Summery Date Night In with a Sweet Tea Smash

My fiance and I will be married in less than a week, and we are more than a little excited! But with all of the friends, family, and festivities coming up, what we really need right now is some time to ourselves to get ready for this next big step together.  So last night we threw together a simple date night in to give us a little time to get to hang out before all of the hubbub commences!

The last thing either of us needed was to add anything else to our crazy to-do lists, so a simple meal on my teeny balcony with lots of sunshine, happy summer music, and a Southern cocktail really hit the spot!

The Menu:

-fish tacos with creamy jalapeno slaw

-chips and salsa

-ice cold watermelon

The Cocktails:

-Sweet Tea Smash:  sweet tea and bourbon with lots of lemon and ice–this is so refreshing and cool on a hot summer afternoon

The Soundtrack:

-Railroad Earth–check out some of their hits while you sip a summery cocktail!

-Julia

Advertisement

Mahi Tacos with Mango Salsa and Mexican Slaw

Fish tacos are always one of my favorite things. I feel like I make them throughout the Spring and Summer. Honestly should starting making them in the middle of January when I am wishing for any taste of Summer (will try to remember this next year).

You can make so many different variations making these an easy dish depending on what you already have at home.

  

  

Mango Salsa:

Mango

Avocado

Lime

Red Onion

Cilantro

Salt

Peel mango with vegetable peeler. Hold mango carefully as you slice away from the pit as it will be quite slippery once peeled; then dice and add to small bowl

Chop avocado. Add to mango.

Finely dice 1/2 of a red onion, add to bowl.

Add the juice AND zest of one lime

Add freshly washed, chopped cilantro (I LOVE cilantro so I use a lot but even just a little bit will do the trick)

Sprinkle sea salt on top and stir. Set aside until ready to top your fish tacos.

  

 

Mexican-y Slaw:

Cabbage – Either one bag of store bought angel hair slaw or 1/2 of a cabbage thrown in the food processor

Chopped Cilantro

1 Tbs. Mayonnaise

1 Tbs. Vegetable Oil

Juice AND Zest of 1/2 of a lime (for this whole meal buy two limes; one for mango salsa; 1/2 for this; 1/2 to squeeze on tacos before serving or in your water.. or beer)

1 Tbs. Sea Salt

Pinch of Sugar (1/2 tsp. ish)

Cumin

Cayenne Pepper

Paprika

Combine bottom 9 ingredients in a bowl to create a dressing, season with cumin, red pepper and paprika according to your taste. It will be a strong flavor but is needed to give a boost to the cabbage.

Toss the cabbage with the dressing, cover and place in the fridge to season. Could be made ahead of time.

  

  

Regardless of which white fish I find at the grocery or have in my freezer I use the same seasoning before I saute/grill the fish.

Fish Taco Seasoning:

2 tsp – Paprika

1 tsp – Cumin

1 tsp – Garlic Powder

1/4 – 1/2 tsp – Red Pepper (depending on the level of heat you like)

Salt and Pepper

Once fish is patted dry and seasoned on both sides, heat a small bit of vegetable oil in a skillet (or send these outside to be grilled). Add fish and cook for 3 minutes per side, until the fish is white and you cannot see through it.

  
For a more traditional tacos use corn tortillas, for an Americanized version use flour tortillas. Or really just use whatever you have. If you have a gas range run the tortillas over the flame to char them a bit, if not place them on a plate, dampen a paper towel and put on top of tortillas; place in microwave for 20 seconds. Both of these if just to add some warmth to the tortilla and neither of these are necessary.

This is all best served with a cerveza or a marg. 

Enjoy!!