Spicy Cod Tacos with Pineapple Lemon Balm Salsa

Spicy Cod Tacos with Pineapple Lemon Balm Salsa. A deliciously unusual combination of flavours. Substitute your favourite salsa & add avocado for a change.

Spicy Cod Tacos with Pineapple Lemon Balm Salsa

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo a little early yesterday with these spicy fish tacos made with Newfoundland cod. Mexican fish tacos very often include battered and deep fried fish but here I’ve opted to dredge the fish pieces in a spicy flour mixture and simply pan fry them in a little canola oil. I like to cut the fish onto “fish-stick” sized pieces which makes them easier to fit into small flour or corn tortillas.

The salsa is a bit of a twist on a typical fruit salsa, using lemon balm as the preferred herb in the mix instead of cilantro. The lemon and pineapple flavours complement each other well and the hint of lemon connects well with the fish.

Although this is a very simple recipe it has a lot going on; from the delicate texture of the fish with crispy spicy coating to the slightly chewy texture of the tortillas to the fresh burst of flavour and spice in the salsa, they all combine for a very quick and satisfying meal.

Like this Cod Taco recipe?

You’ll find many more traditional and Newfoundland inspired recipes in our Newfoundland section and even more great dishes in our Fish & Seafood Category.

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Spicy Cod Tacos with Pineapple Lemon Balm Salsa

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Course: Mexican Inspired

Servings: 8 tacos

Author: Barry C. Parsons

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh boneless cod fillet cut into approximately 1 1/2 x 4 inch pieces
• 8 six inch flour or corn tortillas
• canola oil for frying the fish

For the flour and spice dredge

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground Cumin
• 1 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

For the salsa

• 1 ½ cups fresh pineapple diced small
• 1 clove minced garlic
• Juice of one lemon
• ½ red onion diced
• 1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeño pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ½ red pepper diced small
• 4 tbsp chopped lemon balm flat leaf parsley and a little grated lemon zest can be substituted

Instructions

1. Mix the ingredients in the flour and spice dredge together well.
2. Dredge the fish pieces into the spiced flour mixture then pan fry quickly in a cast iron skillet in about a 1/4 inch of canola oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
3. Warm 8, six inch soft flour or corn tortillas by wrapping them in aluminum foil placing in the oven for a few minutes or just lightly grill them for a few seconds on each side.
4. Place one or two pieces of the fish on a warm tortilla, top with the salsa and serve.

To prepare the salsa

1. Toss all ingredients together well in a glass bowl. Let stand for about 2 hours before serving, stirring occasionally.
2. Makes about 2 cups.