Crunchy Fish Taco Salad with Creamy Chipolte Ranch

Fish tacos are an easy way to dip your toes into cooking seafood. There is, however, one important thing to remember when it comes to both fish and tacos: Texture is everything. A desired crunchy coating may get lost when you tuck it down into a warm tortilla and load it up in sauce. No one likes a soggy fish! Here, we take a tender piece of white fish, coat it in crushed tortilla chips, and roast it in an extra hot oven to keep that coating good and crisp. Skip the taco-tuck and perch these crunchy fillets atop a giant mountain of tasty taco fixings; then drizzle on zippy ranch dressing that you’ll find yourself making again and again. Taco-bout a simple, delicious dinner that’s seamless enough for a family Taco Tuesday night but elegant enough for a weekend dinner party.

FISH TIP: Most frozen fish is frozen at sea, directly on the boat after the catch. Most frozen fish is more affordable, easier to store and usually the same (if not higher) quality.

serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Tortilla-Crusted Fish
1/2 (10-ounce) bag multigrain tortilla chips, plus additional crushed chips for serving
4 (6-ounce) tilapia (or other flaky white fish) fillets
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Juice of one lime
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water or milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
(optional)

Taco Salad
1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage
2 cups vegetable slaw mix
3 cups thinly sliced
romaine lettuce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
Fresh cilantro
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced

Chipolte Ranch Dressing
1/4 cup avocado or olive oil mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle in adobo sauce
2 teaspoons dry ranch seasoning
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS
To prepare fish: Preheat oven to 400°.

Place chips in a sturdy zip top bag. Using a rolling pin (or bottle of wine!), crush chips until ground, but still crunchy.

Pat fish dry, sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper and lime juice. Combine water, egg and cumin (if using), whisking with a fork until well combined.

Dip each filet in egg mixture, turning to coat. Dredge in tortilla crumbs, making sure each piece is very well coated, pressing down gently with the back of a spoon.

Gently place each fish fillet on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until fish is cooked through (timing will vary depending on thickness of fish).

To prepare dressing: Combine mayo, yogurt, chipotle, ranch seasoning and lime in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

To prepare salad: Combine cabbage, slaw mix and romaine in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and 1 tablespoon lime juice; toss to coat. Add bell pepper, jalapeno slices and cilantro. Drizzle with half of chipotle ranch dressing; toss to coat.

Top salad with prepared fish, avocado and additional cilantro. Drizzle with remaining chipotle ranch dressing and sprinkle with additional crushed chips, if desired.

Sidney Fry is a two-time James-Beard-Award-winning food and nutrition writer who loves creating simple, healthy recipes and thoughtful, actionable content for the hungry consumer. A healthy living proactivist, Sidney is also a registered dietitian nutritionist, recipe developer and mama of three based in Birmingham, Alabama.