Baja and Key Limes

With summer slowly winding down I wanted to get some more of the fresh fun summer flavors in, and lately I had been craving some key lime pie, and needed to bring a dessert to an FRG meeting, so I made that, but in bars to make it easier to eat. Sadly it seems not many people in our unit are very adventurous when it comes to food and they barely touched it! Luckily I went to my friends house the next night and it was quickly eaten! To keep along the same lines with the lime and fresh flavors I did fish tacos, something I've never personally eaten before but always wanted to, it was on me and my husbands "Food bucket list" so I thought I would test it out and see if it was worth redoing when he gets home. It most definitely is! I loved them a lot, tacos are so fun cause you can do so many different things with them, and these are a really nice change of pace from the traditional ones.

Baja Fish Tacos

• vegetable oil, for frying
• 1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of one line, plus wedges for serving
• 2 T honey
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• salt to taste
• 12 corn tortillas
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 t chili powder
• pepper to taste
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless halibut fillets (I couldn't find halibut so I used cod) cut into 2x1/2 inch pieces
• 1 avocado (if you're like me and have never bought an avocado before, don't get one too squishy!)
• 1/2 cup fresh salsa (recipe below)

Heat about 3 inches vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, toss the cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, honey and mayonnaise in a bowl. Season the slaw with salt. Warm the tortillas in a skillet over medium-low heat or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave 25 seconds. Mix the flour, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste in a shallow bowl. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture, then fry in batches until golden and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Season with salt.

Halve, pit and slice the avocado. A few more tips for those who haven't worked with one before: to make pitting easier, smack the pit with the blade to wedge it in there, twist and pull and the pit should easily come out. Fill the tortillas with the fish, avocado, slaw and salsa. Serve with lime wedges.

Fresh Salsa

• 3 large ripe tomatoes, diced, or 1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 small green pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 4-ounce can of chopped green chiles with juice
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 1 T olive oil
• Various optional ingredients: avocado, black beans, mango, red onion, pineapple, limes

Combine all ingredients, and any extra ingredients you may want to add, in a large glass bowl. Stir well with a spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving time.

Key Lime Pie 

(Love how the bright green of the lime zest looks on top!)

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 T butter, melted
• 2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup key lime (or regular lime) juice
• 2 whole large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 T powdered sugar
• 1 T lime zest

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled. You can do this in bars, the recipe will stretch it just won't be as thick, simply use a 9x13 dish instead of a the pie pan.