Food, Wine

It’s Taco Time

Bring Baja to your own backyard with these homemade fish tacos, which you can customize any way you like. In California, we’re big on halibut, but tuna, flounder or cod would work, too. Just be sure to choose seafood that’s sustainably fished or farmed.

(The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch can steer you to the best choices.) For a make-your-own-taco bar, line up all the condiments and let guests build the taco of their dreams. Consider offering sliced radishes, chopped green onions, sliced olives, and two or three types of salsa.

These days, many of us have a lot of catching up to do with friends and family. While the good weather holds, do it outdoors, with California wine on the table to encourage guests to sit back, relax and stay a while. We all have so many pent-up tales to tell! A steely Sauvignon Blanc or a dry rosé can help keep the stories flowing. By mid-August, California’s winegrape harvest is typically underway, with grapes for sparkling wine always first in the crusher. They’re picked at lower sugar levels than grapes for still wine, which need more time to ripen fully. By September, throughout wine country the fruity smell of fermenting grapes will be in the air.

YES WE CAN

Consumers have spoken: canned wine is a hit. And it should be, as there’s a lot to love. Canned wine is light and thus easy to tote around. It’s not breakable, so it’s a good choice for the pool, the boat or the beach. You can chill it quickly and open it easily, and the smaller portion size makes sense if you’re dining or sipping alone. Glass remains the dominant packaging, especially for fine wine, but the can trend looks here to stay. Both glass and cans are fully recyclable, but cans have a lower carbon footprint.

The Pour

With seafood on the grill, California Sauvignon Blanc is always a smart choice. Some wineries make their Sauvignon Blanc lean and brisk, fermenting the juice in stainless steel and forgoing any oak aging. Others prefer a richer, rounder style and may give the wine a little time in oak barrels or blend in some Sémillon, which has lusher body and lower acidity. Sauvignon Blanc performs best in the state’s warmer regions, like Lake County, or Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. For fish tacos, ask a wine merchant to guide you to a Sauvignon Blanc on the leaner side.

Meet the Grapes: Explore more wine pairings.

You can use any kind of fish for these grilled tacos, or shrimp if you prefer. Pacific halibut is lean, with thick flakes, and easy to grill. Offer the salsa separately so lovers of spicy food can add as much as they like, and others can pass.

Ingredients

Scant ½ teaspoon (3 g) whole cumin seed or ground cumin
¾ teaspoon (4 g) sea salt
Scant ½ teaspoon (3 g) paprika
1 pound (450 g) skinless Pacific halibut, preferably in 1 piece
Olive oil
1 heart of romaine, dark green outer leaves removed
1/3 cup (80 g) crema (Mexican-style sour cream) or sour cream
Canned chipotle chile en adobo or chipotle hot sauce, optional
8 corn tortillas
16 cherry tomatoes
1 small avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced lengthwise
Coarsely chopped cilantro
Salsa verde, store-bought or homemade

Directions

Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to high.
Cut the romaine in half lengthwise, then slice thinly crosswise. Set aside. Put the crema in a small bowl. Whisk in enough cold water to make it thin enough to drizzle. If desired, whisk in finely minced chipotle chile or hot sauce to taste.
Wrap the corn tortillas in aluminum foil or a clean kitchen towel. Bring an inch of water to a boil over high heat in the bottom of a steamer. Put the tortilla package in the steamer basket, cover, and steam for 1 minute. Then turn off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with enough olive oil to coat them lightly. Season with salt. Put them on a small heatproof stainless grill tray or other heatproof baking dish and set on the grill directly over the flame. Cook until the tomatoes are sizzling and lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Place the halibut on the grill rack and grill without turning until the flesh just flakes, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer to a platter and divide the fish into 8 pieces of roughly equal size.
To assemble the tacos, put 2 hot tortillas on each of 4 plates. Top each tortilla with some of the shredded romaine, then with a piece of fish. Divide the tomatoes and avocado slices among the tacos. Drizzle crema over the fish, top with cilantro and put a lime wedges on each plate. Serve immediately, passing the salsa verde separately.