Fish Tacos and Margaritas: how to re-create your favorite restaurant

Have a craving for fish tacos? No need to leave home or pay high delivery fees. Learn how to make mouth watering fish tacos, and, of course margaritas to go with them. If your mouth is watering right now, keep reading and I will teach you how.

I originally wrote this last year before vaccines were available, and my husband and I did not want to go out to eat. With the latest strain of this virus, my husband and I don’t feel comfortable eating in public once again. Therefore, I decided to add some recipes to this post in addition to the recipe for fish tacos.

We miss our favorite seafood restaurants such as Muddy Waters in Deerfield Beach. We also had a favorite Parkland restaurant that closed down a few years ago called The Whale. This was a small restaurant with outdoor seating, and wooden booths indoors reminiscent of something you would find in Key West or another seaside village. In addition, sea life hung from the ceiling, and photos and beach paraphernalia on the walls. Subsequently, we created these fish tacos and cranberry margaritas, which immediately transported us back to our days eating at the Whale. We just had to share them. Other restaurant favorites are coconut shrimp and salmon burgers.

Fish Tacos

Although we live in Florida, I have to admit, all of our fish comes from Alaska. We have friends that live and work in the fishing industry there during the summer months. They send us amazing fish. The open land, fresh air, and numerous hours of daylight beckon to them to return every year. There is so much to see there, that the best way to explore is to take an Alaskan road trip.

Ingredients for recipe for fish tacos

• 1/2-1 fresh jalapeno pepper chopped
• 1/2 cup seeded and chopped large cucumber or small whole cucumber
• 1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped onion or 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• 1-2lbs. white fish (we used Rockfish from Alaska)
• Stand by themselves hard corn tortillas

Directions for fish tacos

1. First, combine pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, and cilantro, 2 tbsp. lime juice and 2 tbsp. olive oil in a bowl. Chill.
2. Then mix Old Bay Seasoning with remaining lime juice and olive oil in a Ziplock bag. After that, place fish fillets in bag. Moreover, coat fish well and seal. Then let sit for 5-10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Subsequently, place fish in a greased baking dish. Then cover with foil. Subsequently cook for 10 minutes. After that, remove foil and cook for another 10 minutes until fish is opaque. Do not overcook. Let cool 5 minutes.
4. Place tortillas in oven to heat while fish is cooling. Remove after 5 minutes. Moreover, remove skin from fish if not already done and break into bite size pieces.
5. In conclusion, spoon fish and salsa into tortillas. In addition, garnish with hot sauce and sour cream if you like.

My Favorite Recipe for Coconut Shrimp

Living in south Florida, we grow and harvest our own coconuts. We chop the coconut meat in our food processor. Sometimes we toast it which makes a great addition to salads.

Ingredients for coconut shrimp

• 1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined, but with tails on
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• sweet and sour sauce to serve

Directions for coconut shrimp recipe

1. Heat 2 inches of cooking oil in a deep pot. Meanwhile mix the flour, salt, ginger, and pepper.
2. After that, beat egg whites.
3. Once the oil reaches 325 F, coat shrimp in flour mixture. Then dip in egg white.
4. Finally, cover the shrimp with coconut completely, patting it on gently to make it stick.
5. When shrimp are coated drop them into hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, flipping half way through cooking.
6. Once they are done, drain on paper towels.
7. Serve with sweet and sour sauce from the store, or make your own.

We like to make our own mixing Thai sweet chili sauce with a little sweet and sour sauce. In the photo above we served the shrimp with mango chutney, mashed cauliflower and cucumber salad. Also try our coconut fish nugget recipe

Best Recipe for Salmon Burgers

Ingredients for salmon burgers recipes

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. grated lime peel
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 16 oz. boneless skinless salmon
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• 2 tsp. smoked paprika

Directions for recipe for salmon burgers

1. In order to make the burgers, mix salmon, egg, almond flour, green onions, pepper, and seasonings, along with 1/4 cup mayonnaise.
2. When mixture is thoroughly combined, form into 6-8 patties.
3. After that heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a skillet. We like using coconut oil for extra flavor.
4. Once oil is heated, add salmon patties to skillet. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side until browned.
5. Meanwhile mix remainder of mayonnaise with lime juice and peel.
6. When burgers are done, serve on buns with lime mayonnaise and whatever other additional toppings you like. We added some jalapenos and tomatoes.

Cranberry Margaritas, to Pair with Your Fish Tacos

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Ingredients

• 2 oz. Tequila
• 2 oz. Triple Sec
• 2 oz. Lime Juice
• 1 oz. Cranberry Simple Syrup
• lime wedges for garnish

Directions

1. When your meal is ready, mix all ingredients for the margaritas except lime wedges in a shaker with ice.
2. To sum up, strain into chilled martini glasses and garnish with lime wedges.

To make cranberry simple syrup mix two cups of sugar with one cup of water in a pot over medium heat. Then add one cup of cranberries. Stir until sugar is dissolved and liquid is dark pink. Don’t boil because cranberries will burst. After cooling strain the liquid. Further, you can use the leftover cranberry mixture as a substitute for preserves on some toast. Store simple syrup in the refrigerator.

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Donna Emperador is a travel and food blogger and copywriter. Donna believes in learning about different cultures while sharing good food and cocktails. She has lived in South Florida for over 20 years and enjoys spending time exploring the road to find unique places to share with readers. She can be found on Facebook,  Instagram, and Pinterest.