For our Taco Bar Social event, we prepared fish, carnitas, tomatillo salsa, guac, and more, to build personalized tacos!
Carnitas (Serves 12)
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup milk
12 corn tortillas, warmed
Fresh cilantro leaves, thinly sliced onion, diced avocado, and lime wedges, for serving
Steps:
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, combine pork, garlic, and 8 cups water and season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until pork is tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Drain well.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add pork, orange juice, and milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and pork is browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Serve carnitas in tortillas, with cilantro, onion, avocado, and lime wedges
Equipment:
Heavy pot
Nonstick skillet
Est. Time Required:
1 hour
Fish (Serves 10)
Ingredients:
1 pound firm white fish, such as tilapia, snapper, cod, mahi mahi, or catfish
2 medium limes, halved
1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for oiling the grill grates
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 small head of green or red cabbage (about 14 ounces), cored and thinly sliced
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
6 to 8 soft (6-inch) corn tortillas
Sliced avocado, for garnish (optional)
Guacamole, for garnish (optional, see above)
Salsa, for garnish (optional, see above)
Sour cream, for garnish (optional)
Hot sauce, for garnish (optional
Steps:
Place the fish in a baking dish and squeeze a lime half over it. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season with salt and pepper and turn the fish in the marinade until evenly coated. Refrigerate and let marinate at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the slaw and warm the tortillas.
Combine the cabbage, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl and squeeze a lime half over it. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary; set aside.
Warm the tortillas by heating a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla at a time, flipping to warm both sides, about 5 minutes total. Wrap the warm tortillas in a clean dishcloth and set aside while you prepare the fish.
Brush the grates of a grill pan or outdoor grill with oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Remove the fish from the marinade and place on the grill.
Cook without moving until the underside of the fish has grill marks and is white and opaque on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip and grill the other side until white and opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes more. (It’s OK if it breaks apart while you’re flipping.) Transfer the fish to a plate.
Taste the slaw again and season as needed with more lime juice. Slice the remaining lime halves into wedges and serve with the tacos. To construct a taco, break up some of the cooked fish, place it in a warm tortilla, and top it with slaw and any optional garnishes.
Equipment:
Baking sheets
Large bowls
Frying pans
Grill pans
Est. Time Required:
40 mins
Guacamole (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
Add all ingredients to list
Steps:
In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper.
Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.
Equipment:
1 Big serving ball
Est. Time Required:
10 minutes
Mango Salsa (yields 3 cups)
Ingredients:
3 ripe mangos, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 large lime, juiced (about ¼ cup lime juice)
¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
Steps:
In a serving bowl, combine the prepared mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro and jalapeño.
Drizzle with the lime juice, mix well and season to taste with salt.
Let sit for at least 10 minutes, but longer works better.
Equipment:
Est. Time Required:
15 minutes
Tomatillo Salsa (yields 3 cups)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos or 3 (11-ounce) cans tomatillos
5 fresh serrano chiles
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons coarse salt
Steps:
Preheat broiler.
If using fresh tomatillos, remove husks and rinse under warm water to remove stickiness. If using canned tomatillos, drain and measure out 2 cups. Broil chiles, garlic, and fresh tomatillos (do not broil canned) on rack of a broiler pan 1 to 2 inches from heat, turning once, until tomatillos are softened and slightly charred, about 7 minutes.
Peel garlic and pull off tops of chiles. Purée all ingredients in a blender.
Equipment:
1 Big Pot
1 pan
1 mixing ball
Est. Time Required:
15 minutes
Pickled Veggies (2 cups)
Pickled Onions
1 medium-large red onion
½ teaspoon Sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup of vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
Pickled Jalapenos
7 jalapenos
½ teaspoon Sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup of vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
Pickled Cabbage (aka sauerkraut with green cabbage)
¾ head of cabbage
½ teaspoon Sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup of vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
Steps:
Slice the onions into thin slices, jalapenos into round chips, Cabbage into shreds, and the garlic into minced pieces.
Boil 3 cups of water for each veggie
In the prawn tubs or other container to store the pickled veggies mix the salt, sugar, vinegar, and garlic. Prepare a container for each veggie.
Once the water has boiled, put the veggies in a colander and then pour the water over the veggies to par-blanch them. Do each veggie separately.
Then add the veggies to the correct containers and stir.
Place in fridge until needed.
Vegan Tacos (makes 5-6 tacos)
Ingredients:
Canola or frying oil
2 Yukon potatoes
3 cloves Garlic chopped
Sprig Thyme
1/4 tbs Mexican chili powder
1/4 tbs Oregano
8 oz Button or baby Bella mushrooms sliced
Tortillas
Vegan mayo
Canned Chipotle peppers Lime juice
Topping options: Guac, mango salsa, tomatillo salsa, slaw
Steps:
Confit potatoes (confit = cooked in fat. Slow cooked in oil then deep fried to get crispy)
Cut potatoes into small cubes and place into a large pot with garlic.
Submerge potatoes in frying oil and bring oil to a low simmer (~200?). Potatoes should float when they are cooked.
Drain cooked potatoes and set aside. Once mushrooms are done, finish off potatoes by frying at higher temp (~360).
Season with Mexican chili powder, oregano salt and pepper. Mushrooms Sautee garlic mushrooms and thyme in large frying/sautee pan. Salt to taste. Chipotle mayo Chop canned chipotle peppers and mix with vegan mayo. Add lime juice, chipotle liquid, and water as needed. Salt to taste
Equipment:
Large skillet, large pot, thermometer
Est. Time Required:
60 minutes