Dinner in 15: Fish Tacos

So I wish that was my food up shown above---but sadly it's straight from Food and Wine. Not that I used their recipe, because with fish tacos, you really don't need one--just a guideline on how to cook the fish. Bobby Flay and Martha also had other intriguing recipes, if you want a cheat sheet.

So this dinner came about because I was cooking for my boyfriend, but didn't really want to spend the entire evening in the kitchen, because that's not as much fun. Fish tacos are great because they are quick, interactive, and even have an air of fancy to them. I spent five minutes slicing up the toppings, and another 10 cooking my fish. REALLY fast.

Your steps are simple:
1. Pick your fish. You want a white, flaky fish (Mahi Mahi, Cod) but I have used Tilapia in the past because it's cheap, and as you are adding a ton of spice and flavor to the taco, the blandness isn't really an issue.
2. Pick Your Toppings. Avocado, cabbage, and salsa are all necessities. All you need to do to all three is slice or shred thinly. You can toss the cabbage in a lime-chili powder dressing, but it's not necessary. Other options: Tomatoes (although we found salsa worked better), Creama or Sour Cream, or Guacamole (I used half of my Haas for the tacos, and the other half to make my homemade guac recipe).
3. Cook Your Fish. Grills are preferred, but I sauteed on the stove---just be sure to get the pan as hot as possible. You can marinate the fish first (a little oil, lime, chili powder, and salt on top should work just fine) but 5-10 minutes is fine for that. Once your surface is hot, grill the fish flesh side down. Keep on the grill until the fish is nearly done--Bobby Flay said 4 minutes, but we cooked ours for at least 15 (I think our stove wasn't quite there for a High Heat). Around 6-8 start checking it and eye the skin until the raw color turns into the bright white, but try to err slightly on undercooking the fish so it doesn't dry out. For the last minute, grill skin-side down. Let it sit for five minutes, then pull the fish meat apart with a fork.
4. Create Your Taco. Less is more---go for one slice of avocado instead of three, because you want the fish to shine. Definitely use corn tortillas (steamed 1 minute in a microwave with a damp paper towel) over flour.