Catfish Tacos with Chipotle Slaw

Name: Catfish Tacos with Chipotle Slaw
Ingredients: 1 cup shredded red cabbage (about 1/4 small head); 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, plus more to taste; 2 tablespoons Mexican crema or sour cream; 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from canned chipotle in adobo) or 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile; 6 ounces catfish fillet, cut crosswise into 2-inch strips; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 egg; 1/2 cup Japanese-style panko; Canola oil, for frying; 3 corn tortillas, preferably homemade (page 84); 1/4 cup Salsa Verde (page 14) or other tangy salsa; 1 lime, cut into quarters; A few sprigs cilantro (optional)

December 14, 2011

I’m as intimidated about making fish tacos for California friends as they would be to make chili for me. But I’ve learned the rules: No baking the fish, no guacamole (makes the fish soggy), no flour tortillas (although there’s some dispute on that point)? And you should hear the unprintable things they say about versions that include mayonnaise! It just so happens that I agree on all those points, except for one, which my Cali-friends will discover when they read this: I have actually made pretty darn crisp catfish in the oven. When it’s just you alone in the kitchen, and you don’t feel like frying, I won’t judge.

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