What a light and refreshing way to eat tacos for the summer months (or anytime of year for that matter because they are just so delicious and easy)! Grill these outside on the barbeque for the summer parties or inside on a grill pan for a quiet night in. It’s the perfect updated barbeque dish and such a great alternative to the typical burgers and hot dogs (although I do love a grilled hot dog). The salsa and crema can easily be made ahead of time, so you’ll just have to throw the fish on the barbie when the guests arrive.

Jicama is becoming widely available in local supermarkets, which I am so happy about because I just love it! It tastes similar to an apple, water chestnut and a coconut all rolled into one sweet, tropical ball. It is delicious in this salsa but I also eat it non-stop raw dipped in ranch.

Jicama

Yield: Makes 6-8 small tacos or 12-16 using the mini tortillas

Ingredients:

• 3 pieces (1 – 1¼ lbs) tilapia
• 6-8 small (8″) flour tortillas or 12-16 mini (6″) tortillas
• 20 cherries, pitted and chopped
• 1 jicama, peel removed, cut in half and sliced
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (add more if you like)
• ½ red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
• ¼ cup cotija cheese
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 limes, zest and juice of 1 for crema, juice of 1 for salsa
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt for the fish + 1 tsp for the salsa + pinch for the crema
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 tsp canola or vegetable oil to rub on the grill pan

Preparation:

Rub oil on whatever grill you are using and heat on high. Add jicama slices and grill on each side for 2 minutes, just until light grill marks start to form. You still want it to have a nice crunch but just with the added smokiness from the grill. When finished, let cool and chop into small pieces for the salsa. Mix the grilled jicama, cherries, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, 1 tsp of salt, lemon and juice of 1 lime together in a bowl. Set aside until ready to assemble the tacos.

grilled jicama

Combine the sour cream, zest of 1 lime (don’t forget to zest before juicing), juice of 1 lime and a pinch of salt to make the crema. Set aside until ready to assemble the tacos.

Mix together the onion powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, pepper and 1 tsp of salt. Coat the tilapia with olive oil and sprinkle the spice mix evenly on each piece of fish. Grill on high heat for 2½ minutes on each side, until completely white through the middle. Remove the fish from the grill and gently pull apart with two forks creating somewhat small chunks of flakey fish.

Warm the tortillas on the grill for about 30 seconds just until slightly warm. I like to warm the tortillas directly on the flame to get a slight char on the outside but this only takes a few seconds. If doing it this way, keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too charred and no longer pliable.  To assemble the tacos, first add the red cabbage to the tortillas so it catches any liquids trying to get through and so it prevents it from getting soggy. Add the fish on top of the cabbage, then the cherry and jicama salsa, followed by the lime crema and a sprinkling of cotija cheese. Enjoy with your favourite cerveza!