Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Slaw and Chipotle Mayo

This recipe wasn't originally on the menu.  I had some sour cream that I wanted to use and thought that fish tacos sounded good.  Only after making dinner last night did I realize that I didn't use the sour cream!  I did find another recipe though for later in the week to use that sour cream! The only changes I made to the recipe were that I omitted the cilantro (will eat it, but I'm not a huge fan) and didn't add the cayenne pepper to the mayo.  I tasted it and thought that it was spicy enough without. And of course, I thought that we had panko in the house, but when I went to cook I couldn't find it, so I used plain bread crumbs.  The fish still got a nice golden brown crust on it. (My husband later told me that we definitely had panko in the house....I guess I just didn't look hard enough!)  Even without those ingredients these tacos were delicious!  However, they were a bit time-consuming (all of the breading and frying of the fish and making two sauces!) and required a lot of clean-up (lots of dishes were used!).  I wouldn't categorize this as a quick weeknight dinner.  However, if you have a little time to make this, it is well worth it.

Fish Tacos with Honey-Cumin Slaw and Chipotle Mayo
allrecipes.com - by Scarey76

Ingredients:
1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko crumbs
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
2 cups 3 color coleslaw blend
1 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
8 (7 inch) flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:
1.Place the tilapia chunks in a flat dish and pour 1/2 cup lime juice over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

2.Meanwhile, make the honey-cumin sauce by whisking together 1/3 cup lime juice, honey, vegetable oil, and ground cumin a small bowl. Set aside until needed.

3.To make the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, place the mayonnaise, chilies, adobo sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper together in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

4.To bread the fish, place the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs in three separate shallow dishes. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Dip the fish pieces first in the four, coating evenly, and shaking off any excess. Dip next in the eggs, and last in the panko crumbs, patting the pieces to help the breadcrumbs hold. Set the fish aside on a plate.

5.To cook the breaded fish, pour 1 cup vegetable oil into a skillet to 1/4 inch deep. Heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C) over medium heat. Cook the fish, turning until all sides are golden brown, and flesh is easily flaked with a fork. Drain on paper towels. Brush the fish with the honey-cumin sauce.

6.Mix the coleslaw and cilantro together in a bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chipotle mayonnaise dressing, and pour the remaining dressing over the coleslaw mixture. Toss to coat evenly with the dressing.

7.Place the tortillas on a flat surface, and spread each with 1 tablespoon reserved chipotle mayonnaise dressing. Divide the fish between the tortillas. Top with the cilantro coleslaw.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!  I brushed the honey-cumin sauce on the fish for the kids, but didn't give them the slaw or mayo.  It definitely had too much a kick for them.  They both ate all of their tacos and my daughter even asked, "Mmm, what's this tangy, sweet sauce?"  I served this with yellow rice and frozen, steam-in-a-bag veggies.