Fabulous Fish Tacos



Both tacos are only 405 calories. 

Say goodbye to summer with this low-calorie favorite from Ellie Krieger's cookbook, The Food You Crave.  In case you are unfamiliar with Ellie, she hosts "Healthy Appetite," a show which previously ran on Food Network and now can be seen on Cooking Channel.  A registered dietitian with a master's degree in nutrition, she has a knack for making boring "diet" food taste pretty great. 

I recently made her recipe for fish tacos.  I love fish tacos but they usually are not low in calories, thanks to many restaurants and taco stands frying the fish.   Ellie marinates the fish in fresh lime juice and a touch of olive oil, then quickly grills it.  You never miss the fry.  She then adds a chipotle cream to spice it up and tops it off with corn kernels, shredded cabbage and cilantro.  Corn tortillas are the vessel of choice, since they are extremely low in calories, sodium and fat.

While the last few recipes I've posted are loaded with fat and calories, this is one you won't feel guilty about eating, and it's ready in a snap.  I picked up some tilapia, an ear of fresh corn, and a bag of angel-hair shredded cabbage, and it was off to the kitchen.  Ole!

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream
(The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger)

For the fish
2 T. olive oil
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound white, flaky fish fillets (tilapia, mahi-mahi or halibut)

For the chipotle cream
1/2 C plain nonfat yogurt or 1/3 C Greek-style nonfat yogurt
2 T. mayonnaise
2 tsp. finely chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

For the tacos
Eight 6-inch corn tortillas
1 1/2 C shredded green cabbage or lettuce
1/2 C cooked corn kernels
1/4 C fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

To make the fish, in a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Pour over the fish and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.  To make the chipotle cream, if using regular yogurt, put it into a strainer lined with a paper towel set over a bowl to drain and thicken for 30 minutes.  Preheat a grill or nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat.

Remove the fish from the marinade and grill until cooked through, about three minutes per side.  Set the fish aside on a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.

In a small bowl, combine the drained or Greek-style yogurt, the mayonnaise and chipotle.

To prepare the tacos, heat the tortillas on the grill or grill pan for 30 seconds on each side.

Flake the fish with a fork.  Spread each tortilla with one tablespoon of the chipotle cream.  Top with fish, cabbage, corn and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

Notes:  I have been using the leftover chipotle cream on sandwiches and it adds lots of flavor and heat to otherwise uninspired turkey sandwiches.  If you don't like spicy foods, use less chipotle in the cream.  Greek yogurt is superior to regular yogurt.  Buy it and you won't need to mess with the strainer.  You can use frozen corn but fresh tastes best, and I simply saute it in butter-flavored cooking spray.