Sometimes date nights don’t need to be dinner and a movie. Sometimes they can be something you least expect, like perusing the farmers market. This Saturday, thunder clouds loomed in the distance but the sun shined over Providence. We decided to take advantage of the cooler day and the sunshine by checking out the local farmers market. When we arrived, our first stop was Harvest Coffee for some strong cold brew (the way we like it!). With coffee in hand, the next stop was Humble Pie Co for something sweet for me and something savory for my husband. We took our peach pie and quiche lorraine, grabbed a bench, enjoyed the sunshine and people watched.
Once the pies were consumed and the coffee was no more, we took in each booth one at a time, admiring the heirloom tomatoes the size of small cantaloupes, purple peppers and giant sunflowers. In California, farmers markets for the most part carry the same veggies and fruits year in and year out. However, living in the land of seasons brings excitement with the changing fruits and veggies, from root veggies in the winter to the vibrant fruits and veggies during the summer. After exploring every booth, we ended up bagging freshly caught red fish, zebra heirloom tomatoes, purple bell peppers, fresh cilantro, a rainbow of hot peppers and Napa cabbage. Feeling like we hit the jackpot of fresh ingredients for fish tacos, we hurried back to the kitchen to get cooking.
The Pico De Gallo
Though this isn’t a traditional pico de gallo recipe, the green heirloom tomatoes (green zebra heirloom in our case) bring a bright acidity and a tangy sweetness to make this fresh salsa unique and flavorful.
- 2 green heirloom tomatoes
- 2 small purple bell peppers (if you can’t find these, orange bell peppers have a close flavor profile)
- 1/2 a medium purple onion
- 1/2 a small bunch of cilantro
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
De-seed and dice tomatoes, dice the bell peppers and the onions and add to a bowl. Remove the cilantro leaves from the stem, chop and then add to the same bowl. Depending on how spicy you would like the pico de gallo to be, you can remove the seeds from the jalapeno (more mild) or dice the seeds along with the rest of the pepper (more spicy). We found some other fun peppers at the farmers market that we added to the salsa. Combine the jalapeno, the salt and garlic with the rest of the ingredients and set aside to allow the flavors to combine.
The Sriracha Aioli
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream
- 1 tablespoon of Sriracha
Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and Sriracha together in a small bowl until all three are completely mixed together. Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the tacos.
The Fish
- 1.5lb red fish
- enough cajun seasoning to completely cover each piece of fish
Red Fish is a small fish more commonly referred to as rock fish. To cook this part of the dish all you will need is enough fish for your guests (about .4lb – .5lb per person) and generous amounts of seasoning. For this dish we used a cajun seasoning (Emerill’s Essence in this case but any will do) to provide a smokey spicy flavor. Before you cook, you’ll need to de-bone the fish which can’t be done with tweezers (we tried). We recommend just cutting the bones out length wise in the center of the fish. Once you have coated the fish with the seasoning, heat a pan up to about medium/high heat with enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom. Place the fish in the pan and flip once the fish is cooked about 2/3 of the way through. Then leave in the pan until it reaches the desired texture.
The Tacos
- Small soft flour tortillas (check out our easy homemade tortilla recipe)
- 1 cup shredded cabbage (Napa cabbage pictured)
- 1 cup shredded jack cheese
If you haven’t made your tortillas from scratch, heat your tortillas on the stove using a medium frying pan on high heat at one to two minute per side, or until they slightly brown. Place your tortilla on a plate and begin stacking: layer the cabbage, then the cheese, then the fish and then the pico de gallo. Finish your taco by drizzling the Sriracha sauce on top and repeat until all tacos are assembled! You’re now ready to enjoy locally sourced, summer baja style tacos from New England.
I just made a similar fish taco/sriracha aioli the other night and it was so good!
Mary Kate
There’s just something about fish tacos and Sriracha aioli that just belong together. You’ll have to let us know if you decide give our recipe a try!
Oh I definitely will!
Very nice work using those farmers market ingredients. The presentation on those fish tacos is beautiful! I also think it’s funny how you and your husband reflect my wife and I. We went to the same farmers market a few weeks ago and she looked for something sweet while I made a beeline for Pat’s Pastured for something savory.
t’s hard for it not to look good with all those pretty veggies and it was definitely a fun creative challenge to try to work with local ingredients only. I’ve never seen zebra tomatoes before. Haha and that’s too funny – us ladies always beeline it for the sugar.
The Hope St. Farmer’s Market is a consistent favorite for us. Humble Pie’s quiche is amazing! We’ve never tried the peach pie, but their blueberry basil is really tasty, too. Bon apetit!
I haven’t tried the blueberry basil yet. I have to this Saturday! My favorite is their lemon tart. Can’t get enough of that at the winter market!
Oh, I don’t think I’ve tried that one yet!
I’m not a big fan of fish, unless in sushi. But these tacos look delish!
Thank you! They are! You can always try subbing out the white fish for a seared ahi tuna instead.