Fish Tacos with Acorn Squash and Brussels Sprouts

Who doesn’t love tacos? Taco Tuesday is a huge thing in my household, and one of my favourite tacos are fish tacos. I don’t mean a bit bits of pieces coated in breadcrumbs, I’m talking a whole grilled or pan-seared fillet. This ensures you get a good dose of protein and makes the fish the star of the show along with anyother sauces you serve the tacos with. This is the second in a set of meals using MSC Bluefish certified hake. I got the fillets from Walmart in the frozen seafood section, but it’s wild-caught and sustainably fished. I made a recipe with the recipe fillet, here.

If you’re a conscious eater like myself and want to make the best decisions for your body and the environment, check out this shopper’s guide and check out my Instagram page!  

I wanted to make these seasonal and so used fall vegetables to serve as a side along with the tacos or incorporate them into the taco as your plate.

Brussels sprouts are filling, delicious and nutritious and were my first choice for greens to add to the tacos. Make sure when you are preparing them that you cut them sprouts into quarters, this will make them easier to eat and help prevent breaking down the tacos.

As for the gourd, I used acorn squash because I like the mild taste to help focus on the fish and the shape, but you can use butternut squash diced into bite-sized pieces. 

Is hope you enjoy these fall inspired tacos.

Ingredients

3 full hake fillets, thawed

2 tablespoon fish spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Cooking spray

Fall vegetables:

1 small acorn squash

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup brussels sprouts

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon fenugreek powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons cooking wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup sweet potato nectar (or natural sweetener)

Herbed garlic butter sauce:

2 tablespoons fresh dill

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Flour tacos

Instructions

Season your thawed fish fillets. Pat them dry with paper towels first, especially the skin to make sure you get a crispy texture when you fry them. Brush or drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lemon juice on both sides of the fish.

In a small bowl mix your spices and season all the fillets evenly. You can rub on the blend with your hands.

While your fish soaks in the flavours, prepare your vegetables. Slice the acorn squash in half, and remove the seeds and fibres. Slice into 1 inches pieces.

Slice and quarter the Brussels sprouts, add both vegetables to a large bowl. Add all the seasoning, cranberries, soy sauce, cooking wine, sweet potato nectar and olive oil. Mix until everything is evenly coated.

Place the veggies on a baking sheet with parchment paper (cover entirely to prevent burning from the running juices). Bake at 400F for about 30 minutes, carefully turning over the pieces every 10 minutes until the acorn squash has softened and the Brussels sprouts are cooked through.

Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil and fry the hake fillets skin down for about 5 minutes. Flip over carefully and cook until the fish is opaque and white, with crispy skin, about 3 minutes. Remove the fillets from the pan, set aside.

Add the butter, salt, pepper, and chopped herbs to the pan to make your sauce with all the remaining bits and juices from the fish. Stir until everything is well mixed, set aside.

Char your flour tacos for about 15 seconds on each side Directly on the stovetop.

Assemble your tacos! Place the fish fillets and vegetable on top of your tacos and brush the hake with the butter sauce. Serve with fresh cilantro, remoulade sauce, feta, avocado and corn!

Seared Hake with Mofongo Irio (Mashed Plantains with Corn & Peas)

There's nothing like a crispy piece of fish, especially when it’s wild-caught. I was inspired to put this together by MSC Bluefish, a non-profit organization that seeks to protect the oceans by advocating for sustainable fishing practices and educating people on the importance of conscious consumption in a world where our food choices have a huge impact on the environment and food security.

To learn more visit their website, and download their new guide to help out when you are shopping! https://www.msc.org/en-us/what-you-can-do/blue-fish-guide

I got my hake fillets at Walmart, but you can find MSC Bluefish labelled products at several grocery stories - tinned, fresh, frozen, in a wide price range that can accommodate your budget.

I love hake, it’s a tasty but mild fish you can pair with almost anything. With the skin on, you can get some great flavours.

I paired the fish with a fusion side dish. One dish is considered Puerto Rican, the other Kenyan. If you're a stickler for traditional meals, this isn’t for you! Experimenting in the kitchen and trying new things can teach you a lot and greatly improves your cooking skills and overall knowledge. This worked out, so I wanted to share the recipe!

Mofongo is fried plantain mashed with garlic, salt and olive oil to be formed into a ball used to eat. Typically you add bacon bits or pork rinds crushed in with a pestle and mortar. I tried it for the first time in New York at a Cuban restaurant with shrimp, and it was delicious! It's origins link back to fufu which was brought by Africans to the Caribbean in the Spanish colonies.

As for irio, that’s a side dish popular in Kenya consisting of mashed potatoes, corn, and peas. I switched out the potatoes for mashed plantains, with the addition of the garlic and voila, a side dish to compliment the crispy-skinned hake! If you like mashed potatoes and as a side for your fish and favour the taste of plantains, the 'mofongo irio' will be a delightful side to your dish!

Ingredients

Seared hake:

2 whole hake filets, with skin on, thawed (I got the MSC Bluefish-certified frozen pack)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon fish spice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 egg

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

Mofongo irio:

2 large plantains, ripe

1/4 cup green peas, frozen

1/4 cup sweet corn kernels, frozen

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon fenugreek

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

Sautéed greens:

1 cup kale, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Season the fish with the salt, pepper, fish spice and lemon, set aside. Slice the fillets in half for more manageable pieces, but be careful not to rip the skin.

Get two shallow dishes - add the beaten egg to one and the breadcrumbs to the others. Place the fillets skin side up first in the egg, then the breadcrumbs to add a light coating.

In a hot a skillet, cook the fish in the vegetable oil. Put the fillets skin down, and fry for 3-5 minutes until the skin is crispy, then turn over to finish cooking. Remove from the fish skillet but keep all the juices and bits in the pan, set aside.

Peel and slice your plantains about 1 inch in thickness. If your plantains are not so ripe, you can boil them until they start to soften. If they are quite ripe, they will be ready to fry immediately.

Add the olive oil and garlic to the skillet and fry the plantains. Season with salt, pepper and fenugreek powder on medium-low heat until the plantains have softened, and are slightly crispy and goldish, about 5 minutes. Place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil once they are done.

Return to the skillet, add the peas and sweet corn. Cook for another 3-5 minutes to get the peas and corn some flavour.

Remove from heat and using a potato masher, press down on the mixture until a mashed potatoes consistency forms - you can leave a few pieces partially whole for texture. If you have a pestle and mortar, you can also transfer the mixer and use that instead!

Prepare your kale. In a small saucepan, saute the leaves in the oil with salt and pepper until wilted, but don’t overcook.

You can also make some chermoula as a sauce for the fish, but the sauteed kale, juicy fish, and moist mofongo irio mash is enough. Find my recipe for the seafood accompaniment, here: https://www.dontmissmyplate.com/how-to-cook/2020/6/30/chermoula-red-snapper-peanut-butter-rice

Now time to plate your dishes! Using a measuring cup, shape the mofongo irio into a dome shape. Place about a tablespoon of the kale on top, then set your crispy, juicy hake on top. Repeat for the desired number of servings. Serve with avocado and lemon, enjoy!