I’ve always been a fan of recreating restaurant meals at home. It certainly takes some time, and you have to experiment (with the more challenging ones), but it’s always worth it in the end. A few years ago TJ and I headed up to Santa Barbara for Valentine’s day and enjoyed a Mexican fiesta on the patio at one of our favorite spots. TJ enjoyed a bowl of pozole (something we have recreated several times in our home), while I happily noshed away on fresh halibut tacos. They were so simple, yet so delicious. When we returned home from the weekend, they immediately found themselves a top spot on our menu for the week. It’s a spot they have stayed in for the past several years.
Wanting to spice things up a little bit this past Sunday evening, we opted for an alternative salsa. I was craving something sweet and a little spicy, and this homemade pineapple, red bell pepper salsa did just the trick (it might not have had the spicy BANG as most salsas do, but I thoroughly enjoyed). It added just the right amount of sweetness to the flaky tacos. I felt like I was right back in Cabo… minus the margarita… and the ocean…
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh halibut
Fish seasoning (I prefer anything from Santa Maria, but ask the fish department what they recommend)
1/2 lemon
Street style sized corn tortillas
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 large pineapple slices, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/2 jalapeño, seeds removed and chopped
salt, pepper
Directions:
Season the halibut with lemon juice and fish seasoning. Grill on the BBQ until the fish is flaky and opaque.
Combine the red onion, pineapple, red bell pepper, jalapeño, and about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro in a bowl. Add the lime juice and mix together. Use the salt and pepper to season to your liking. Place in refrigerator until tacos are ready to be assembled.
Once the halibut is complete, heat the tortillas. We typically place them over a flame on the oven and torch them slightly 🙂
To assemble, I placed about 1 oz of fish in each tortilla and topped with as much salsa as I wanted… and happily enjoyed 4!!
