One fish, two fish — tacos!
An hour before opening on a hot, sunny Friday morning, Adam Gottlieb, co-owner of Pipeline Taco in Wayne, busily prepped pineapple. Beside him, another man diced tomatoes for pico de gallo.
“Tacos, in general, have really been going crazy lately. I go out often and eat other people’s tacos,” described Gottlieb, a chef for 25 years who’s cooked in fine-dining restaurants and the James Beard House. “I love the simplicity of the concept. And I love that I don’t have to take myself too seriously.”
On the wall over his shoulder: an image of Hawaii’s legendary Banzai Pipeline. On the menu: his signature Pipeline tacos, starring tempura or grilled mahi-mahi.
“I like to think that we thought of everything — the texture, the taste, the appearance,” he said. “It happens to be a very pretty taco.”
Credit the mango papaya salsa, cabbage and cilantro lime sauce.
“I use red cabbage because I like the look of it,” Gottlieb added. “It has a nice crunch to it, so when you’re biting into the taco, it gives you that crunch you need.”
At Jaco Juice & Taco Bar in West Chester and Media, the fish taco features cabbage slaw, pineapple salsa, tomatillo salsa and roasted poblano crema.
“It’s really good. It’s one of our top sellers,” said Kim O’Donnell, managing partner. “It’s very fresh. It’s light. It’s not heavy. It’s not deep fried.”
She uses baked North Atlantic cod.
“It’s a simple fish,” O’Donnell noted. “I think it appeals to a lot of people.”
Want to make fish tacos at home?
“The fish that I recommend for fish tacos is usually a firm white fish,” explained Andy Gadaleto of Gadaleto’s Seafood Market in West Chester. “We currently have fresh mahimahi, halibut and grouper that we usually recom- mend and would be perfect for this dish!”
He shared a “pretty simple” family recipe, which also works with scallops or shrimp.
Back at Pipeline Taco, the song “Japanese Squeeze” by the Hawaiian musician Sashamon played softly, adding to the island vibe. Gottlieb soon presented a tray of fish tacos — one tempura and one grilled.
Customers “want to order tempura, but they feel they should order grilled,” he said with a smile. “It’s equally good both ways.”
Gadaleto’s Fish Tacos INGREDIENTS
1 pound fish 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder ¼ teaspoon cumin ¼ teaspoon chili powder Dash of cayenne
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes (We like spicy, so you can omit these two if you like.)
1 lime (½ juiced in marinade)
INSTRUCTIONS
Clean cut and marinate the fish in above seasonings and heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan. Once oil is hot, pan fry fish through for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and squeeze second half of lime while simmering.
Serve with flour tortillas (preferred in our house, but can use corn), sour cream, cheese, salsa and guacamole.
RECIPE COURTESY OF GADALETO’S SEAFOOD MARKET
Mango Papaya Salsa INGREDIENTS
2 parts mango 1 part papaya 1 part red onion ½ part green bell pepper ½ part poblano pepper Salt, to taste Lime juice, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Dice mangoes, papaya, red onion and peppers. Combine. Add salt and lime juice to taste.
RECIPE COURTESY OF PIPELINE TACO