From Red Hot Kitchen, by Diana Kuan
The citrus and green chili flavors in yuzu kosho make the zesty Japanese chile paste a wonderful, if slightly unorthodox, ingredient for fish tacos. I like to throw together a slaw flavored with yuzu kosho, mayo, and rice vinegar to serve on warm corn tortillas with the pan-seared fish (which can also be grilled if you’d like to make these for an outdoor cookout.)
Directions
- Make the slaw: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage and carrots. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yuzu kosho, rice vinegar, and salt. Pour the mixture over the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Wrap the tortillas in 4 stacks of 4 tortillas each in foil. Warm the tortillas in the oven for 15 minutes to 20 minutes.
- When you're ready to make the fish tacos, lay the fish fillets on a clean work surface and brush 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the top. Sprinkle evenly with the cumin, ancho powder, salt, and pepper.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add another 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the fish fillets and sear until lightly golden on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully flip the fillets and sear on the second side until the fish is opaque and cooked through and flakes off easily with a fork, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm while you sear the remaining fish.
- On a clean work surface, use a fork to shred the fish fillets. Lay out the tortillas in 8 stacks of 2 each (doubling up the corn tortillas makes each taco sturdier.) Divide the fish, yuzu slaw, and avocado slices to make 8 tacos. Top with cilantro (if using) and serve with limes on the side.
Diana Kuan
Diana Kuan is a food writer and photographer based in Brooklyn. She is the author of Red Hot Kitchen, on cooking with Asian hot sauces, and The Chinese Takeout Cookbook, on Chinese food and culture in America. Her work has also appeared in Food & Wine, Time Out New York, and The Boston Globe, among other publications. In addition to writing and photography, Diana has taught cooking classes for the past 10 years in both Beijing and New York. Her favorite foods are dumplings, ramen, and tacos, usually with hot sauce on the side.