Mahi Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Sauce

These are probably the best and easiest fish tacos you'll ever make.

Another easy-peasy one here y'all.

I actually already had this recipe written up a few weeks ago but I forgot to take photos that weren't on my phone, and I also wanted to tweek it a little bit before posting so here we are now. First of all, let me say these are ~MAHI~ fish tacos. Do not go making this recipe with some sub-par fish like that nasty tilapia* because that shit is disgusting. I actually have a theory about people not liking fish tacos because they order them at restaurants that make them with tilapia... But that's a whole other rant that you can scroll to the bottom to read later if you feel so inclined, because nothing is worse than a food blog with a freakin Shakespearean soliloquy at the beginning so let's dive in to an actual recipe here because we don't do that shit on here.

Disclaimer: You will need a food processor for this recipe as well.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• About 2 lbs worth of fresh mahi fillets (Again this recipe is to serve 4 people)

• 2 tsp of salt

• 2 tsp of pepper

• 2 tsp of creole seasoning

• 2 tsp of cayenne

• Choice of tortillas (I used flour tortillas even though I'm usually adamant about using corn tortillas for tacos)

• Queso fresco (or shredded monterey jack)

• Shredded cabbage

• Pico de gallo ingredients

For the Cilantro-Lime Sauce

• 1 lime

• 3-4 tbsp of fresh cilantro

• 1/4 avocado

• 2 tbsp of cream cheese

• 2 tbsp of sour cream

• 1 tbsp of plain greek yogurt (optional)

PSA: This is just a single serving .5lb select mahi cut from Publix (shoutout to publix for always having my tropical fish needs in Georgia)

Directions

1. Make your pico de gallo!!

2. For the sauce, combine cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, cilantro, 1/4 of avocado, and a pinch of salt in a small food processor. (I used a nutribullet for this one for the convenience factor being that it's really small and we're not making that much)

3. Squeeze lime juice from your entire lime into your food processor. Or if you're not using fresh ingredients (seriously no judgement here) use about 1/2-1 tbsp of store bought juice. I would recommend blending your mixture here and then tasting to see if you want more lime juice, I personally prefer it to be a bit more lime-y probably than most so use your own judgement here cause that's what cooking is!

4. OK, this part might seem weird to some but I think it adds just a little extra punch of flavor, but take one or two hefty spoonfuls of your pico de gallo and add it to your sauce and blend one last time. You'll be surprised at what this extra step does for taste.

5. Heat about 2 tbsps of olive oil in a pan.

6. Combine salt, pepper, creole seasoning, and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle on each mahi fillet/cutlet and spread evenly to have a light coating on the fish like in the photo above. (This recipe is for a light blacken, if you like a heavier blackening feel free to add more of each spice)

7. Throw your mahi into your now heated pan. For small filets, cook each side for about 2-3 mins for a total of about 12 mins. For larger cutlets you will probably need to cook for about 15-20 mins. Size only matters for cook time here. ;)

8. Dress your tacos with blackened fish, add sauce on top, then add shredded cabbage for a nice crunch factor (Seriously do it, you won't regret it), pico de gallo, cheese, and remaining avocado.

9. Eat. That. Shit. Up.

This photo is basically NSFW...

Tips and Tricks

Sauce:

I've made this so many times now and I've learned that yogurt isn't a necessacity here. However, if you want a thicker, creamier sauce like I do, use greek yogurt like the recipe states. That's GREEK yogurt, not regular plain yogurt. Using regular yogurt can lead to a runnier consistency and that's the opposite of creamy ain't it? I will say I did use a Chobani key lime flavor yogurt just to test it out, and that was fine. So if you can't find a small single serving container of plain greek yogurt, you can try the key lime flavor. It does have a lot more sugar in it though so you may need to compensate with a little bit more salt. You can also substitute mayonnaise instead of greek yogurt. And like I stated before, feel free to add more lime if you please!

Fish:

PLEASE USE MAHI MAHI FOR THIS DISH. I know it can be a little bit expensive sometimes but it's truly a delicious fish.

**Ok as promised here's my rant on tilapia. First of all, tilapia is a disgusting fish. Apart from tasting horrible, they are also one of the worst invasive species in the world and frequently disrupt native species. Tilapia are bottom feeders and literally live in mud holes. Unlike like shrimp or lobster, tilapia has a mushy texture, primarily due to the fact that they eat algae, which gives them a mushy and muddy taste.

"Known in the food business as “aquatic chicken” because it breeds easily and tastes bland, tilapia is the perfect factory fish; it happily eats pellets made largely of corn and soy and gains weight rapidly, easily converting a diet that resembles cheap chicken feed into low-cost seafood." Blake Schmidt, NY Times

I have a rule with myself, if you go to a restaurant that serves fish tacos, ask them what type of fish is used for the tacos. If it's tilapia, order something else... There's a reason why tilapia is cheaper. So DLDR; tilapia is nasty, stay away from it.**