Taco Fridays: Tacomiendo for lunch and Fish Tacos for dinner

As I was on my way to Top Valu Supermarket to pick up some ingredients for dinner, I passed by another location of Tacomiendo on Inglewood Blvd. After picking up freshly made corn tortillas, onions, limes, jalapenos and tomatilla salsa, I stopped by Tacomiendo. I ordered the lengua, cabeza and adobada tacos, and they were some of the best of tacos I've ever had. They are definitely better than Tacos Por Favor, which I go to often, and also better than the West LA location of Tacomiendo. The meat was well seasoned and very tender and juicy. The lengua was a little leaner than at Tacos Por Favor and the adobada had wonderful charred smoky flavor, without being too dry, which is the problem with a lot of the meat tacos at Tacos Por Favor. It's a bit of a hike for me and parking is tight, but it's worth it. There was a line out the door when I left.

For dinner, I made tilapia fish tacos with a mango salsa. I used to make this mango salsa a lot, particularly as my dad is fond of bringing home cases of mangoes that we can't possibly finish. It's really well balanced with bright flavors; the tomatoes and acid from the cider vinegar and lime juice and bite from the onions complement the sweet juicy mangoes so that it isn't overly cloying or sweet. It goes perfectly with the soft and moist tilapia, seasoned with a combination of smoky spices like cumin and chili powder, grilled on a grill pan. It's one of our favorite summer dishes; even though it was quite cold yesterday, everyone enjoyed it. I also made a side of quinoa with spinach, sunflower seeds and pecorino romano. I've made this dish a couple of times over the last few weeks; it's hearty, nutty and relatively healthy. We paired dinner with a simple Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

Mango Salsa (serves 4-6)
Combine in a large bowl. Try to make all the dices approximately the same size. Let it sit for at least half an hour to let all the flavors meld together

• 8 diced roma tomatoes, seeds removed
• 3 diced mangoes
• 1/2 of a white (or red) onion, diced
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 small diced jalapeno (seeds removed for less spice)
• 1 diced avocado (optional)
• 2 TB of cider vinegar
• Handful of chopped cilantro
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Tilapia Fish Taco

• Marinate 2 1/3 lbs of tilapia filets in a gallon size baggie for about half hour
• Marinade: 1/3 cup of grapeseed oil, 2 TB of chili powder, 2 tsp of cumin, 2 tsp of coriander, 1 tsp of paprika, 1/2 tsp of cayenne, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 tsp of salt and freshly ground pepper
• Cook the fish on a large grill pan until done, ~ 4-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the filets

Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese (from this recipe although I've translated it because who wants to measure 8 TB of sunflower seeds?)

• To prep: mince 8 cloves of garlic, measure out 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, wash and dry 4 cups of spinach, grate 2/3-1 cup of pecorino romano (or parmigiano reggiano, gouda, or cheddar)
• Bring 2 cups of water, 1 cup of quinoa and 1/4 tsp of salt up to a boil. When it boils, reduce to low, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water is fully absorbed. Drain the quinoa in a strainer and rinse with cold water and set aside
• Over medium heat, heat up 2-3 TB of olive oil, and toast the sunflower seeds for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic for another 1-2 minutes. Then add the cooled quinoa and spinach and mix it together until the spinach just begins to wilt. Add the cheese and juice of half a lemon with a little zest and mix it all together. Serve warm.