Fish Tacos — with a twist of fusion

These are not your everyday fish tacos! The ingredients in this tangy, sweet sauce with a hint of heat combine in a vivacious creation — perfectly fusing flavors from Latin America and Asian cuisines.

Roxanne Saldana shared this gem in “A Tradition of Good Taste and Grace,” the cookbook published in 2010 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Immaculate Conception Parish in Rice, Minnesota. She credits her friend and fellow parishioner, Kelly Pruesser, for giving her the recipe. CJK

Fish Tacos — with a twist of fusion

(Roxanne Saldana)

1 medium-size mango, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup cubed avocado

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tbsp. chopped, seeded jalapeño pepper

1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

3 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. honey

1 lb. fish fillets or steaks

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 lettuce leaves

4 flour tortillas

4 tsp. sweet Thai Chili sauce

Preheat gas grill (or oven, if broiling fish).

In small bowl, combine mango, avocado, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, 2 tsp. oil, lemon juice and honey and set aside.

Brush the fish with the remaining oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grease rack on grill with oil or no-stick spray before placing fish on it. Grill (or broil) fish for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it flakes with a fork.

Place lettuce leaves on tortillas. Top with fish and mango mixture. Drizzle with Thai Chili sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

A note from Roxanne: The original recipe called for halibut, which is delicious, but I’ve used tilapia and several other kinds of fish, including sunfish. Any kind of fish works well. I’ve always grilled or baked the fish for these tacos but pan frying or broiling it, as suggested in the recipe, are also good options.

A note from Carol: I love fish tacos and enjoy them equally well in soft or hard shells. This recipe would also be terrific served in warmed crispy taco shells — either way I can hardly wait to try it!

Roxanne and her husband, Mark, are members of Immaculate Conception Parish in Rice.  They are the parents of two grown children, Kayla and Marcus, and grandparents to eight-month-old Carter, son of Kayla and her husband, Bill Kieke, who are also parishioners of Immaculate Conception.

Copies of “A Tradition of Good Taste and Grace” cookbooks can be ordered from the Immaculate Conception Parish office (320-393-2725) for $15, plus $5 shipping and handling.

Extreme Oven-Fried Fish

Have you been searching for a really simple fish recipe this Lenten season? Would you like it to turn out perfect every time?

Oookaay. Do you have what it takes to preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit? I’ll admit it — the first time I tried it I was skeptical about the extremely high temperature.

But, trust me on this one… You’ll soon get over your fear of what seems to be exceptionally high heat for little pieces of fish because they will turn out “just right” if you follow the directions. I’ve always set a timer and checked the fish after 10 minutes. (The fillets I’ve prepared have usually been thin and 10 minutes has been long enough.) The fish has flaked beautifully with a fork and it has been truly delicious! CJK

Extreme Oven-Fried Fish

(Adapted from a Betty Crocker Cookbook)

1 lb. fish fillets or steaks

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray.

If fish fillets are large, cut into 5 or 6 serving pieces. Stir salt into milk in a shallow dish. Pour breadcrumbs into another shallow dish.

Dip fish into milk, then coat with breadcrumbs. Place in prepared baking dish. Pour melted butter over fish. Place pan on oven rack that is slightly above the middle of the oven. Cook uncovered in 500°F oven between 10 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Yield: 5 to 6 servings

A note from Carol: Once when I didn’t have any prepared breadcrumbs on hand, I crushed a handful of “cheesy snack mix” with my rolling pin. It added a nice flavor dimension. You could also substitute crushed (unsweetened) cereals like cornflakes, crackers of any kind or stuffing mix.

VIDEO: Malagasy Vary amin’anana

Malagasy Vary amin’anana

Madagascar, an island nation off the east coast of Southern Africa near Mozambique, is another of Operation Rice Bowl’s featured countries this year. This authentic Malagasy recipe includes their staple — rice — that is generally eaten there three times a day. Minced gingerroot adds a pleasant peppery bite to the fresh greens and juicy tomatoes in this traditional dish. CJK

Malagasy Vary amin’anana

(Operation Rice Bowl)

Photo by Philip Laubner/CRS

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 small onion, minced

1 tsp. gingerroot, minced

1 tomato, diced

3 cups collard greens, thinly sliced

2 cups water

1 cup rice

Salt, to taste

Heat the oil in a medium pot. Add the onion, ginger, and tomato — sauté for about two to three minutes or until tender. Add the greens and continue cooking for one minute, stirring the mixture during this time. Add the water and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and salt.

Cover and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

A note from Carol: You could substitute fresh spinach or another kind of leafy green veggie, such as kale, Swiss chard, endive or broccoli raab for the collard greens.

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Operation Rice Bowl is Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten program. Since 1975 it has connected Catholics in the United States with those in need around the world.

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Visit FFF tomorrow to see a video of Mary Gibbs, administrative manager at the Catholic Spirit, demonstrating how to make vary amin’anana.

Zambian Nshima or Kenyan Ugali

I mentioned on Thursday that Zambian ifisashi is often served with nshima, a form of cornmeal mush or dumpling made from ground corn flour known as mealie-meal in Zambia. This dish is a staple throughout much of Africa. It’s called ugali or posho in East African countries, sadza in Zimbabwe, pap in South Africa and fufu in West Africa. It’s also found in Caribbean Creole cuisine — on the islands of Curacao and Aruba it is known as funchi, funjie in the Virgin Islands, fungi in Antigua and Dominica and mayi moulin in Haiti.

Father Bill Vos, Catholic Relief Services director for the Diocese of St. Cloud, lived in Tanzania for 16 years as a missionary. He explained to me that ugali (pronounced oo-golly) is a Swahili word and is a common generic term for this food throughout most of East Africa. He also mentioned that some of the African tribes use cooked bananas in a dish similar to the cornmeal ugali or nshima.

Kateri Mancini, coordinator of Mission Education at the diocese’s Mission Office, shares her recipe for ugali with FFF readers today. She traveled to Kenya in 2006 as part of the St. Cloud Diocese’s delegation to its sister diocese in Homa Bay. “Ugali was served with almost every meal we ate there,” she said. “It’s much like bread is to us and rice is in Asian countries.” CJK

Kenyan Ugali

(Kateri Mancini)

4 cups water

2 tsp. salt

2 cups, finely ground white cornmeal

Bring water and salt to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the cornmeal — add it to the water by slowly letting it fall through your fingers.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue stirring frequently, smoothing any lumps with a spoon, until the cornmeal mush pulls away from the sides of the pot and becomes very thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.

Place the ugali in a large serving bowl. Wet hands with water. Form it into one large ball inside the bowl.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

A note from Kateri: Instead of using silverware, the Kenyans pulled off a piece of the cornmeal mush with their fingers, rolled it into a ball and then pushed their thumb into the center of it to make an indentation. The ugali became an edible utensil to scoop up the other dishes being served.

A note from Carol: White cornmeal is most commonly used for ugali. However, sorghum, millet, coarse cassava flour or hominy grits can be substituted. More or less water can be added to achieve a desired consistency.

Kateri described the traditional way to eat ugali or nshima — it would certainly add authenticity to your Operation Rice Bowl meal to eat it in this customary fashion. But if you would prefer, you could form larger balls with your hands or an ice cream scoop, place it in individual serving bowls and pour the ifisashi or another stew around it.

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Kenya was one of Operation Rice Bowl’s featured countries last year. You might also like to try the recipes for Kenyan irio and Kenyan nyoyo during this Lenten season.

VIDEO: Zambia Ifisashi

Zambian Ifisashi

Perhaps you’ve sampled one of the Operation Rice Bowl recipes from Vietnam this past week. If so, you’ve likely welcomed the opportunity to unite with the Vietnamese people through this unique Catholic Relief Services program, which stresses prayer, fasting and acts of charity.

Zambia is another country that Operation Rice Bowl is highlighting this year. This ifisashi recipe from Zambia is a traditional thick, buttery peanut sauce with tomatoes, onions and greens served over hot rice. CJK

Zambian Ifisashi

(Operation Rice Bowl)

Photo by Philip Laubner/CRS

2 to 3 cups water

1 cup chopped peanuts

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 bunches fresh collard greens (or spinach), washed and chopped

Salt to taste

2 to 4 cups hot cooked rice

Bring water to a boil in a medium pot and add the peanuts, tomatoes, and onion. After a few minutes, add the chopped greens. Stir occasionally while continuing to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until peanuts are soft and mixture has become a thick buttery sauce.

Serve hot over rice.

Yield:  4 to 5 servings

A note from Carol: I’ve learned from “The Zambian” website that versions of this stew-like combination are found all over central and southern Africa. While usually a vegetarian meal, meat is added if it’s available. Ifisashi is generally served with nshima, a cornmeal dumpling or mush.