We've had fish tacos on four of the five Fridays of Lent so far. The fifth was migas for dinner, because I forgot to buy fish and didn't notice until 4:30.
I grew up Catholic in Denton, and my mom, Carol, ran Lent Fridays like the school cafeteria manager she was: salmon patties, macaroni and cheese, canned green beans, every week. We go to a Methodist church now (I keep the books for its preschool), and nobody there expects us to skip meat on Fridays. I still do it out of habit. Matt goes along with it as long as there's enough food, and fish tacos are how I make sure there is.
Why breaded pollock
I've bought plain frozen tilapia and cod and done them the way we did fish on the line, seasoned and seared hard. Matt and I liked it. The kids picked at it. They eat breaded fish, and Aldi's frozen breaded pollock fillets are about as close to fish sticks as a grown-up taco gets. A box is $3.69, and two boxes give us twelve fillets, which feeds five people if Wyatt doesn't take four.
The first Friday of Lent I tried them in our 4-quart air fryer. It holds four fillets at a time. Three batches later the first batch was cold and I was annoyed, so now they go in the oven on two sheet pans, all at once.
Fish tacos for five
- 2 boxes frozen breaded pollock fillets (12 fillets)
- 10 flour tortillas
- Half a head of green cabbage, sliced thin
- 2 limes
- 1/2 cup sour cream and 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- A small handful of cilantro, 1 jalapeño, 1 avocado
- Salt, garlic powder and hot sauce
The slaw comes first because it needs time. I slice the cabbage as thin as I can, then toss it with the juice of one lime, a big pinch of salt, chopped cilantro and a little minced jalapeño. In fifteen minutes it softens just enough and gives up some liquid, which I pour off right before serving.
The crema is the sour cream and mayo with the juice and zest of the second lime, a pinch of salt and garlic powder, and hot sauce for the adults. I spoon out a plain portion for Eli before the hot sauce goes in, because Eli's food does not touch anybody's sauce.
The fish goes on two half-sheet pans at 425°F for about 18 minutes, flipped once at ten (the box will have its own times, and I go by those). While it bakes I warm the tortillas one at a time in the dry cast-iron skillet, about 30 seconds a side, and stack them in a clean dish towel. When the fish comes out I cut each fillet into three strips so it fits the tortilla and every bite gets some crunch.
Fish, slaw, crema, a slice of avocado. Dinner is on the table at 5:45, and the kitchen is mostly clean by six because the slaw bowl and the cutting board get washed while the fish is in the oven.
How it goes over
Matt eats three and calls them "Friday tacos," as though they're their own food group. Wyatt eats three and a half and finishes Eli's tortilla. Eli eats two fillets whole with ketchup on the side and a plain warm tortilla, which I've decided counts as a fish taco, deconstructed. Rosie gets flaked fish, a pinch of shredded cheese and a strip of tortilla, and she shares most of the tortilla with Biscuit, who has learned exactly where to sit under the high chair.
One change I'd make if I were starting over: I used to blend the avocado into the crema, and it turned gray by the time anybody wanted seconds. Slices on the side work better and look like food.
The receipt, broken down
- Breaded pollock fillets, 2 boxes at $3.69: $7.38
- Flour tortillas, 10 count: $1.89
- Half a head of cabbage (from a $1.19 head): $0.60
- Limes, 2: $0.58
- Avocado: $0.99
- Cilantro: $0.79
- Jalapeño: $0.15
- Sour cream, half a tub: $0.85
- Mayo, hot sauce and garlic powder, what I actually used: $0.53
- Salt and a spray of oil on the pans: $0.30
The other half of the cabbage goes into slaw for whatever Matt smokes on Saturday, so none of it goes to waste.
Receipt check: $14.06 for five, about $2.81 a plate, a few cents over our usual dinner average. Good Friday is the eighteenth, and it'll be fish tacos again.
