Fish Tacos with Red Cabbage and Celeriac Coleslaw

I love Mexican food, there is something about all the layers of  textures and flavours, the tortillas, the chillies, the tomatoes, the sour cream and the cheese.  When they all come together they seem to make a magical combination that is quite delightful.

I've made Mexican dishes with chicken, with beef and with vegetables but never with fish, time to put that right.  If you have been reading my recent fish recipe posts you will know that I've been eating oily fish twice a week but I hadn't had any fresh mackerel.  Mackerel has quite a strong flavour and a solid meaty texture, so it can stand a bit of chilli heat without being overpowered.  It's also No. 2 in the top 30 Omega 3 rich fish, second only to herring, so really good for you.


Mackerel is also really good value for money, I got three medium mackerel for £2.54.  I prepared them myself but if you don't have the stomach for that, then I'm sure you could get mackerel fillets or ask your fishmonger to fillet them for you.

Have you tried these new Stand N Stuff Soft Tacos from Old El Paso? The tortillas have been shaped in the little baskets making them much easier to fill and eat.  The Chunky Guacamole is a good stand by to keep in the fridge too, for those times when you don't have a ripe avocado!

Fish Tacos
Serves 4

3 medium whole mackerel, filleted
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 Old El Paso Stand n Stuff Soft Taco Kit (contains 8 Stand N Stuff Soft Flour Tortillas, 1 Tomato Stir in Sauce, 1 Cool Herb Topping Mix)
3 tomatoes
100ml sour cream
100g grated cheese
1 lettuce
Old El Paso Chunky Guacamole

1. Cut the fillets into chunky pieces and place in a glass or ceramic dish.
2. Mix the spices and salt together and sprinkle over the fish pieces, mix together to cover the fish with the spices.  Place in the fridge and leave for at least 30 minutes.
3. De-seed the tomatoes and chop finely, place in a bowl and set aside.
4. Mix the Cool Herb Topping Mix with 100ml sour cream in another bowl.
5. In a hot pan, add a splash of oil and add the spiced fish mixture until the fish becomes opaque.
6. Turn down the heat and add the Tomato Stir-in Sauce and stir gently for 2 minutes.
7. Add half the grated cheese (50g), stirring until the cheese has melted.
8. Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking tray, covered with foil in the oven at 165C/Gas 3 for 7-9 minutes.
9. Fill the Stand and Stuff Flour Tortillas as follows:

• Lettuce
• Fish mixture
• Chopped Tomatoes
• Grated Cheese
• Cool Herb Topping Mix
• Squeeze of Chunky Guacamole at each end!

I served the Fish Tacos with Red Cabbage and Celeriac Coleslaw



Red Cabbage and Celeriac Coleslaw
Serves 4-6

1/4 red cabbage, finely sliced
1/2 medium celeriac root, finely sliced into julienne strips
1 large carrot, grate half and julienne slice the other half
1/2 a small onions, finely chopped

Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix.

To make the dressing
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
25 ml olive oil
1 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp soured cream
salt and freshly ground pepper

Place all the ingredients into a jar or dressing shaker (or you can whisk in a bowl) and shake until completely mixed.  Pour over the vegetables and mix.  Chill until ready to serve.


What a tasty supper dish, we really enjoyed it.  The fish held together well and combined well with the spices.  I loved the Stand N Stuff Tacos, they held the fillings so well and I could see them being really brilliant for buffets and much easier for children to manage than the traditional tortilla.  As long as you don't fill them too full, you can pick them up and the filling will stay in while you bite into them.  I was also pleasantly surprised by the Chunky Guacamole, it definitely tasted of avocado and no obvious artificial flavour, not as much texture as the real thing but handy to keep in the fridge.

Read more about the benefits of eating oily fish at the Fish is the Dish website. 

The mackerel is a really thrifty buy, and the coleslaw is pretty cheap to make too. The meal can also be made with standard tortillas to make it less expensive.  With all these money savers I'm entering this recipe for Credit Crunch Munch, the blog event run by Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All and currently being hosted by My Little Italian Kitchen 

I was provided with the Old El Paso products for review, I was not paid and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: celeriac, chilli, coleslaw, fish, Fish Tacos, Mackerel, Old El Paso, red cabbage, spicy, Tacos, Tortillas

posted by Janice @ 09:30 7 Comments

Spiced Ginger Red Cabbage

Spiced Ginger Red Cabbage
I love baked red cabbage in the winter months, it's easy to make, will keep well in fridge for 2-3 days and can be reheated just before a meal, it would be perfect with Christmas lunch or served with left over ham or turkey after the big day.   The Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve adds a nice kick to this dish making it even more warming than usual.

I'm delighted to say that this post is part of #ChristmaswithMackays a 12 days of Christmas feature being run by Mackays, a family run Scottish company who make their preserves in small batches in the traditional way. 



1/2 a medium red cabbage
2 medium or 1 large onion
3 apples
3 tbsp Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve
1 in/2.5cm peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp white or red wine vinegar
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1. Pre-heat the oven to 325F/160C.
2. Slice the cabbage, peel and slice the onions. Peel, core and slice the apples.
3. In a deep ovenproof casserole dish, build up layers of cabbage, onion and apple and finely chopped fresh ginger, add a tbsp of Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve and start the layers with the cabbage again. There should be around 3 layers. Finish with a layer of cabbage.
4. Sprinkle over the salt and the soft brown sugar.
5. Add the wine vinegar.
6 Put a lid on the casserole or use a piece of foil.
7. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 1 1/2  - 2 hours.  When the cabbage is soft, it is ready.



You can make this even more festive by adding fresh cranberries and an additional tbsp of soft brown sugar to counteract the acidity of the berries.

Many thanks to Claire at Mackays for the samples of Mackays preserves, I was not paid for this post and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: Ginger, red cabbage, spiced ginger Mackays

posted by Janice @ 13:24 5 Comments

Venison Sausages with Red Cabbage and Apples

Last month I posted a recipe for Venison cooked in Cider made with a haunch of  fallow deer venison from Millbank Parkland Venison.   I'd like to show you another recipe, this time using the rich and tasty venison sausages also from Millbank Parkland Venison.

Venison Sausages with Red Cabbage and Apples

5 Venison sausages
1/2 red cabbage, sliced
2 red onions, sliced
4 sticks celery, sliced (optional)
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
100ml red wine vinegar
1 tbsp muscovado sugar
Salt and Freshly ground pepper

1. Brown the sausages in a pan.
2. Layer the cabbage, onions, celery and apple slices.  Season.


3. Add another layer of the vegetables and top with the sausages.

 4. Sprinkle over the sugar and pour over the vinegar and put the lid on the dish or cover with foil.



Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours at 160C



If you would like to try some of the Millbank Parkland Venison products, you can still enter the giveway HERE

Win this Taster Pack

Labels: apples, Millbank Farm Parkland Venison, red cabbage, sausages, venison, venison sausages

posted by Janice @ 12:04 3 Comments

Mince Beef Pie - A Family Heritage

My Mum in the 1960's

Gran in the 1930's

Great Grandfather

Granny and Grandpa

and his dad, my grandfather, was a butcher with his own business.

It is so simple and so delicious and every now and again I trot out this recipe again, it never fails.



Bake at 200C for 40 minutes until golden brown.

I served my pie with mashed potatoes and red cabbage baked with apple and red wine vinegar.

Labels: Beef, family, mashed potato, Mince, Pie, puff pastry, red cabbage

posted by Janice @ 20:40 8 Comments

Pork Goulash with Dumplings

On these cold winter's days, you need something warming and substantial for your dinner, so when I saw this Pork Goulash with Dumplings in BBC Good Food Magazine, I thought it would be just the thing. It also allowed me to use up some vegetarian suet I had in the cupboard and a chance to use the smoked paprika my son bought me for Christmas.

It was very good and very easy to make.  Having the dumplings meant there was no need for potatoes or rice and I served it with braised red cabbage loosely based on Nigella's recipe in Feast.
 

Labels: BBC Good Food Magazine, dumplings, Feast, Nigella, paprika, Pork, red cabbage

posted by Janice @ 15:05 8 Comments