Rodrigo-Style Fish Tacos

Ingredients

• For sauce
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (white and light green parts only)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp jalapeo or serrano chile, minced
• 1 tbsp Maggi sauce or soy sauce
• Kosher or coarse sea salt
• For fish
• 2 striped bass fillets (about 10 ounces each)
• Kosher salt
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
• Black pepper
• 1 tbsp butter

Directions

12 corn tortillas, warmed

In a small bowl, combine the scallions, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, jalapeo, and Maggi sauce, and stir to mix well. Set aside for at least 15 minutes. Season with salt if necessary to taste before serving.

Take your fish fillets out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking. Rinse and pat dry. Sprinkle kosher salt on the skin side. Heat a cast-iron or steel pan (dont use non-stick) over high heat for 1-2 minutes until roaring hot. Pat fish dry again with a paper towel to remove any moisture.

Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil, in 3 packages of 4 tortillas each, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F and place tortilla packets in the oven to warm.

Pour the oil into the center of the hot pan. Swirl this oil to coat the pan and let it get hot for a minute or so. If it starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat until it stops. Place the fish fillets skin side down and jiggle the pan the second the fish hits the hot pan so the fish doesnt stick. Salt and pepper the flesh side of the fish.

Turn the heat down to medium-high. Using a spatula, press down on each fillet for 30 seconds to flatten out the fish and encourage even searing of the skin. Let it cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, until you can start to see the fish fillets are cooked at least 1/4 of the way up the sides. Depending on how thick your fillets are it might take a little more or less time. You want the fish to cook 2/3 of the way through on the skin side prior to flipping. Test by shaking the pan – if the fish fillets move, use a spatula to flip the fish. If the fish is stuck to the pan you might have to be prepared to scrape the skin off the bottom in places.

Gently flip the fish and cook 2-3 more minutes on the other side, until cooked through. Again, depending on the thickness of your fillets, it might take a little more or less time. Once the fish is almost cooked through, turn off the heat and add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and swirl it so it melts quickly. Tip the pan and use a spoon to baste the fish with the butter.

Remove the fish from the pan and serve immediately with sauce and corn tortillas.