Eat This While You Read That: Christopher Woods
Chris is an awesome human being, second only to his lovely wife (sorry, Chris!) so I was very happy that he was willing to let me do a recipe for one of his books. I was downright giddy when he picked one of my favorite meals as his choice. The only problem was that the First Reader does not eat fish...
More for me!
Before you start on this meal, which can be dead simple, or complex depending on your approach (I've chosen simple), you'll want to grab a copy of Chris's latest, This Fallen World. "Matthew Kade was a corporate assassin—one of the best agents Obsidian Corporation had. But then the bombs began falling, and the old world ended. Now he must navigate the new world he finds himself in, a world where the strongest survive, and the weaker do their bidding…or die."
Postapocalyptic seems so appropriate in this time. Fortunately, this is Chris. Things will work out in the end, he's not a writer of nihilism. Grab the book, and then set it aside. You'll want it for later, but cooking this meal won't leave you with much reading time until it's time to sit and eat. Ebooks are nice to read with messy meals - you can wipe off the screen like you can't with paper!
Christopher Wood's Fish Tacos
Fish tacos are one of those things that I've learned to be wary about when ordering at a restaurant. They are a good bellwether for finding a good Mexican joint, though, so I will do it from time to time. But I love to make them - they are so easy!
I prefer to use a nice firm white fish for them, but I will readily admit that when the kids were small and I was in a hurry, I've made them up with fish sticks (not the cheap crappy ones). The kids liked them that way. But for this meal, I chose cod. Tilapia will work fine on a budget. And I suppose in the postapocalyptic landscape, whatever you can catch is going to be a great option at the time.
Prep step: thinly shred or julienne some napa cabbage leaves. Slice a roma tomato (or a few) lengthwise into narrow wedges. Section a couple of limes. Make or buy guacamole, or simply an avocado. And have a little sour cream on hand if you like.
First things first: Make your tacos. Or buy them. For fish tacos I am firmly in the camp of soft corn tortillas. My kids have unanimously decided they do not care for the texture, and the First Reader wasn't joining me in the meal, so I scaled the recipe on the Masa bag way back. Too far back, as you'll see from that lone tortilla that isn't like the others. But if you are making them for the family you'll just need a couple of things. One is a tortilla press...
Seriously, these will work on store bought tortillas, but if you have access to some ladies who make tortillas, buy those. And if you don't, make your own. They are so, so good when compared to the pale flabby things in the supermarket.
2 c masa (regular cornmeal will not work. Masa is treated corn, it's been slaked with lye, which releases a lot of the nutrients, but also allows the meal to bind)
1 c water (more or less. Here's where it gets tricky)
Mix the masa and water together in a bowl, adding the water in slowly. When the texture reaches that of playdough - springy, not too soft, but not crumbly, either - you've got it. This will make about 16 tortillas, but it may take some time and practice to learn how much to pinch off and roll into a ball. Think slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball.
Heat a pan - flat griddle will do nicely - to medium high. You can brush it with butter or lard just before the first tortilla goes on, and in between each one.
I use a liner on my tortilla press. Mine is simply a quart ziploc bag that has been cut at the side seams and the zipper removed. Open that up, and place the ball of dough closer to the hinges of the press than the handle (the press pushes toward the handle, so you get a more round tortilla this way). Press gently, and not all the way down, with the handle. You'll learn after a few tries where the sweet spot is on your press - they vary according to the looseness of the hinges.
Lift up the top of the press, and lift out the tortilla on the liner plastic. You should be able to easily peel this back, put a flat hand on the tortilla, and then flip the tortilla on the pan as you pull off the other side of the liner. With practice this gets to be a graceful routine. But don't be surprised if it takes a few! Imperfect tortillas taste yummy too. If the dough is too wet, it will stick. Knead a little more masa into your dough if this happens.
Cook your tortillas for about 30 seconds to a minute on each side - they will be a little 'dry' looking at the edge when ready to flip. Slide them into a tortilla warmer or a covered plate until they are all done.
Heat a second pan, or simply use the same griddle, for the fish.
You neither need nor want large fillets - pieces the size of two fingers will work nicely. On a well greased griddle over med-high heat, lay the fish down. Allow to cook for 2 minutes (more if a very thick cut) then flip, and sprinkle liberally with Tajin (this is a chili pepper and lime seasoning, if you can't find it you can season with chili powder, garlic powder, and salt, then squeeze lime juice over when serving). The fish is done when it is firm to the touch and opaque through the center.
Put your fish on your tortillas, adding shredded cabbage, guac, tomato, and sour cream as desired. Eat! It's best hot off the griddle!
Yum. So yum. Curl up with these, the sun warm on your back, and a book.
The red seasoning is such a nice color pop, too. Eat with your eyes, yes?
All of the Eat This While You Read That recipes can be found here. There are a lot! You'll keep scrolling, but there are so many fun dishes it's worth the effort.