Feast Tofino 2018 – Recipe by Chef Matty Kane of Shelter Restaurant

In celebration of Feast Tofino 2018, this is the second in a series of three recipes from our chef community.
Behold the fish taco!  With a mix of West Coast flavours and Mexican influence, it has become a classic Tofino dish, easy to eat on the go, on the beach or in a restaurant setting.  Chef Matty Kane of Shelter Restaurant shares his take on it with you:

Halibut Fish Tacos with Roasted Corn Salsa

Ingredients:

Salsa

• 3-4 medium sized beefsteak or roma tomatoes
• One small red onion
• 3 fresh corn cobs
• 2-3 medium jalapeno peppers (more if you like it hot!)
• Half a bunch of cilantro
• 4 limes
• Salt
• One small can of black beans

Fish

• One large piece of halibut ~1kg for 12 tacos.
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• 6 eggs
• 250ml milk
• Panko
• Flour

Chipotle Mayo

• 250g mayonnaise
• 50g chipotle in adobo sauce
• 25g fresh lime juice (about one lime’s worth)

Jicama Slaw

• One small jicama
• 2 limes
• Half a bunch of cilantro
• Salt

Other ingredients you will need:

• 12 soft taco shells (corn or wheat, whatever is your preference)
• Limes for garnish
• Cilantro for garnish
• 4 avocados

Method:

Salsa

Using a hot grill or your oven’s broiler, roast the peeled corn cobs until the corn takes on some colour and is tender.
Cool the corn, and cut the kernels off.
Dice the tomato and the onions, seed and dice the jalapeno.
Coarsely chop the cilantro and rinse the black beans.
Juice the limes and combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Jicama Slaw

Peel the jicama using a knife.
Julienne the jicama using a mandolin, or a knife if you feel like brushing up on your knife skills.
Juice the limes and chop the cilantro.
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Season to taste with salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Chipotle Mayo

Puree the chipotles in a food processor.
Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth.
We usually transfer the mayonnaise to a squeeze bottle to deploy easily.

The Fish

Slice the fish into twelve equal pieces, around 10cm long each.
Beat the eggs and milk together.
Place the panko and the flour into two separate bowls. You should now have a bowl with flour, a bowl with egg mixture, and a bowl with panko.
Bread the fish by seasoning it with salt and pepper, coating it first with flour, then eggs/milk, then panko.
Move the breaded fish to a baking pan as they are breaded. If you have a deep fryer, turn it to 350, and fry the pieces for 3 minutes, or until the fish is golden brown and still moist inside. If you do not have a deep fryer, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking) place a few pieces in the hot pan.
Turn the heat down a little and continue cooking until the fish is golden brown and crispy on one side, then turn and do the same on the other side.
Remove the fish from the pan, and reserve on a cooling rack over a baking sheet to allow excess oil to drip off.
Resist the urge to use paper towel – this holds the grease next to the fish.

Building the Taco

Feel free to put all the ingredients out and allow your guests to build their own tacos. This is how we do it: toast your tortillas on a hot pan, turning once. Slice some avocado (about ¼ of an avocado per taco). Lay the avocado on the shell. Add a piece of fish, top with the slaw and some corn salsa. Garnish with Sriracha mayo and some chopped cilantro. Serve with some fresh lime wedges on the side.

We hope to see you during Feast Tofino, running April 20 to May 6, as we celebrate our Boat-to-table food culture together.