This quick and easy pescatarian dish of tuna and mushroom tacos is a blend of traditional Mexican cooking and the Cali-Mex traditions of the USA. It's not exactly "low-cal", but it's a healthy, quick dish nonetheless.
Como pez en el agua
I adore Mexican cooking. But, I equally adore the Cali-Mex and Tex-Mex traditions that grew up on the other side of the 20th-century border. In many ways, I'm an utter wh**e for the far fattier versions that arose from the "bounty" available to Mexican communities north of the US border. Yep, I am a complete sucker for "Mexican comfort foods", usually found within the USA. Here I'm trying to get back to a version of something I encountered in Baja California. And, yes, it does have influences from north of the border.
No, it's not that low-cal, though avocado is supposedly "good fat" and sour cream has less than half the fat of cream. So, unless you're going to pig out on that element, it has a significantly lower fat content— "It's a dressing, babe, not an ingredient, etc."
It's an ultimately fairly healthy pescatarian—or veggie—dish. And, it takes less than 30mins to prepare. See what you reckon.
As with other recipes I've published, this recipe uses sliced avocado because I prefer the "biteable". But, you can substitute it with guacamole if you wish. You can find this dish's "heavier" companion here.
I'm not impressed with the "organic tacos" I've used on this occasion: they were rather disappointing. If you have a go-taco provider, use them instead.
Leftovers can be repurposed—as salads or on flatbreads. This is a fairly mild dish using this recipe: add additional sliced chillies and fajita spice mix if you wish to ramp up the spiciness.
This recipe serves 2 to 3 diners—assuming each will eat 3 or 4 small-to-medium tacos as a main meal. Scale up or down according to the number of mouths you want to feed. NB: these images don't reflect optimal portions; I've made it in slightly smaller quantities here.
Shopping list
for the tuna and mushroom tacos
Approx. 500g large chestnut mushrooms, sliced
Taco shells, enough for 3 to 4 per diner
1 large, ripe red bell pepper (yellow as an alternative), cut into vertical slices
1 avocado (or more), sliced vertically, roughly into eighths
2 medium onions (red or brown) halved and cut into thick vertical slices
1 large fresh red chilli; sliced
Approx. 100ml soured cream
1 tin (approx. 150g) tinned tuna, drained
A dash of anchovy sauce
A dash of sherry (optional)
⅓ small iceberg lettuce; cut into strips, washed and drained
6 or 7 ripe fresh cherry tomatoes, diced
Approx. 2 tspns smoked chipotle flakes
4 cloves garlic; finely grated
The juice of 1 fresh lime
Sunflower oil; approx. 6 tbspns
A dash of olive oil
A little freshly ground black pepper
Approx. 3 tspns of faijita spice mix; store-bought or see below
for the fajita spice mix
You won't use all of this spice mix. I often make it in larger quantities. Store in a dry, clean jar. Alternatively, there are good readymade versions out there. Check they include the key ingredients. Usually the pimentón is missing, but you can easily add it.
1 tspn chilli powder
1 tspn dried garlic flakes
1 tspn pimentón (ideally the "sweet" version)
1 tspn cumin
1 tspn oregano
1 tspn black pepper
a dash of salt
Cooking Method
Slice the bell pepper and dress with some of the lime juice. You should do this some time before. It's best to do it no later than the night before you cook the dish and store, sealed, in the fridge overnight. Similarly, prepare your fajita spice mix in advance—if not using store-bought—using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar
Before you cook the ingredients, slice the iceberg lettuce, chop the tomatoes and mix together in a prep bowl, adding black pepper and olive oil. Simultaneously, slice your avocado, dressing with a little lime juice to prevent browning
In a frying pan with a lid, heat half of the oil. Add half of the garlic once hot. When the garlic has sizzled for a few minutes, add the mushrooms and sauté. Cover and sweat for a few minutes. When the mushrooms are about half-done, add the anchovy sauce and sherry (if using) and cook in. Re-cover and cook until done (stirring occasionally to prevent sticking) NB: if using the sherry, the mushrooms should turn a dark colour. This is GOOD
Once cooked, decant the mushrooms to a plate. Add the remainder of the sunflower oil to the same pan (without removing the juices). Increase the heat. When the oil is hot, add the remainder of the garlic. Follow almost immediately with the flaked chipotle and stir together, releasing the aromas. Add the onions and stir in. At the first sign of the onions softening, add the fajita spice mix and stir in. Keep stirring so that nothing sticks—add a dash of water if it threatens to do so
When the onions are half-cooked, add the bell pepper and red chilli at the same time. Stir in and sauté, still on the fairly high heat. When the peppers are sealed, reduce to a medium heat and continue to sauté. This time, use the remainder of the lime juice if any "lubrication" is needed to prevent sticking
When this mixture is nearly perfectly cooked, add the tuna and stir in. Do not to "cook" it—it's already cooked—almost immediately adding the pre-cooked mushrooms and stirring in. Remove from the heat and allow the ingredients to rest
In the interim, bake your taco shells in a pre-heated hot oven for not more than about 5mins. While they might momentarily soften, chances are they will have already have returned to their "brittle" state by the time you fill and serve
After your tacos have had a minute or so to rest, add your lettuce and tomato and avocado. Then add the mushroom, pepper and tuna mix. Finally dress with the soured cream and take to table. Eat with your fingers.
Alternatives
This dish is (lacto) pescatararian by default. To make it vegan, simply leave out the tuna, anchovy sauce and soured cream, increasing the quantities of mushrooms, peppers and avocado. I can't comment on the vegan substitutes for vegan soured cream: I've never tried them.
Carnivores, perhaps check out this alternative for a very similar dish. Or, of course, you can use a traditional beef or pork chilli in lieu of the mushrooms—though that would kinda be someone else's tacos, not mine.
Pairings
I've never actually had this dish with booze—yes, I hear you all howling like hyenas, but it's true. I usually have it with glass of sparkling water on ice mixed with orange or guava juice. Go figure. Of course, I'm sure the are many wines and beers with which it's great. This time it's up to you to tell me. Or I could put it on Karel's already heavy workload.
Nah, this time it's your baby.
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