I have been waiting to tell this story for seven years…
When I graduated from college in 2002, I did what any sensible college graduate would do. I moved into my deceased grandparents’ condo in south Florida and fruitlessly searched for employment for the next six months. Wow, when it’s written in black and white it sure seems a lot less impressive.
Within walking distance from the condo was a small shopping plaza with an abandoned K-Mart. Sadly, this K-Mart had been over-run with feral cats. This plaza was detestable on many levels, but it had one redeemable feature….a delicious Mexican restaurant called Cantina Dos Amigos.
I often rode my bike from the condo to “Dos” to get a fish taco or veggie burrito. I would jump on my bike with a hoodie and pair of long pants and ride over to Dos. As a side note, I would like to add that hoodies and long pants are rarely needed in south Florida in July, but in this case, I wore them so that I could fearlessly ride past the pack of rabid cats that taunted me from the loading dock. It was so worth it though. The ingredients were fresh, the portions were generous, and the price was right for an unemployed college graduate.
I can think of few things that excite me more than the combination of Mexican food and seafood. Try it and see.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of sea scallops
- ¼ large red cabbage (diced)
- 4 scallions (diced)
- 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- ¼ cup reduced fat sour cream
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
- 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
- 8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons of cilantro (as a garnish)
- 1 whole avocado (thinly sliced)
- 4 corn tortillas and 4 flour tortillas
- 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans (heated with 1 clove of garlic diced)
Directions
Red Cabbage Slaw
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cabbage, scallions, lime juice, white vinegar, sour cream, mayo, and salt and pepper.
- Mix these ingredients and then cover the bowl and place in a refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
Tacos
- Sauté the garlic, onions, and red pepper in olive oil for 10-15 minutes until they have caramelized.
- In the same pan, add the scallops and sear each side for 2-3 minutes until the scallops take on a more white/opaque color.
- Assemble the tacos on the corn or flour tortillas. Add the cheese, cilantro, peppers and onions, avocado, and sour cream.
- Serve with a side of pinto beans garnished with sour cream and cilantro.
What would you be willing to ride past a rabid cat for?
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i’d be willing to ride past a rabid cat for an 8 minute church service and some new england eatery.
They look absolutely gorgeous. It’s a new and healthier and fresher take on a tacos.
I would also be willing to do this for a ham pizza and an episode of Head of the Class.
yep, I know all about tex mex & seafood…
used to live near “happy fresh taco” and “fresh taco” (two neighboring taco joints, one owned by asians one owned by spanish peeps) anyway each was CONVINCED that the other was the original “fresh taco” it was so sad they were so cut-throat but the ironic thing was that fresh taco (the asians) had better tex mex than the spanish owned happy fresh taco (I did a taste test).
what are the odds????
they had fish tacos too but my favorites were guacamole tacos with tomatoes and fresh cilantro yummy.
Looks delish! Does the garlic go in with the onions and peppers??
@ Deb….yes it actually does, thank you for pointing that out! I should make these again…I forgot about them
Part I: I remember painting that condo about twenty varying shades of blue you picked out and only by the grace of God not asphyxiating ourselves in the master bath with the spray painting of the furniture. So we lost some brain cells that day, but not so many that you couldn’t come up with this killer fish taco recipe, hallelujah!
Part II: So, today I met a Rasta at the shelter who was all like, “I don’t think I want none o’ that purple-colored cabbage you’re servin’ ’cause I ain’t never seen no purple cabbage befo’. So I can’t truss that cabbage; it got a bad vibe.” And then proceeded to burn his heat-seeking missle eyes into my soul like I was trying to poison him with the devil’s cabbage. Fortunately, he was hungry enough to be convinced to give it a go (but only after deciding I was not the devil’s cabbage pusher). The moral of the story is, I love that you are making eggcellent use of “purple” cabbage in this recipe, because it is far too overlooked as far as cabbage colors go, and it is so good in so many things. I haven’t tried it with seafood, so I can’t wait to try this recipe. Dadgum it that I don’t have these ingredients in the house right now and already ate dinner. I will make your pumpkin muffins instead. Mmmm. Love you!
Easty, of my gosh….lolol.
Part I: I love that memory of spray painting the condo bathroom with you. It is a complete miracle that we did not asphyxiate ourselves that day.
Part II: I would have loved to have met this fellow. I am so glad that you are working with homeless people again! Also, purple cabbage is under-rated and under-used! Love you!
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