(Healthy) Fish Tacos With Mandarin Orange Salsa

Mother's Day. The post-pandemic Mother's Day, the recovery Mother's Day, the Mother's Day that has tables again and customers again and forty-five cake orders — up from eighteen during the pandemic, approaching the pre-pandemic record of forty-two. The recovery is measurable in cake orders. The cake orders are the metric of love returning to normal, and normal is forty-five cakes, and forty-five cakes is Sofia saying "I told you we'd recover," and Sofia being right again, because Sofia is always right, because rightness is her compass and the compass points due north, and due north is the bakery's best version, and the best version is arriving.

Luis Jr. gave me a framed photograph. A new one — him and his unit, taken in the desert during deployment, seven soldiers standing in front of a Humvee, squinting against a sun that is not our sun, and all seven soldiers are holding conchas. My conchas. The conchas I mailed. Seven soldiers with conchas in a desert, a photograph I did not know existed until now, and the photograph is the most valuable thing in my house because the photograph proves what I have always believed: the bread travels, the bread reaches, the bread feeds people I will never meet in places I will never go, and the feeding is the legacy, and the legacy is Rosa's.

I made enchiladas suizas — the tradition. The Mother's Day tradition that is five years old now and feels like it has always existed because traditions that feel like they have always existed are the best traditions, the traditions that trick time into thinking they were here first.

The enchiladas suizas are the tradition, yes — the one I guard — but after the photograph of Luis Jr. and his unit holding my conchas in the desert, I needed something bright on the table alongside everything else, something with the kind of color that matches the feeling of a holiday that finally, finally felt whole again. These fish tacos with mandarin orange salsa are that something: the citrus sharp and sweet the way a good day is sharp and sweet, the kind of dish that says the table is set, the people are here, and the recovery is real.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs white fish fillets (tilapia, cod, or mahi-mahi), cut into strips
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
8 small corn tortillas, warmed
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
For the Mandarin Orange Salsa:
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Make the salsa. Combine the mandarin oranges, cherry tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl. Stir gently to combine, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Season the fish. Pat fish strips dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl, mix together the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture evenly over all sides of the fish.
Cook the fish. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish strips in a single layer and cook for 3–4 minutes per side, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat and break into large chunks.
Make the lime crema. Stir together the Greek yogurt and lime juice in a small bowl until smooth. Season with a pinch of salt.
Warm the tortillas. Char tortillas directly over a gas flame for 20–30 seconds per side, or warm them in a dry skillet until pliable and lightly toasted.
Assemble the tacos. Layer each tortilla with shredded cabbage, fish, a spoonful of mandarin orange salsa, and a drizzle of lime crema. Serve immediately with extra salsa and lime wedges on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

(Healthy) Fish Tacos With Mandarin Orange Salsa — The Mother’s Day Table We Almost Lost