Mediterranean Fish Tacos

Jim liked the Mediterranean Tacos better than the Baja Light, until he went to clean up. Last night tacos were a breeze to make and the cleanup was almost nonexistent. Tonight we had double frying and even the salad was much more involved. However, it was very good. I know the word fry turns a lot of people off. This is the first fried dish and I have been doing this blog since January. When I fry I use my electric wok. It works great as it is wide and you can set the exact temperature. Also there is a rack that goes half way around that allows you to put the finished food on it to drip before you put it on paper to go in the oven. So on to these tacos. I am going to start with the fixings as you need to get this ready first.
The Fixings
Lemon Aioli (I made half)
Stir 1C mayo, 2t minced garlic and 2-3 T lemon juice
Fried Caper and Orange Slaw
Heat 2T EVOO in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/4C capers, patted dry, and sauté until pale golden, 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels. Peel quarter, and slice 2 oranges. In a bowl, combine oranges, 1/2C slivered red onion, 1/8 t cayenne, 2 t lemon juice, 1T EVOO and 1/8 t kosher salt. Just before serving, stir in 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce, ½ C small mint leaves and capers.
This was a great accompaniment. The fried capers tasted like popcorn to me. It was however preparation intensive. Speaking of preparation intensive……..
Seafood and Tortillas
12-114 corn tortillas, (5-6”) warmed. I started by putting the tortillas in my warming drawer on 3, covered by aluminum foil. Again as is was only Jim and I we used half
1 ½ # calamari tubes and tentacles
½ C all-purpose flour and rice flour
¼ t cayenne
1 t kosher salt
Vegetable oil for deep frying
1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees or turn your warming drawer on high. Cut calamari tubes into ½” rings, pat calamari mostly dry. Mix flours, cayenne, and salt in a baggie.
2. Heat 1 ½” oil to 380 degrees. I recommend an electric wok or an electric fry pan. Easier to keep the temperature correct. Toss ¼ of the calamari at a time in flour to coat, shaking off excess. I put it all in the bag at once and tossed. Take it out of the bag with a slotted spoon, shake off excess flour and place in the oil. I did it in 4 batches. Cook 2-3 minutes per batch. Transfer each batch to a paper towel lined baking sheet.
3. To serve smear each tortilla with about 1T aioli, then fill with calamari and slaw.
There are two more in the article. I am definitely interested in the Golden State. The other is Japanese. Maybe to see if anyone is reading and using this blog, I will do them all and then ask for your favorites.