Most people do not think of seafood and fish when they think of Mexican cuisine. They are sadly mistaken. Mexico is bordered by two large bodies of water and has miles and miles of coastline. In some places like Veracruz, seafood is ubiquitous and beef, pork, and chicken are hard to find.

One of the easiest Mexican dishes to prepare using seafood is tacos. Most any type of seafood from shrimp to cod can be used. Since I live in Iowa, catfish is plentiful and that is what I chose to use. Another thing most do not think about is grilling fish but here again it is something so easy and it has the benefit of not filling the house with the smell of fried fish.

The sauce

Ingredients

½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
1 lime
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground hot Mexican chili powder
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon capers, minced
1 jalapeno
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and mayonnaise until well blended.

Squeeze the juice from one lime into the mixture, then whisk thoroughly. You’ll want the consistency of a pourable, creamy salad dressing. If still too thick, add more lime juice. If too runny, add sour cream.

Add all of the spices, whisking to mix thoroughly. Add the capers, minced pepper and cilantro, and whisk thoroughly.

Cover the bowl with wrap and refrigerate the sauce for at least one hour — the longer the better.

Grilled Catfish

Ingredients

4  Catfish fillets
1 tablespoon hot chili powder or your favorite Cajun seasoning blend
1 tablespoon grape seed oil or other high heat oil like refined canola
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice

Prepare grill to medium heat. Combine chili powder, oil and lime juice in a small bowl; brush over both sides of fillets. Arrange in a wire grilling basket coated with cooking spray or other suitable grilling rack.

Place grilling basket on a grill rack; grill 6-8 minutes on each side until catfish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Remove and slice in strips.

Assembling the tacos

Additional Ingredients

Slaw mix
Fajita size flour tortillas (warmed according to directions)
Sliced avocado

Place approximately ¼ cup of slaw mix on warm flour tortilla. Place a few slices of grilled catfish on slaw. Then top with above sauce and slice or two of avocado.