Fish Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Fish tacos are such a simple and healthy way to enjoy fresh fish and combined with a refreshing pineapple salsa and creamy lime mayonnaise, these are hard to beat.

serves 4-6
what you need
600g flathead fillets
½ tsp poudre de piment d’Espelette
½ tsp fine sea salt
250g cabbage, finely shredded
12 small flour tortillas

pineapple salsa:
300g peeled and cored pineapple, roughly diced
½ red onion, finely diced
½ cup (80g) finely chopped coriander
juice of 1 lime

lime and paprika mayonnaise:
4 egg yolks
1tsp Dijon mustard
pinch of sea salt
pinch of ground white pepper
1 cup (250ml) extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime
½ tsp sweet paprika

what you do
1. To make the salsa combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.
2. To make the mayonnaise: Place a large glass or ceramic bowl into a larger pot lined with a wet tea towel. This is to keep your bowl steady, as you will need both your hands free to whisk and pour. Whisk the egg yolks, mustard, salt and pepper in the bowl until pale, creamy and thickened slightly. Whisking constantly, add the oil just a few drops at a time at first, whisking until combined between each addition. Continue drizzling oil and whisking in until all the oil has been added. Add the lime juice and paprika, mix to combine. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste. Refrigerate.
3. Season the flathead fillets with poudre de piment d’Espelette and salt. Heat a large frying pan, chargrill pan or barbeque plate on a high heat. Place the fillets in the pan, the chargrill pan or barbecue plate, taking care to space them well apart to avoid overcrowding and stewing. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Transfer the fillets to a plate to rest for 2-3 minutes.
4. To toast tortillas: If you have a gas stove you can go ahead and light the burner–or burners to medium heat (I use all four at once). Then place the tortillas right on the grate over the flame. Alternatively use a tortilla pan, heavy-bottomed chargrill or barbecue plate that’s heated to medium-high heat. You can also use a toasted sandwich maker. The tortillas will begin to puff slightly as they warm, turn them over after about 1 minute then toast on the other side. Once they are toasted place the tortillas in a damp tea towel to keep them soft.
5. Place tortillas, fish pieces, cabbage, salsa and mayonnaise in the centre of the table and let each person assemble their taco as desired.

Note: When making the mayonnaise, if the mixture curdles, beat an egg yolk in a clean bowl until thickened. Whisk the curdled mixture gradually into the fresh egg yolk to bring it back to a smooth consistency.

GF option: Use gluten-free bread for tortillas.

poudre de piment d'Espelette (literally 'pepper of Espelette' in French, otherwise known as Espelette pepper) is a hot, dried red chilli powder from the Basque region in Southern France. This unique spice carries a warm fruity flavour and mild chilli heat, making it a versatile addition to savoury dishes, marinades, rubs and seasonings. Available in specialty stores, close substitutes would be paprika, hot paprika, cayenne pepper or Aleppo pepper, depending on the heat of spice required.

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