Spicy Fish Tacos

 Spicy Fish Tacos

Earlier this year I participated in a pedometer game at work.  The goal was to get people moving and focus on health and wellness. There were several groups of ten employees each trying to log as many steps as they could in a day.   The game lasted six weeks.  Although my team mates were active, I would not say that most of them were "athletic".  Where they lacked in physical fitness, they certainly made up in competitiveness.  What you should know is that despite my being new to the game, most of them have been participating for the last two or three years and were tired of finishing in second place.  They wanted to win.  They wanted to be number one.  They wanted it bad. 

The pressure was on.  There was a strategy from the start.  No matter what you did, you better log 12,500 steps in a day or higher.  This was genius.  We were off and running.  We walked on breaks and lunches, committed to walking meetings, and walked in place when at the copy machine or while waiting for meetings to start.  We shamed those who took the elevator and who failed to make it to 12,500 steps in a day.  I admit running up and down my street and around my house at night just so I wouldn't let anyone down.  It was a lot of work and it was worth it.  We came in first place this year.

My participation in this game was great for me.  We had commeraderie and showed commitment to each other.  When someone was not able to make their steps, others put forth extra effort to cover them by making up the difference.  We had each other's backs and we were not going to fail.  In order to 'compete', we had to be able to perform and that meant taking care of ourselves in order to be successful and win the game.  Think about that for a moment.  Don't you have commitments to your family to be well and take care of yourself for their sake and that of others?  This thought forced me to focus on my personal health and wellness.  Maybe it was time to make some changes to what I was putting in my body.  After all, there are people relying on me to be at my best.

This recipe is healthy and good at the same time.  I actually made up this recipe in a moment of despair.  I needed something healthy that wasn't going to take forever to make and would be impressive enough to serve guests.  It actually was a smashing success.  I can't say they all turn out this way, but this was a hit.  I've made it over and over with repeated success.  On your marks, get set, GO!

Spicy Fish Tacos

1 fillet of cod or halibut, skin removed

1 t. chile powder

1 t. cumin

1 t. onion powder

1/2 t. salt

3 T olive oil
juice of one lime

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove fish from wrapper and rinse in cold water.  Lay flat and pat dry with paper towel.  Place fish on foil lined prepared baking sheet.  Set aside and make rub.  In a small bowl, combine chile powder, cumin, onion powder and salt.  Drizzle olive oil over fish and massage in the dry rub mixture.  Make sure to cover both sides of fish.  Bake for about 10 minutes depending on size of fillet and watch closely to not over bake.

Remove from oven and let it rest for five minutes.  Using spatula, break up into healthy sections and place in decorative dish.  Drizzle lime juice and remaining sauce over the top. Serve in taco shells with thinly sliced red cabbage, chopped tomato, chopped red onion, avocado and chipotle sour cream*.

*Chipotle Sour Cream

1 tub of sour cream

1 or 2 canned chipotle chilis, chopped

Blend these two ingredients until combined.  Serve in decorative dish.

Delicious!



Environmental pictures by Shane Boyd, 2010