Seafood

Fish Tacos Al Pastor

April 15, 2022

My primary goal for this recipe was to create an apartment friendly version of one of my favorites; Tacos al Pastor. Typically, it consists of marinated sliced pork shoulder skewered on to a spit and cooked with an open flame. The results are juicy, perfectly seasoned, and caramelized pieces of pork. Unfortunately, open flames are not NYC apartment compliant. Tacos al pastor are also typically topped with pieces of grilled pineapple, white onion and cilantro. I decided to use fish in this recipe because I love the combination of seafood and pineapple. To replicate the caramelized crust, I cook the fish under the hot broiler. If fish isn’t your thing, this recipe also works great with shrimp!

Fish Tacos al Pastor

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Ingredients

2 lbs cod portioned into small filets, or substitute with shrimp
corn tortillas
limes for serving
micro greens for serving, optional

Marinade

1 dried ancho chile
1 dreid guajillo chile
2 chiles de arbol
1/2 tsp annatto seeds optional but encouraged
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground clove
1 pinch Dried oregano
1 pinch Cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp lime juice

Pineapple Salsa

2 cups chopped pineapple
¼ cup chopped cilantro stems
½ small red onion chopped
zest and juice from 1 lime

Instructions

Pre-heat the broiler setting on your oven and adjust the oven rack to the top shelf.
Tranfer dried chiles to a bowl, pour over boiling water and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes or until chiles are soft.
To make the marinade, transfer rehydrated chiles and the remaining ingredients to a belnder. Blend until smooth.
Season cod filets with salt, transfer to a large bowl and coat in the marinade. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Combine chopped pineapple, red oinion, cilantro, lime juice and zest for the pinapple salsa.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking oil. Transfer marinaded fish filets to the baking sheet and space them about 1 inch apart. Brush with any excess marinade left in the bowl.
Transfer to the oven under the preheated broiler and broil for 5-8 minutes or until fish is seared on the outside and cooked all the way thru on the inside.
If using shrimp instead of fish, cook for 4 minutes flipping the shrimp halfway.
Heat up tortillas on the stove top and store under a kitchen towel to keep warm until you're ready to serve.
To plate, top warm tortillas with cooked fish, pinapple salsa, microgreens and a squeeze of lime juice.