Gluten Free Sea Bass Fish Tacos with Mango Habanero Salsa

I LOVE the taste of tropical food, especially when the weather begins to warm up. Pairing fish with the all-beloved taco is one of my favorite go to’s. Before trying this recipe, I had never had sea bass before. My partner and I both agreed that sea bass has a very mild taste, which is why it probably worked so well in the taco format. It stayed firm and didn’t flake too much while frying, and the fishy essence didn’t overpower the other ingredients. I topped these tacos off with a homemade Mango Habanero Salsa which really brought them to life and paired it with a light saffron rice side.

Yield: 2-3 people
Time: 30 minutes prep time, est 30 minute cook time

Ingredients:

For the Fish Tacos:

• 2-3 Sea Bass fish fillets

• 1 Package gluten free corn tortillas, or you can make your own

• 1 cup gluten free Panko (I use this one)

• 1/2 cup Potato Starch

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp Garlic Powder

• 1/2 tsp Salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 2 cups oil for frying

Optional Garnishes:

• Lettuce

• Cabbage, finely chopped

• Hot Sauce

For the Salsa:

• 1 large yellow mango

• 1 habanero pepper

• 1/4 cup cilantro chopped

• 1/2 red onion (can use yellow or white but red is sweeter to me)

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

• 1 lime

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Prepare the salsa by peeling the mango and onion. Carefully dice the mango, onion, habanero, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro.

2. In a bowl mix all the chopped produce together and add in your salt and pepper. Juice the lime and add the entire contents to the bowl. Mix together.

3. Prepare your fish fillets by cutting them down to a taco-able size. I cut mine in half. Then, take a paper towel and pat them dry.

4. Use a good pan for frying and put over medium heat. Add 2 cups of oil to the pan. Let pan preheat while you bread your fish pieces.

5. In a bowl, break your egg and beat until scrambled.

6. In another bowl, mix your panko, potato starch, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

7. Dip your fish pieces into the egg, then into the panko mixture. Make sure to coat evenly on all sides. I like to double batter my fish fillets, so I then dipped it back into the egg and back into the panko mixture.

8. Carefully set your fish pieces into the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes on both sides for a total of 5-6 minutes frying. Remove from oil and place on paper towel or frying screen.

9. Heat up your tortillas in a pan or on stove-top until warm and lightly golden brown.

10. Add the fish to the tortilla and top with salsa, garnishes, and hot sauce if desired. I always use a taco holder because they help keep the ingredients together.

Gluten Free Mexican-Style Zucchini Boats

Why zucchini boats?

One of my absolute favorite things to make is zucchini boats! Zucchini is such a versatile vegetable and it makes a great substitute for those trying to be on the healthier side. (Duh, that’s why zoodles are so much better for you than noodles!) This recipe is gluten free, celiac safe, and most importantly: easy.

This recipe is one of my most common ones. I start with any type of Mexican-style taco meat whether it be pork, chicken, or steak it all works great. This recipe is great for leftovers after taco night or to repurpose meat that needs to be eaten.

The Recipe

Yield: 4-5 people
Time: 40 minutes if using already prepped meat, est 3hrs and 40 minutes if cooking roast now.

For this one, I made a pork shoulder roast in the oven. I love making roasts in the oven because I can put them in the dutch oven and then walk away for hours to do other things. It’s great for those with focus intensive jobs like design.

Ingredients

The Roast

• 1 pork roast, I used a 2.2lb shoulder roast

• 1 can Rotel, or diced tomatoes with green chilies

• 2 packets Goya Sazon seasoning

• 1 tbsp cumin

• 1 tbsp oregano

• 1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

• 4 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tbsp garlic, powdered or minced

• 1 onion finally diced

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 1 cup of water

The Boats

• 3-4 medium to large zucchinis

• 1 cup of Mexican style cheese. Make sure the cheese you use is gluten free.

• More cilantro

• Oil for drizzling

• Lime

• Hot Sauce if desired and Tajin for topping

Instructions

1. Start with the roast. Place roast in roasting pan or I use a dutch oven. Add in water, spices, cilantro, onion, and oil. Pour can of Rotel on top. Roast in oven at 375°F until the inside of the pork reads 145° on the meat thermometer. Roughly about 2-3 hours depending on the size of the roast.

Pork roast in cast iron dutch oven with mexican style spices

2. Let pork rest once cooked for about 10-15 minutes while you prepare your zucchini. Wash and slice zucchini length wise. Use a spoon to scoop out the insides and place in a separate bowl. I like to incorporate the zucchini insides with the shredded pork.

Zucchinis that have been scooped out with spoon

3. Shred your pork roast and mix some in the bowl with the zucchini insides. Mix in hot sauce if desired.

4. Place mixture back inside of emptied zucchinis. Drizzle a baking pan and place them inside. Sprinkle with cheese, hot sauce if desired, and I always put a squeeze of lime on top.

5. Bake in the oven at 375° until cheese is melted and zucchini is soft. About 20 minutes.

6. Let cool and serve! I top mine with Tapatio hot sauce, cilantro, and more lime.

Gluten Free Chicken Tortilla Soup

Nothing is better on a cold Midwestern winter day than a giant bowl of soup. Nothing is better on every single day than tacos. Put them together? Chicken Tortilla Soup. Mmm. Here is my recipe for Gluten Free Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Yield: 4-5 people
Time: 30 minutes prep time, 3 hours cook time

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Chicken Breasts

• 2 cups Chicken Broth (I use Orrington Farms as it’s gluten free!)

• A drizzle of olive oil

• 1/2 Onion

• 1 Poblano Pepper

• 4 whole cloves Garlic

• A few dried chiles

• 1 bunch of Cilantro

• 1 can Diced Tomatoes with Chiles

• 1 can Black Beans

• 1 can Corn

• 1 can Tomato paste

• 1 lime for juice and zest

• 4 tbsp Cumin

• 2 tbsp Oregano

• 1 tbsp paprika

• Salt and Pepper to taste

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Ingredients.

Step 1. Crush and chop your garlic cloves and dried chilies. Mash them together in a mortar and pestle. Chop the cilantro, poblano pepper, and half an onion.

Step 2. Add a drizzle of oil to a pan and heat to medium-high. When pan is hot, add the garlic clove and chili mash, cilantro, poblano, and onion. Sauté on medium-high heat until fragrant and a nice crisp forms.

Step 3. Add your chicken breast to the pan and brown on both sides.

Step 4. Add in 1 can diced tomatoes with chilies, 1 can black beans, 1 can corn, and 1 can tomato paste. Stir until fully mixed. Then add in 2 cups of chicken broth slowly while mixing.

Soup with all ingredients mixed in.

Step 5. Add in the cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper, and the zest of lime. Lime juice is optional but I love lime and it gives it an extra punch of flavor.

Step 6. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a low simmer and allow to cook for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally.

Step 7. Come back later, stir, shred the chicken. Ready to eat! I topped mine off with pepper jack cheese strips, lime, cilantro, onion, and crushed tortilla chips.

Finished soup, topped with cheese, cilantro, onion, lime, and crushed tortilla chips.