In Search of American Cuisine - California

I thought it would be a good idea to start our search in a part of the country that I am very familiar with. California.

What was I thinking!!

California is like a country in itself. There are so many diverse cultures and communities. This region of course has a tremendous Hispanic community, as well as an abundant Asian culture. How do I pin down one Cuisine. There are so many different types of cultures from people that have migrated here from all over and abroad.

On top of that ,

California has been the number one food and agricultural producer in the United States for more than 50 consecutive years.

More than half the nation's fruit, nuts, and vegetables come from here.
California is the nation's number one dairy state.
California's leading commodity is milk and cream. Grapes are second.
California's leading export crop is almonds.
Nationally, products exclusively grown (99% or more) in California include almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwifruit, olives, persimmons, pistachios, prunes, raisins, clovers, and walnuts.
From 70 to 80% of all ripe olives are grown in California.
California is the nation's leading producer of strawberries, averaging 1.4 billion pounds of strawberries or 83% of the country's total fresh and frozen strawberry production. Approximately 12% of the crop is exported to Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan primarily. The value of the California strawberry crop is approximately $700 million with related employment of more than 48,000 people.
California produces 25% of the nation's onions and 43% of the nation's green onions.
Gilroy, California, "Garlic Capitol of the World," has hosted 2 million at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.

Where do I begin??!!!

I thought I'd take a simple approach. I grew up in Southern California, and true to the Stereotype, I spent most of my free time at the beach. All Californians do. There was, and still is one food that personifies this lifestyle.



THE FISH TACO.



There has been a lot of friendly debate on how and when this food migrated to Southern California. Many people give credit to Ralph Rubio for bringing this item to California in the 70's. However I have a picture of my Dad in the early 60's at a food stand with aFish Taco sign in the background while eating one. So Who Knows?! One thing everybody agrees on is that its origins came from Baja California. So we'll leave it at that.

There are two options when preparing Fish Tacos. Fried or Grilled Fish. Both are great, but I prefer grilled. I am able to get a better taste of the flavor of the fish, and its easier to season to individual tastes. But most important, Its easier to prepare!

There is also one more important decision. What type of fish?

There is really only one simple rule here. It needs to be a sustainable firm fleshed fish. I've had this made with Red Snapper, Striped Bass, Tuna, Sea Bass, and Red Rock Fish. But my favorite is Mahi- Mahi.

Not only for the taste and texture, but for the sustainability.

So here is our first entry for California ( The First of many)

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GRILLED FISH TACOS

Taco Filling



2 1/2 - 3 Pounds Fresh Mahi Mahi Fillet
2 Large Avocados
1 Pound Pineapple Coleslaw (See Easy Recipe Below)
One Container Chipolte Ranch Dressing if available. If not, Simple Ranch Dressing may be substituted

Marinade-

2 Limes

2 Oranges

1/2 Cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

Seasoning-

1 Tablespoon Ground Allspice
2 Tablespoons Fresh Ground Pepper
1Teaspoon Ground Sea salt
1 Teaspoon Cayenne (Red) Pepper
2 Tablespoons Died Pepper Spice Blend ( Found in Most Groceries)


Tacos-

12 , 10 Inch Fresh Flour or Corn Tortillas

1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

Preparation-

For the marinade, squeeze the Juice of 1 1/2 Oranges and 1/ 1-2 Limes into a casserole dish. Add Soy Sauce. Save remaining half of Lemon and Orange.

Wash and pat dry Mahi-Mahi with paper towel. If possible try to use a whole piece of Mahi-Mahi. If not available make sure each piece is at least 5 inches long in length.

Once dried, place fish in Marinade and cover at room temperature for 30 Min.

*Please note that some people like to add their spices to the marinade. This is OK but I feel that the citrus eliminates some of the spice. I prefer to add seasoning on top of the fish while cooking.

Dice both Avocados and place in bowl. Add One Small Squeez of Juice form Lime to Avocado and set bowl aside. This will help prevent browning of the Avocado and also add great flavor.

While Fish is marinating, Prepare Coleslaw.

Making homemade Coleslaw can be cumbersome. Besides that, at the end of the day there is an easier and less time consuming way to turn out a Slaw the is just as tasty.

I prefer to use a 1 pound bag of pre-packaged Coleslaw mix which includes Cabbage, Red Cabbage and Carrots. To this, I add 1/2 to 3/4 of a jar of Pineapple Coleslaw sauce and mix. There are many different options to choose from, but I prefer the Brand called Jimmy's. This is available in almost all Supermarket chains. If not available try to use a different Pineapple Slaw Mix. You won't regret it.

Its important to note that while the mix states to add the whole jar, our goal is to have a crispy slaw. 1/2 to 3/4 of the jar will deliver all the flavor but still keep your slaw crispy, which is what we are looking for. Whatever your preference in Coleslaw, Creamy is no way to go here!

Once mixed cover and refrigerate for 30 min.

Cooking-

Turn on Grill to High Temperature. If you don't have a grill, use your oven and set to Broil.

After 30 Min. of Marinating, place fish on Grill.
Season fish with half of Seasoning.
Cook for 5 Min. and turn Fish.
Season Fish with remaining Seasoning and grill for another 5 Min.
Remove Fish and Place on cutting board for5 Min.
Carefully chop Fish into 1/2 inch pieces.
( If fish should fall apart in some places, it's OK. These are Tacos, remember?)

Once Fish is chopped, place in large mixing bowl.
Add Remaining Juice from Lime and Orange

Tacos-

Add Vegetable Oil to 12 Inch Skillet and turn on Med High Heat.
Once heated add Tortilla
Turn tortilla with tongs after 5 Sec.
With tongs grab end of Tortilla and fold in half while still in skillet.
Place new casserole dish next to skillet and line with paper towell.
Remove Tortilla and place on top of paper towell in casserole dish.

Repeat process until all Tortillas have been fried.

Take tortilla shells and add Fish evenly inside all shells.
Dress each Taco with selected Chipolte Ranch Dressing
Add Avocado to each Taco
Top each Taco with Pinapple Coleslaw

Serves 4-6

Dig in.

If you can't be at the beach, eat like you are!!

Thanks to whoever did bring this to California!


If you have a different version of this Recipe, or would like to comment, please feel free to post in the Comments Section. I'll be happy to pass on.

This Friday we head to Texas!!