So, my kitchen is kinda blown up. We are well into the hard bits of a full gut and remodel making the prep for this months recipe, Blackened Grouper Tacos with Wasabi, Sriracha Volcano Sauce, a little challenging. We’re down to cooking on a decidedly old school Hamilton Beach indoor grill.
As it turned out, the kitchen disconnect did not present a great impediment (my bride might have something to say regarding cleanup, however…). It was somewhat like cooking out of a pop up camper. You’re really going to like this dish. Easy to prepare, the sauce is the bomb and, hey it’s Grouper!
Blackened Grouper Tacos – The Ingredients
The Fish
- Fresh Caught Grouper: .75lb. (Black, Red, Gag, Scamp…. any fresh grouper)
- Blackening Seasoning: Sprinkle on enough (I prefer Chef Leon’s)
The Volcano Sauce
- Mayonnaise: 3Tbsp
- Wasabi Sauce: 1.5 Tbsp
- Sriracha: 1.5 Tbsp
- Orange Zest: 1 Tsp
The Fixings
- Jalapeno: 2, julienned
- Romaine Lettuce: 1 cup, chopped
- Cilantro: 1/2 cup
- Extra Sharp Cheese: 1/2 cup
- Tomato: 1/2, chopped
- Red Onion: 1/2 cup
- Avocado: 1/2, chopped
- White Corn Tortillas: 4
The Prep & Cook
Ok. Let’s punch up some blackened grouper tacos!
Sprinkle the blackening seasoning, to taste, on the Grouper. Set aside & refrigerate until ready to cook.
A blown up kitchen deserves a blown up sauce….. In a small bowl, combine the Mayonnaise, Sriracha, wasabi sauce & orange zest. Mix thoroughly, set aside & refrigerate until meal time.
Chop and set aside in the refrigerator, separately, the lettuce, tomato, red onion, cilantro and avocado. Grate the cheese, set aside and refrigerate as well.
Julienne the jalapeños into 1/4″ – 1/3″ strips.
Heat up your indoor grill and get the Grouper, jalapeños and tortillas ready.
When the grill is up to heat, place the entire stack of tortillas on and grill for 2-3 minutes. Remove and cover to keep warm.
Next, toss the julienned jalapeños on the grill. Close and grill until the peppers start to blacken and blister just a little. Expect 5-6 minutes cook time. Remove and set aside for serving.
Lastly, place the fish filet on the grill. Close and cook for 3 – 3.5 minutes. Take care not to over cook. Remove and take directly to the table.
Build your blackened grouper tacos starting with a base coat of the Volcano Sauce. Place 1/4 of the Grouper, sufficient jalapeños and as much of the rest of the fixings as desired. You should get 4 healthy tacos. Enough for two dinner servings.
And here’s the final product just before it disappears….. Enjoy and tight lines!
Looks yummy. Thanks!
Your pan fried trigger fish with the leek sauce was major delicious! We were disappointed with this recipe though. We thought the orange zest was overpowering, and that a lemon zest would have been better. We also would have preferred to make a pico with the tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro with some lime juice, salt, and pepper, instead of everything being separated. We also use the easy slaw mix at Publix instead of lettuce, great flavor, texture, and crunch!
All that being said, keep the recipes coming, thanks, I enjoy putting them on our table!
Best,
Kim Crawford
Kim – Happy to hear you liked the Trigger Fish recipe. I had some initial misgivings on the orange zest in the Volcano sauce for the Grouper tacos and when tasted, stand alone, the zest over powered a bit. For me (not my bride btw… she’s with you) the sauce, as prepared, worked well in the final dish. I go for pretty stark contrasts sometimes. You are onto something with using lemon or even lime zest. Either would make a nice riff. Part of what I love about recipes like this is the endless possibilities for tweaking one way or another to find a different taste profile. Have fun with it and if you try this again with you own mods, please let me know how it turns out.
Check back next month. With the King of the Beach Kingfish Tournament in late April I will likely do either King or Spanish Mackerel. After that, I am thinking Hogfish but, also have a hankering for Florida Pompano as well. Stay tuned.
I’ll look forward to trying your next recipe, as we fish every weekend, weather permitting. We always have a lot of fish in the freezer and I need new ways to prepare them. Would love a new Hogfish recipe. We usually grill them whole, delicious, but would like to try something different.
Thanks for sharing your creativity!
Kim Crawford
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