Craig Stodola’s Springtime Crispy Fish Tacos with Ramps and Chipotle Sauce
Makes 4 tacos
Mexican crema: 2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 to 3 tablespoons buttermilk
Juice of 1⁄2 lime
Sea salt to taste
Chipotle sauce:
3 to 4 large ripe heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 chipotle en adobo sauce, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin, preferably freshly ground in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
Sea salt to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Tacos:
8 corn tortillas (see note)
1 handful of ramps (about 5 or 6), cleaned with roots trimmed off
3⁄4 cup finely ground cornmeal
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons Southwest seasoning (any brand)
Pinch of salt
1 pound yelloweye Rockfish, cut into thin strips (or any firm white fish such as halibut, Pacific cod, flounder)
Vegetable oil for frying fish
1 avocado, cut into thin slices
Queso fresco crumbled cheese
Salt to taste
You’ll need to start this recipe a day ahead.
Prepare Mexican crema: Combine whipping cream and buttermilk in a container. Stir thoroughly, cover and leave out on the counter overnight, or at least 10 to 12 hours, to allow mixture to thicken. Add lime juice and salt, stir thoroughly, cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before use, to allow mixture to thicken.
Make chipotle sauce: Put all ingredients except stock and olive oil in a food processor; blitz until smooth.
When Mexican crema is ready, make the creamy chipotle sauce that you’ll be serving with the tacos. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and, when it’s hot enough to make the chipotle sauce sizzle, pour in 1⁄2 cup of the chipotle sauce and fry 5 minutes, until it starts to reduce. It should sizzle and bubble vigorously; this concentrates the flavor and adds complexity. After about 5 minutes, add stock and cook vigorously to reduce by about half.
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then add half the Mexican crema and stir. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate about an hour. (Remaining chipotle sauce, after removing the 1⁄2 cup to fry, can be saved for another use: to simmer meatballs, pork chops or chicken, for example. Use remaining Mexican crema like sour cream.)
Prepare tacos: Set a dry griddle over medium or medium-high heat. When it’s hot, heat corn tortillas one at a time until warm and soft, a few minutes on each side. Place tortillas on a plate and cover with a clean dry cloth to keep warm.
Mince the ramps from bulbs to tips of the greens and separate minced bulbs from minced leaves. Sauté the bulbs in olive over medium heat about 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, Southwest seasoning and a pinch of salt.
Wash fish strips and shake dry; fish will still be damp. Add fish strips to cornmeal mixture to coat liberally.
Heat oil to a depth of about 1⁄2 inch in a cast-iron skillet until bubbly. Working in batches, add coated fish and cook until golden brown, flipping when each side gets golden brown, about a minute or two on each side. When fish is golden brown and crispy, remove from oil. Place on rack or paper towels to drain and season with a pinch of salt.
Double up the tortillas to make 4 total tacos. Place some fish (about 2 to 3 strips, depending on size) in middle of each tortilla pair, add sautéed ramp bulbs and a generous little mound of the minced ramp greens, top with a slice of avocado, then drizzle with the creamy chipotle sauce and top with fresh crumbled queso fresco. Serve immediately.
Note: Stodola uses El Milagro Blancas (white corn) tortillas, available at Woodman’s and online. The tester used 8-inch corn tortillas.