Fish Tacos with Corn-Cilantro Salsa

Halibut cheek tacos with roasted corn, garlic, and cilantro salsa and pickled red onions - Diversivore.com

Fish Tacos with Corn-Cilantro Salsa

A unique salsa made with roasted corn and garlic and vibrant green cilantro makes these unique fish tacos really stand out. Prepare the salsa and onions ahead of time for a super-easy weeknight-friendly meal.

(Note - I used halibut cheeks here, but any firm white fish will work nicely)

Course Main Dishes, Sauce/Marinade

Cuisine Mexican, North American

Keyword cilantro salsa, corn salsa, non fried fish tacos

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Resting Time (Onion) 10

Total Time 45

Servings tacos

Calories 148kcal

Ingredients

Tacos

1 lb halibut cheeks or other firm white fish
1 tbsp avocado oil or other neutral, high-smoke-point oil
salt
8 corn tortillas or 16 if you like to double-up
2 limes cut into wedges

Corn-Cilantro Salsa

1/2 cup roasted corn
2 cloves roasted garlic
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems
2 tbsp white vinegar
salt to taste

Quick-Pickled Red Onions

1 medium red onion thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Corn-Cilantro Salsa

(See note below about roasting corn and garlic)
Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a blender, food processor, or large mortar and pestle. Blend or pound the ingredients until well-combined. You want to stop when the mixture is still just a little bit chunky. Set aside, or refrigerate if making the day before.

Onions

Thinly slice the onion. Combine with vinegar, sugar, and salt in a container. Shake vigorously, then let stand for at least 10 minutes (longer is better). Refrigerate if making the day before.

Fish

Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan on the stove-top over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until the oil is shimmering and very hot.
Season the fish all over with salt, then transfer to the hot pan carefully. Sear the fish until it's golden brown and releases from the pan fairly easily. Flip and sear the other side until the fish is cooked through (generally only a few minutes for halibut cheeks, but this can take longer for thicker pieces of fish). Remove the fish from the pan and set it aside to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
Serve fish with warm corn tortillas, salsa, pickled onions, and lime wedges. Don't skip out on the lime - it really finishes things off nicely!

Notes

Tip: Make the salsa and onions ahead of time for an incredibly quick and family-friendly weeknight meal. The salsa will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days, and the onions will keep for at least a week.

NOTES

Fish - I used halibut cheeks for my tacos, but any firm white fish will work nicely (e.g. cod, halibut fillet, basa, etc.). Consider using smaller pieces of fish so you can cook them a bit quicker and get more browning/searing overall.

Roasted Corn & Garlic - roasting these ingredients has a huge impact on the flavour of the salsa. You can roast these any way you like, but I grill the corn without the husk for about 10-15 minutes on a hot barbecue, and the garlic cloves (skin on) until they're charred on the outside and nicely softened inside. This method gives the salsa a nice smoky flavour.

Nutrition