Words cannot accurately describe how excited I am about these fish tacos! Before I start telling you about them, just a fair warning that you will want to put this creamy poblano sauce on absolutely everything (something I may or may not have done while I was developing this recipe). The most important component is, of course, the fish. I kept my preparation very simple to highlight the mild flavors of white fish, and so that the flavorful toppings can shine through, too. On top of the fish, I piled a jicama slaw, which adds lots of freshness, crunch, and acidity to each bite. This is all topped off with a HEFTY drizzle of creamy poblano sauce that finishes each taco off with a nice amount of heat, and rich, smoky creaminess. These tacos are finger licking GREAT, and if you manage to have leftover poblano cream sauce, I recommend dipping anything and everything into it. All together, these are a perfect, crowd pleasing lunch or dinner, but after your first bite, you may not want to share!
1. All About Jicama
Jicama is a root vegetable that originated in Mexico and Central America. The exterior is light brown and papery, and the inside is white with a crisp, watery texture, similar to a raw potato. Jicama tastes slightly sweet and starchy, and so it’s the perfect addition to the slaw for my fish tacos!
2. Types of White Fish
Any type of mild, white fish will work in my recipe, but my favorites are cod, halibut, and tilapia!
3. Don’t Love Spicy Food?
The poblano cream sauce is just as delicious without the jalapeño, so if you’re not a fan of spice, or are making this dish for a range of palates, omit the jalapeño and follow the recipe as written! If you’d like less spice, you can deseed the jalapeño before it goes into the cream, too.
Fish Tacos with Creamy Poblano Sauce and Jicama Slaw
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
For the Creamy Poblano Sauce
- 4 medium poblano peppers
- 1 large jalapeno
- ½ cup cream
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
For the Jicama Slaw
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage
- 2 cups julienned jicama
- ¼ cup sliced yellow bell pepper about ¼ medium bell pepper
- ¼ cup thinly sliced jalapeno about ½ large jalapeno
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
For the Fish Tacos
- 2 pounds white fish such as cod or halibut
- Kosher salt to taste
- ¼ cup vegetable oil divided
- 8 flour tortillas lightly warmed
Instructions
For the Poblano Sauce
- Using either a gas burner or the broiler setting on your oven, char outside of poblanos and jalapeno until mostly black, turning often, about 7 minutes in total. Place charred peppers in a medium mixing bowl and cover, allowing to steam for 5 minutes. Once steamed and the skins have loosened a bit, using your hands carefully remove the charred exterior, as well as the stems, and transfer peppers to a medium sauce pot.
- Set the pot over medium high heat and add cream, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat slightly, allowing the mixture to lightly boil, reducing the cream. Stir often, cooking for ten minutes, or until the cream has reduced by half and the garlic has softened.
- Transfer mixture to a high powered blender and add cilantro. Blend for 1 minute, or until fully pureed and smooth. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.Then transfer to a resealable container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the Slaw
- In a large mixing bowl, lime zest and juice, sugar and vinegar and whisk well. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Then add remaining ingredients and toss well to combine. Taste and readjust seasoning as needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the Fish Tacos
- First, cut fish into strips, roughly 1 inch wide and 4 inches long. Transfer to a large plate and season with salt.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once shimmering, add half of the fish and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until each side is golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a new plate. Add remaining oil and cook second batch of fish. Transfer to same plate.
For Assembly
- To each taco, add 1-2 tablespoons of poblano sauce and spread it to cover the width of the taco. Add 2-3 pieces of fish and top with a generous amount of slaw. Serve immediately.
