Southern Style Fish Tacos with Hoisin Mayonnaise Sauce

It's Cinco De Mayo tomorrow! It's the Mexican holiday which commemorates the victory of their army over the French at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. People of Mexican descent in the United States (especially here in Texas which used to be part of Mexico and follows many Mexican traditions) celebrate this significant day by having parades, mariachi music, folklorico dancing and other types of festive activities. But since we're not Mexicans, Cinco De Mayo for me and my family is more like a Mexican Food Eating Day. For the past 7 years that we've been here, we either eat at a Mexican restaurant or prepare a simple Mexican dinner at home every 5th of May.

We really enjoy Mexican food...but I must honestly say that I seldom make it at home. But in line with Cinco De Mayo celebration, I made Fish Tacos to share with you...

This is based on the Southern Style Fish Taco recipe from my 2005 Southern Living cookbook, which I paired with Hoisin Mayonnaise Sauce that I got from Food & Wine. In case you're wondering what Southern Style Fish Taco is...well, it has breaded fried fish while the original taco from the West Coast has grilled fish. If you'll ask me, I prefer Southern Style Fish Tacos because the breaded fried fish really adds a nice flavor and texture to the taco compared to the grilled fish which tends to be mushy. For the sauce, I prefer the Hoisin Mayonnaise Sauce instead of ranch dressing that is usually used for Southern Style Fish Tacos...not just because of my being Asian (LOL) but because it's so good!  I really never thought that hoisin sauce and mayonnaise will work so well together, but I've been addicted to it since the first time I tried it. They really make a good sauce and is so perfect for fish tacos. You should try it!

Catfish with Black and Red Beans in Coconut Cream

Ryan went fishing again for a couple of hours last weekend, and he caught 3 big catfish. Last night, he asked me to cook this...

I simply call it Catfish with Black and Red Beans in Coconut Cream. This is one of our favorite ways of enjoying his freshly caught catfish. Filipinos love anything cooked in coconut milk/cream, you know. We call it ginataan. We cook anything with gata (coconut milk/cream): from beef, pork, poultry and seafood to vegetables and fruits. I've featured some ginataan recipes here already like the Ginataang Tilapia, Ginataang Kalabasa at Sitaw and the Ginataang Halo-Halo, but this one is a bit different. This doesn't have a soupy consistency, mainly because I used coconut cream instead of coconut milk. I also added Japanese curry roux into it for more flavor and it also made the sauce thicker...and instead of vegetables, I used beans for added texture.

This very flavorful dish is always a hit on our dinner table. You should see for yourself!

Note: 

This way of cooking works well with fish fillet. For whole fish, a soupy consistency like that of my Ginataang Tilapia is more appropriate.

Ryan's Fish and Chips with Tartar Sauce

It's Good Friday today, and before my family heads out to do Visita Iglesia, I want to bring you PiTCC's last Meatless Friday recipe for this year.

Hubby went fishing last Monday and he caught more than 20 lbs of catfish. I don't usually like catfish because of its strong muddy taste, but that's not how it is with Ryan's catfish. You see, he learned from his officemate that the most effective way to remove the muddy taste in catfish is to let the fillets bleed out on ice overnight. So that's what he does...and it really works!

The next day, he made fish and chips and he wanted me to share it with you...so here it is!

This is one of Ryan's specialty. Everytime he catches some fish (whether its catfish or white bass) from the nearby lake, fish and chips is what you will first see on our table. I guess he really finds it easy to make and very enjoyable to eat. He even makes tartar sauce to go with it. Ryan's Fish and Chips is something that my daughters consider real comfort food. They love how crispy and flavorful their dad makes it!