Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa
Cinco de Mayo (the Fifth of May) is often celebrated in the United States, and is referred to as Mexican Independence Day. This isn’t really the case, as Mexico celebrates their Independence Day on September 16th. It does commemorate an important battle against the French army, so there is some significance to the day. It is also the busiest day of the year for many Mexican restaurants and cantinas.

This year, skip the lines and crowded cantinas and whip up a Mexican feast of your own right in the comfort of your home, or, if you’re really lucky, in your toyhauler.

Grilled Halibut Tacos with Creamy Chile Lime Sauce, and Roasted Tomato Salsa
Serves 4-6

1 lb halibut filet (or you can substitute any firm whitefish, such as mahimahi, sea bass or cod)
1 dozen corn tortillas
½ head finely shredded cabbage or 1 bag angelhair-cut coleslaw mix
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 cup good quality mayonnaise
3 tbs fresh lime juice
½ tsp chipotle chili powder

Roasted Tomato Salsa
Lime Wedges

Directions:
Combine mayonnaise, lime juice, and chili powder in a bowl. Whisk well until creamy, and refrigerate while you assemble the rest of the tacos. Cut fish filets into eight pieces each (1/8 lb portions). Season with Old Bay seasoning, and grill fish over a hot grill for approximately 4 minutes. Since the fish filets aren’t large, they will not take long to cook. Fish is done when firm to the touch, and easily flakes. To assemble the tacos, place fish filet on a warm corn tortilla, top with a generous pinch of cabbage, a spoonful of roasted tomato salsa, and the chili lime sauce to taste. Serve with a lime wedge, some great tortilla chips, and more salsa. Oh, and don’t forget the ice cold cerveza or Margarita!

Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa

6-8 Roma tomatoes
3-4 jalapenos
3-4 Anaheim chiles (the long skinny kind used for chile rellenos)
4 small onions
4 garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro
2 cans diced tomatoes in broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 tbs lime juice
 
Grill the tomatoes, jalapenos, Anaheim chiles, and 2 of the onions (quartered) on the barbecue grill or under a broiler until they are completely charred all over. Let cool, and remove the tops and seeds out of the peppers. Try to keep the charred outer skin intact. Leave the skins on the tomatoes. Put all peppers, charred onions, tomatoes, garlic and canned tomatoes into the food processor.  Pulse until salsa is pureed.
 
In the meantime, finely dice the remaining 2 smaller onions, finely chop the cilantro.  Place onions and cilantro in a non-reactive bowl. (See Cook’s Notes) Pour the pureed vegetables over the chopped cilantro and onion. Season salsa with salt, white pepper and lime juice. Sometimes it’s hard to control the heat of the peppers, and the salsa turns out too spicy. If this is the case, simply puree some more tomatoes and add to the mix. Allow salsa to sit at room temperature for an hour or so before serving, for flavors to mix.

Cook’s Notes: Non-Reactive bowls are glass or plastic bowls (i.e. Tupperware or Rubbermaid) with a sealable lid. If salsa is made in a metal bowl, the acidity of the tomatoes will begin to erode the metal, and create a metallic taste to your salsa.

-Cori Boudreaux