Food: Honey Chipotle Roasted Fish Tacos with Peach Salsa

I can’t hop a jet plane to someplace hot, so eating these tacos is the next best thing.

My Instagram feed is currently flooded with folks frolicking on tropical beaches, and I have to admit I’m a little jealous.

Clad in slippers and wool, I stare out onto a snow-covered front yard, and the only things frolicking are the brave birds, happily eating up the food I put out for them. How I wish I could trade in my boots for sandals, my shower for a swim-up bar, and the snow for some sand.

Everyone seems to be eating tacos on their tropical vacations, which makes me crave the sun and the beach even more. Since I can’t transport myself to a place where the cold doesn’t hurt my face, I made my own fish tacos with a delicious peach salsa and pretended there isn’t another two months of winter left.

My barbecue is buried under a foot of snow, so there won’t be any grilling happening here for a good while. Roasting the fish for these tacos is where it’s at.

We need to talk about the marinade for a moment because it is so awesome. You can’t go wrong with chipotle anything in my books, and here the heat is tempered by the sweetness of the honey and the zing of lime juice. Not only does it add loads of flavour to the fish, it makes it incredibly tender. Succulent comes to mind. If you have cats, they will harass you for a taste — just a heads up.

Use whatever meaty fish you can get your hands on. I love local steelhead trout, but sockeye salmon, halibut or snapper would be excellent, too.

While the salmon does its thing in the oven, it’s salsa time. I used canned peaches for the base of my salsa, as I find they have better flavour and texture than their frozen counterparts. There is always a can tucked away in my pantry, as I like to top my pancakes and waffles with them in the winter. Each sweet slice reminds me that winter won’t last forever.

Canned peaches are no slouch, though. They’re rich in antioxidants and Vitamin A and are nearly four times higher in Vitamin C and 10 times higher in folate than fresh peaches. Not only are these tacos tasty, but nutritious as all heck. And pretty! Just look at that plate.

Like any good salsa, be sure you taste and adjust the seasoning with sufficient lime and salt. Fish really benefits from a hit of acid and salt, so don’t be shy with either.

Load the tacos up as you like. In my world this means avocado and feta cheese, with more lime juice. I love how the sweetness from the peach salsa plays off of the spiciness of the fish, and believe me, it’s easy to devour a few tacos in one sitting.

Like any good taco, these can be drippy, so have plenty of napkins handy. I can’t hop a jet plane to someplace hot, so eating these tacos is the next best thing.

Honey Chipotle Roasted Fish Tacos with Peach Salsa

Fish

3 Tbsp olive oil

juice and zest of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp of juice)

2 tsp liquid honey

1 tsp ground chipotle powder or chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 500 g (1 lb) steelhead trout fillet (can also use sockeye salmon, halibut, snapper, etc.)

Salsa

1 (398 mL/14 oz) can of sliced peaches packed in water, drained and chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced small

1/2 cup cucumber, diced small

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup red onion, minced

half jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced

fresh lime juice, to taste

salt to taste

To serve

8 flour or corn tortillas

avocado, diced

feta cheese, crumbled

fresh lime wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and zest, honey, chipotle powder and salt in a medium bowl. Pat the fish dry and place it in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over the fish and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

3. Roast the fish for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for several minutes, then flake the fish with a fork and gently combine it with any pan juices. Try to keep the flakes fairly large. Cover and keep warm.

4. While the fish is cooking, make the salsa by combining all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Season to taste with lime juice and salt.

5. Warm the tortillas by wrapping the stack in foil and placing in the oven until hot. If the fish has cooled down, warm it up in the oven. Assemble the tacos with the fish, salsa, avocado, feta and finish off with a squeeze of fresh lime. Eat immediately and eat often! Makes eight tacos.