“Fishing is boring, unless you catch an actual fish, and then it is disgusting.” – Dave Barry
Okay so it wasn’t a whole fish sadly. Turns out finding a whole fish in Dallas was harder for me than maybe it should’ve been or I just went to the wrong place. However, it turns out some fish are really fuckin’ big. This was all to satisfy my wish to cook up a fancy Fried Fish Tacos with Verde sauce.
I started and ended my search for fish at TJ’s Seafood Market on Preston and Royal. It is a swanky Restaurant and Fish Market with various locations in the DFW area. As a fish novice I walked up to the friendly counter clerk and asked for Red Snapper, which they had none sadly, but was recommended to use Halibut or Tilapia for fish tacos. I asked for a full Halibut and the dude started laughing and held his outstretched arms stating “They’re like this big.” One quick google search and holy shit he wasn’t kidding. I should work on my marine biology knowledge.
So one little mishap but an easy audible to make with this recipe. A quick trip to my local Tom Thumb satisfied my tomatillos, cilantro, more cilantro, oil, and pickled jalapenos. I have been growing some jalapenos but chickened out using them thinking it would add some nutty heat to the sauce. Ignore this next time William.
My recommendation from this experience is don’t use a cast iron skillet, maybe a full fish would not stick to the bottom but my Halibut filets all wanted to grab on and not let go. This led to little fish bits floating around my oil and a mess to scrape off during dishes.
However, after all the sauce prep, fish frying, and filet tearing this was an excellent meal that my family easily tore into.
Did I second guess myself with regards to this meal? No, not at all, my self-confidence is at record heights. Did my wife give me some weird looks while I gently laid my fish in the piping hot oil, most definitely. Did I like it? Duh.
Homemade Full Fried Fish Tacos with Verde Sauce
Ingredients
1. A bunch of Cilantro
2. 8 ounces tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed, coarsely chopped
3. 1/4 cup drained jarred pickled jalapeños, plus 1 tablespoon (or more) brine from jar
4. Kosher salt, Black Pepper, Cumin, Paprika, White Pepper, Garlic Powder
5. 3 cups vegetable oil
6. 1 (1 1/2–2-pound) whole fish (such as Black Sea Bass or Red Snapper), cleaned
6a. 1 1.5 pound filet of Red Snapper, Black Sea Bass, Tilapia, or Halibut.
7. Warm Tortillas
Pre-Prep
Pick that Cilantro: You need the stemmy bits for your verde sauce. Very counter intuitive but my Hispanic heritage told me to trust this random recipe I followed on the internet.
Clean that Fish: Pat dry your fish with paper towels. If cook without wiping off the nasty slime that comes with your filet or full fish you are a certified psychopath.
Husk those Tomatillos: I’ve never used Tomatillos before and they are weird. Some of the husks did not want to get shucked off by me but some warm water helped convince them. Also wash your Tomatillos because they have a weird tacky residue on their skins.
Recipe
1. Chop up 1 Cup of cilantro stems and add to a blender. Add a big pinch of cilantro leaves and add them to a blender.
2. Take your tomatillos and dice them up, add to the blender.
3. Add 1/4 Cup drained jarred pickled jalapeños, plus 1 tablespoon (or more) brine from jar to your blender.
3. Add varying amounts of Kosher salt, Black Pepper, Cumin, Paprika, White Pepper, Garlic Powder to the blender. (Make it your own, you’re listening to a stranger on the internet tell you what to put in a Blender, take some creative authority on this step.)
4. If you don’t have a fancy Puree button on your vintage Kitchen Aid mixer from 1988 just blend until it looks like a green salsa you would see at El Paisa.
5. Season your fish with Salt and Black Pepper to your hearts content. (Or any of the other spices you previously used.)
6. Heat your oil in a iron skillet for full fish, sometime more non-sticky if you have filets. You’ll know the oil is hot enough when you tear a piece of tortilla and toss it in the oil it will begin bubbling immediately.
7. Place your fish/filets in the oil GENTLY. This is freakin’ hot oil and it will fuck you up if it spills on you. Be careful when handling to ensure oil does not spill over and you do not get a third degree burn/trip to your local ER.
7a. If you are using a full fish it will be easy to tell when to flip to fry the other side since it will begin browning while frying, just don’t burn it. With filets, depending on size, just eyeball it. Fish changes color when cooked thoroughly so just bird-dog it until you think it is done. Take a bite of it if you aren’t sure.
8. Take said Fish/Filets out after cooking and set on paper towels to dry for a few minutes.
9. Warm those tortillas up with a hot plate or a microwave tortilla warmer.
10. Plate your fancy ass fish in a bowl with your verde sauce and spare cilantro to impress your other internet friends and gain clout on Instagram.
11. Pour yourself a glass of Noble Coyote Jabali Mezcal with a single ice block and a squeeze of lime.
12. Bien trabajo, mi amigo.
13. Enjoy with family and friends.
Cheers Y’all,
William
W Is For Will 
Leave a comment