Maui Fish Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo, friends!  ??  Break out the chips and salsa, because today gives you a perfect excuse to eat Mexican food!  (As if we needed a reason!)

I think Mexican food is my favorite of all ethnic cuisines (aside from Middle Eastern, which is part of my heritage).  I love how you can pile up Mexican ingredients and the flavors just mesh so well together!  And today, we are going to do just that with my Maui Fish Tacos!  I promised you that you’d be seeing my Easy Mango Guacamole again, it’s in this recipe!  These fish tacos are a Mexican and Hawaiian fusion, full of color and flavor from the sweet mango guac, spicy cabbage slaw, and coconut milk-marinated white fish.  SO GOOD!These fish tacos take me back to one of the best trips of my life:  Maui, Hawaii.  Serene beaches, beautiful rainbows, breath-taking views, and the best fish tacos I’ve EVER had. ?Mark and I had the pleasure of going to Maui three years ago for our honeymoon, and while we had so many amazing memories, one of the standouts of our trip came from a simple little restaurant called Coconut’s Fish Cafe. It’s located in a shopping center and it’s not much to look at, but, don’t be fooled!  This place is a hidden gem!  We walked in and instantly knew we had found something special.  The place was bustling with activity and there was a line almost out the door.  Once we tried their famous fish tacos, we knew why!  The fish tacos were gluten-free (YAY!) and filled with 17 different ingredients, as the restaurant proudly claims.  Mark and I tried to guess all of the ingredients, but we were so busy devouring the tacos that we ate them all before we could finish the list!  Here’s a photo we took of one of their amazing tacos!So, what I have for you today is my Paleo-inspired version of the fish tacos we had at Coconut’s Fish Cafe in Maui.  The restaurant used corn tortillas, but I decided to lighten things up and use lettuce wraps for my tacos.  Feel free to use either one!  I also omitted cheese in my version, since I don’t eat much dairy these days.

There are three basic components to my fish tacos: slaw, guac, and fish.  The fish cooks quickly, but we’re actually going to start with that, since it’s best if it marinates for at least 30 minutes before it cooks, so that it really soaks up the flavors.I used wild-caught haddock for my fish tacos, but you could use cod, or any sturdy white fish.  I also sliced the filets into large chunks and cooked them that way, but you could leave them as filets and slice them up after they cook.  Do whatever is easiest.  I put the coconut milk, spices, lime juice, and salt in a large bowl and whisked them together.  Then, I added my fish pieces, covered the bowl and let it refrigerate for 30 minutes.  You could even do this several hours ahead of time.While the fish marinated, I made my Easy Mango Guacamole.  Head over to my Easy Mango Guacamole post for the recipe!  It’s simple and delicious and these tacos would not be the same without it!Once the guac was made, I worked on the cabbage slaw.  I used prepackaged cole slaw mix, but if you prefer, you can shred a half head of cabbage and mix in some shredded carrots.  I like the cole slaw mix because it contains pretty purple cabbage, too!  To the cabbage slaw, you’ll add a pepper, mayo (Sir Kensington’s is what I like), sriracha, red onion, coconut milk, and lime juice.  Mix it all together and set it aside.Finally, it’s time to cook the fish!  I heated a large skillet to medium/high heat and pulled the fish pieces out of the marinade with a slotted spoon, then added them to the hot skillet.  I did it in two batches, since I was making a large amount.  You can easily cut this recipe in half and just use 1 pound of fish. The fish should only take about 3-4 minutes per side.  You’ll know it’s cooked when it flakes easily.  Turn the heat off the fish and set the skillet aside so you can assemble your tacos.I used large romaine lettuce leaves and set a couple leaves down on a plate.  I topped the lettuce generously with fish, then the slaw, and finally the mango guac.  Epic lettuce wraps!  Of course, my Maui Fish Tacos wouldn’t be complete without a drizzle of sriracha! 🙂  Hope you love biting into these fresh, colorful, and healthy Maui Fish Tacos!  If you have the opportunity to visit Maui, get in line at Coconut’s Fish Cafe and savor the amazing original fish taco that inspired this post!

I wish you all not only a wonderful Cinco de Mayo, but also a very Happy Mother’s Day!  Make sure you treat your mom to something special this weekend! (My Skillet Berry Cobbler is a great place to start!) ?

Maui Fish Tacos

 

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Created by: Joanna Smith

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Marinated Fish:

• 2 lbs. wild-caught white fish, cut into chunks
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ lime, juiced
• sea salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 batch of Easy Mango Guacamole

Spicy Coconut Milk Slaw:

• 1 package cole slaw mix (about 3-4 cups)
• ½ red onion, diced
• 1 pepper, chopped
• ⅓ cup light coconut milk
• ¼ cup mayo (I used Sir Kensington's brand)
• 2 teaspoons sriracha
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Romaine lettuce leaves and extra sriracha to serve

Instructions

1. Marinate fish in spices and coconut milk for 30 minutes. Drain liquid and then saute fish in a hot skillet with coconut oil until cooked through and flakey, about 3-4 minutes per side.
2. Make Easy Mango Guacamole and set aside.
3. Mix Coconut Milk Slaw ingredients together in a large bowl.
4. To assemble, place lettuce leaves on a plate and top with fish, slaw, guacamole, and sriracha.

Notes

~Feel free to substitute corn tortillas for the lettuce wraps if you prefer.
~Use a firm white fish like haddock or cod for this recipe.
~Sriracha is optional, but recommended! 🙂

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