Fresh Alaskan True Cod Tacos with Fennel & Pancetta
This take on fish tacos has a little sweetness from the beautiful flaky flesh of Gemini’s fresh Alaskan true cod and caramelized fennel, richness from the mayo and homemade flour tortillas, freshness from a fennel & red onion slaw and saltiness from crispy pancetta. It hits all the good spots!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of fresh Alaskan true code fillet
- 1 bulb fennel
- ~ 5 – 6 oz. pancetta (if you can’t find pancetta, diced pork belly fat works would work great)
- 2 bulbs garlic, diced
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 red onion
- 1 tsp vinegar (red or white wine, apple cider – chose your favorite!)
- Mayonnaise
- Tortillas (if homemade, you’ll need bacon fat (optional), vegetable oil, milk, baking soda, salt and flour)
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
*if you’re using store-bought tortillas and mayonnaise – skip ahead to the slaw!
Tortillas
If you wanna be a little fancier, making homemade tortillas will bring your tacos to a new level of deliciousness. They’re quick to whip up – just be sure to plan an extra hour to let the dough rest. I like to use this recipe (if you don’t have bacon fat, just use vegetable oil):
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/taco-nortenos-with-bacon-fat-flour-tortillas/amp
Mayonnaise
While store-bought is fine, homemade mayo has a silky, luscious consistency and flavor that you just don’t get with the processed stuff.
J. Kenji López-Alt (author of The Food Lab), has a quick, fool-proof recipe that is a regular in our home:
Spice it up with hot sauce if you like.
Slaw
Thinly slice about 1/4 of your fennel bulb & 1/4 red onion. Mix together with a dash of vinegar (about 1 tsp), salt and pepper. Set aside.
Fennel, pancetta & cod
Assemble!
Warm up your tortillas (pan fried in oil is great), top them off with mayo, your cod mix, the slaw and (if you have any from your fennel) – use the tops (also called fronds)! They give a fresh licorice-like flavor to your taco, and they look good, too.
