Incredible Dinner Last Night!

The weather was AMAZING yesterday, so S and I took advantage of it and went for a long meandering walk around the Montrose/Museum district downtown near my place.  Afterwards I whipped up a super summery dinner of beer battered fish tacos with pineapple salsa and a jalepeno cilantro crema and our weekly cocktail, a blood orange margarita.  They were SO yummy! I based my recipes off of this fish taco recipe and this margarita recipe, but added my own twists.  For the margarita, I followed the recipe almost exactly except I used a homemade habanero infused tequila.  To make yourself, cut a habanero pepper in half and add to a bottle of silver tequila for a half hour.  Remove pepper or pour tequila into another container and store.  Here is my version of the taco recipe:

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili pepper
10 ounces your favorite beer (I used the seasonal Blue Moon Valencia)
1 cup canola, vegetable or olive oil
4 fresh or thawed tilapia filets, cut into thin strips
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
1/2 large lime, juiced
1 avocado, mashed
4-inch flour tortillas

pineapple salsa
1/2 pinapple, chopped small
1/4 red onion, diced small
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 small lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon salt


jalapeño crema
1 cup sour cream
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 large lime, juiced and zest freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

pineapple salsa:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Let sit either at room temperature for 30 minutes (or if making far ahead of time, put in tupperware in the fridge) before serving so the flavors can marry.

jalapeño cilantro crema:
Add the ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until combined. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.  If making ahead of time, cover and place in the fridge, but let come to room temperature before serving.

In some tupperware, add the cabbage with the lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Close tupperware and shake up, then put in fridge to "marinate".

In a bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked pap, salt and chili powder and whisk to combine. Pour in the beer and whisk until a smooth batter forms.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of the oil. Dip the fish in the batter and coat it completely, let excess drip off, then drop it in the skillet to fry. Let each piece of fish fry until the sides appear golden and crispy, about 2 minutes or so per side. Gently remove the pieces with a spatula and place them on a paper towel to absorb any liquid. Repeat with all the fish, adding more oil as needed.

To assemble the tacos, smear some avocado on your tortilla and then add a few pieces of the fish on top, followed by the cabbage, the salsa and then a drizzle of the crema. Serve!