly small bite size pieces
  • In a medium saute pan, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil over medium heat, cook each tortilla (both sides) and place in foil to keep warm. You may need to add oil after cooking a few of the tortillas. You’re warming the tortillas quickly. They should still be soft
  • In a medium saute pan over medium heat, cook onions, dry without oil until softened and starting to char, set aside
  • In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup pasilla sauce (recipe below) over low heat
  • Assemble tacos: tortilla, 1 tsp pasilla sauce, about 2 tbsp short rib steak, ½ tsp pineapple, ½ tsp onion, ½ tsp cilantro, ½ tsp cotija cheese and squeeze lime

Pasilla Cream Sauce

  • In a medium saute pan, dry toast pasilla peppers over medium heat for a few minutes until you smell the aroma and they soften a bit
  • Add onion to dry saute pan and cook until softened and almost charred
  • Add butter and garlic and stir, cooking until garlic is translucent, but make sure to not brown the butter.
  • Add roasted tomatoes and chicken broth
  • Cok for about 15 minutes until Pasilla peppers are softened and tender
  • Add brown sugar and stir
  • Add torn corn tortillas and turn off the heat. Let sit for a few minutes.
  • Blend with immersion blender until smooth
  • Add heavy cream and S & P
  • Reheat when ready to serve
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Asian Inspired Street Tacos

Grilled steak in a hoisin plum sauce with Asian inspired vegetables and sriracha mayo.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Beef, tacos
Keyword asian tacos, taco tuesday
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 NY strip steaks cut thin at ½ inch
  • 12 very small flour street tacos

Glaze:

  • 2 overripe plums juiced
  • 1 tbsp hoisin
  • 1 tsp garlic chili sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • ½ tsp soy sauce
  • ½ tsp fresh grated ginger
  • ½ lime juiced

Sriracha Mayo:

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • ¼ tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp sugar

Toppings:

  • 1 ½ cups red cabbage shredded
  • 1 cucumber sliced thin
  • 1 bunch radish sliced thin
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ½ lime sliced in wedges
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Blue Corn Beef Tacos with Fresh Corn & Tomato Salsa

Ortega’s Good Grains Blue Corn Crunchy Tacos stuffed with seasoned ground beef and topped with fresh Tomato Corn Salsa
Course Main Course
Cuisine Beef, Mexican
Keyword crunchy tacos, ground beef, taco tuesday
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 box Ortega Good Grains Blue Corn Taco Shells
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 package your favorite taco seasoning
  • 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese grated

Corn & Tomato Salsa:

  • ¼ red onion diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 ears corn cut off the cob
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • ½ jalapeno diced
  • S & P to taste
  • ½ cup cilantro

Instructions

  • In a large saute pan, brown ground beef and add taco seasoning according to directions on package.
  • Prepare corn & tomato salsa by mixing all ingredients together.
  • Assemble tacos: ground beef, cheese, salsa