Take a Day Off and eat some Fish "Un" Tacos!

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My Lovely Ingredients

I was feeling a little mexican food withdrawal since I know a lot of taco & burrito staples are all beans, rice and corn. But who says you need any of that to have a yummy (Paleo-approved) latin inspired meal? I came across a recipe for regular fish tacos in my Food & Wine cookbook, but decided I would make my own spin on this classic dish. I didn't use a set recipe at all, just put a bunch of stuff together that I thought would be tasty in my fish taco...err "Un"-taco! Add it all with some avocado, macadamia nuts and a lovely tropical mango salsa:

My ingredients (makes about 4-5 tacos, enough for 2 servings or one HUNGRY caveman):

Mango Salsa:
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 mango, peeled, seed removed, diced
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- a few cloves of garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lime

Seasoned Cod:
- 1 lb fresh Cod (you could probably use any thick yet flaky fish like Mahi Mahi or Flounder)
- Liberal amounts of cumin & coriander
- Freshly ground pepper, salt

"Un-Taco" Shell:
1 head of cabbage, with 4-5 full large leaves carefully broken off.

Extra Ingredients:
- 1 sliced avocado (my faux guacamole)
- 1/4 chopped macadamia nuts (for a bit of texture & crunch!)
- extra lime juice for flavor

***note, this recipe is pretty "mild" on the spicy scale. You can always add in a few hot chile peppers into the salsa, or sprinkle on some cayenne pepper to the fish to add a little extra heat for you iron-tongue folks!***

I must have gotten elephant garlic, this clove was massive! And all I needed.

Here are my lovely chopped ingredients for my salsa!

Mango is seriously the most awkward fruit to chop, no? Honestly, that seed is so awkwardly placed in the mango I feel like I don't get any of the pulp at all when I slice it without hitting a hard edge. After much chopping of the mango salsa ingredients, I combine them all together and add the lime juice!

This lime juice is MAGIC! The acidity balances the cod nicely.

Phew! That was easy....now onto the cod. I like to start in a large sautee pan with some leftover bacon grease from my morning breakfast (though I bet coconut oil would add a lovely tropical flair). Add the cod, then sprinkle liberally with cumin, coriander, pepper and a little salt on both sides.

The piece I got was a long awkward shape but thick and yummy

It only takes about 5 minutes total to get that fish tender and flaky. Mmmm I love the smell of cumin! There's also something about getting fresh, local caught fish at the Farmers Market (from The Local Catch) that makes the fish taste so awesome.

Now after we chop up the avocado and the macadamia nuts (for our healthy fats), and get our cabbage leaves in place, lets assemble! Almost kinda resembles lettuce wraps in a way, but I thought the cabbage would add a nice refreshing sweetness as the shell.

YUMMY! Now that wasn't hard, was it?

And here it is in it's paleo-friendly "taco" shell

I will say that as lovely as this looks, the cabbage leaves may become a little messy after awhile so have plenty of napkins ready. But all in all, it's definitely super refreshing! The pungency of the mango salsa, sharpness of the lime, the creaminess of the avocado and the super tender, smoky fish (with the crunch of the macadamia nuts and cabbage) definitely made me wish I was lounging on the beach sipping paleo-friendly margaritas (do those exist, without the sugary margarita mix? If not I'll settle for some pinot grigio) The best part is, this meal literally took about 30 minutes in total to make! A nice, light meal for my day off today. 

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That's right, an actual "day off" with no gym, running or working out whatsoever. I didn't even tough my workout clothes once today. I sometimes forget that I really need these recover days to let my muscles regenerate and build up. Although I am pretty good at working different muscles on different days and think I am super woman, I forget what a good recovery day can do to help my workouts. 

I'm about to reach the peak of my triathlon training for the Olympic Distance Cranberry Tri-Fest on August 28th, but I am highly considering the FIRM Half Ironman Triathlon in Narragansett on Sept. 11th. (For those who don't know the distance, the Olympic-Distance Tri is .9mi swim, 26mi. bike, 10k run, whereas the Half Ironman is 1.2mi swim, 56mi bike, and 13.1mi run). Yeah I would almost literally be doing TWICE the distance in only two weeks after the Olympic. We'll see...I just have to make sure I get these taper weeks and recovery periods in. I know I can go the distance, (I've mastered the swim and run, gotta get some 50 miler bike rides in)...but I definitely want to finish strong and not feel like I'm stumbling my way to the finish line.

You never realize when you workout hard everyday and forget to take "easy" days that you never are really working at 100% of your true potential. You may think you're giving your all and you might get a PR every now and then, but really you're working at sub-optimal levels. Just even a day or two to let your muscles rest can prep them for that next long 15 mile run, that 50 mile bike ride, or that "Shots of Awful" WOD you're about to try and complete 2 rounds of. When it gets to the point where you feel "ugh, I need to back off this workout!" every day instead of "wow I feel awesome, let's kick it up a notch!"...take a rest day.