This recipe is extremely flexible. So flexible, in fact, that I am not including quantities or a specific ingredient list. You don’t need a specific list of items to make this meal – you can easily make something delicious with the ingredients delivered plus what you already have at home! Got tortillas? Try serving the meal in traditional street taco style. Got flour or corn masa? Try making your own tortillas (trust me – if I can do it, you can do it! They’re easier and quicker than pancakes, in my opinion.) Prefer to go shell-less? Enjoy your meal in burrito bowl form over white or brown rice. Add canned or cooked beans if you have them for extra protein.
Servings: In my experience, four Lettuce Heads fillets prepared with fish topping tacos will feed 6 hungry adults. Your mileage may vary.
Active cooking time: 30-40 minutes, depending on number of toppings
Passive time: marinate for at least 4 hours, or up to a day in advance.
- Marinate tilapia: If you prefer very mild flavor in your tacos, you may skip this step, but I would recommend marinating ahead of time to pretty much everybody! The marinating step is very flexible. The only crucial ingredients are oil (any kind you have on hand), salt (to your taste), acidity (can be vinegar, lime or lemon juice, or even wine!), and the flavorings you want. Include 3 parts oil to every 1 part acid.
Here’s my recipe for marinating 4 Lettuce Heads tilapia fillets: 1 ½ cup olive oil, ½ cup lime juice, 1 ½ tablespoon salt, chipotle seasoning, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and chili powder. Whisk together and pour over tilapia in a plastic bag or sealable container, then put in the fridge for four hours to overnight before cooking. (Note: if you don’t have a whisk, a fork works just as well! It just takes a little longer.)
- Prepare taco toppings: Select and prepare what you’d like to garnish your tacos with. Many items are available through Lettuce Heads, here are some ideas.
| Items available through Lettuce Heads: | Items available elsewhere: |
| · Lettuce (chop finely into shreds)
· Spinach · baby kale · Black radish (chop finely and sauté for a meaty flavor) · Broadcap Farms mushrooms (raw or sautéed, according to your preference) · parsley · cilantro · Hartzler’s cheese (grated) |
· Sour cream
· tomatoes · pico de gallo · cabbage, chopped into fine shreds · guacamole · salsa · lime · beans, cooked from dried, canned, or refried |
- Broil and shred tilapia: remove from marinade and broil tilapia on a greased tray for 10-15 minutes, or until white and flaky. Keep an eye on it – overcooked tilapia, though still tasty, will get a little rubbery. If you are using tortillas, now is a great time to warm them up in a frying pan on the stovetop (with just a little oil, or with no oil at all, depending on your own taste.) Remove from oven and shred cooked tilapia into a separate container with a fork or fork and knife for best consistency.
- Assemble tacos, burritos, or burrito bowl and enjoy!
–Sarah Johnson, Lettuce Heads farm manager
Lettuce Heads Aquaponics and Farm 