Meat Free Fridays - Seafood Tacos

I know that meat-free means no meat at all.  For this purpose, I am referring to the Catholic rule of abstinence, which is abstaining from beef, pork, and chicken on Fridays.  Just wanted to clarify that, lest I upset anyone. 

With that said, I mentioned for last weeks post how I am all about the quick and easy.  This recipe fits into that theme.  It can be as simple or as complex as you want it.  I also realized just now that it is another tortilla containing recipe.  If you don't want it on a tortilla, it works great on a salad as well.

So, Seafood Tacos

Start with seafood.  This is one area where it can be complex or easy.  You can use fish, shrimp, crab (real or imitation), whatever you prefer.  Go for pre-cooked (I know some places have pre-cooked and seasoned shrimp already peeled and de-veined and ready to go), or cook it yourself.  We have done shrimp sautéed in a pan with some butter, lemon, and garlic.  You can season these with any flavor you like. 

Add your toppings.  Again, you can go for simple, like lettuce, tomato, etc.  You can add whatever you like, avocado, cheese, some fancy sauce, beans, etc.  We sometimes make a sauce, by a pre-made sauce, or just use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

Build your taco.  Self-explanatory.  We pair this with tortilla chips and salsa, home made cornbread, or seasoned rice.  Sometimes we just stuff it full of whatever and call it a meal.

Here is the variation we are having tonight:

Tilapia in a simple marinade of olive oil, fresh lime juice (half a lime), and adobo seasoning.
Pan sear the fish in a skillet (we use cast iron).  You can use an oil if you like.  When fish is done, cut into whatever sized pieces you like for the tacos.

The sauce for our tacos is made from: 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 sour cream (you can sub Greek yogurt if you like), lime juice (half a lime), cumin, ground red pepper, parsley, onion powder and garlic powder.  No exact amounts here, just to taste.  *Note: we tend to do a lot of cooking with just eyeballing things and tasting.  I'll try to remember to figure out exact amounts in the future. 

Instead of lettuce, we are using cabbage.  We took a shortcut and bought coleslaw mix, so we didn't have to cut it up ourselves.  This provides the "crunch" factor. 

Layer fish, cabbage, and sauce on tortilla and enjoy!

Very simple and a tasty way to do it.  Having the fish on tacos also helps stretch the meal.  If we were to just have baked fish, it would likely require a larger amount of fish to feed all 6 of us.  This way, we can cook a smaller amount of fish and make it go farther.  (You will see that as a theme in many of my recipes!)