Healthy Baked Amritsari Fish Tikka Tacos

Taco Thursdays here!! Today’s fabulous fusion recipe features delicate pieces of flaky white fish marinated in a beautiful savoury Kashmiri red chilli tandoori masala & a medley of other Indian spices. Slow cooked in an oven or flash fried in a grill pan until still juicy & tender with a beautiful black char. A simple yet exquisite flavour-dance in your mouth!

And now for the best part, stuffed into soft pillowy tortillas or whole wheat flour rotis with plenty of other colourful zesty aromatics such as red onions, lemon wedges, mint-coriander mayo, jalapenos and so on. Delicious, healthy and light, yet bursting with flavour!

Try your own favourite fillings and replace the fish with cottage cheese, chicken or lamb morsels. Tastes just as good with a plain lime-cilantro coleslaw, sour cream, a fiery Sriracha hot sauce or Barbeque sauce. For gluten free tortillas, try various millet options.

Seriously addictive stuff, don’t take my word for it, just try them out for yourself! And remember to share your super-delicious food photos with me when you make some.

Oooh! Anything for my love of fantabulous fusion food!

Recipe for Healthy Baked Amritsari Fish Tikka Tacos

Ingredients (Serves 4 Persons)

For fish tikkas

500 grams fish, Basa / Salmon or any other white mild flavoured fish
¼ teaspoon carom seeds /ajwain
2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilli powder
½ teaspoon regular red chilli powder (optional)
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder /jeera powder
2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon chaat masala (optional) or amchur powder (dry mango powder)
Salt to taste
1.5 tablespoons mustard oil / any oil of your choice

For the tacos

8 Soft Tortillas or whole wheat flour rotis (I have added some kalonji or nigella seeds in the flour)
2 onions, cut into medium size cubes
2 cups Iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped up
¼ cup finely chopped coriander & mint leaves
Chaat masala to sprinkle
1 tomato, roughly chopped
Jalapenos or pickled gherkins, roughly chopped (optional)
Chipotle Sauce/Mint Mayo /Tandoori Mayo to drizzle
Lemon wedges

Procedure

Wash & clean the pieces of fish, rub salt & keep for aside for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (if you will be baking these fish tikkas)
To make the marinade, in a bowl, add ginger and garlic paste, lime juice, ajwain, both red chilli powders, mustard oil, chaat masala & pepper & cumin powder. Mix well and rub all over the fish pieces.
Marinate for at least 30 minutes and keep covered to prevent it from drying out.
Place a grill pan on medium heat and add some oil. Cook the marinated fish till crispy red for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
If you are baking the fish, line a baking tray with some oil or parchment paper & place the fish pieces on it. Drizzle a bit of oil over them.
Cook on 220 degrees Celsius for about 7-8 minutes on each side, flipping in between to ensure all round cooking and a nice blackened char on top.
Once done, remove from the oven & assemble your tacos.
To assemble, take a tortilla or roti in your hand. Add a layer of lettuce, onion, tomato, jalapenos, pieces of fish tikka, chaat masala, sauce of your choice, lemon juice & mint-coriander leaves.

Notes:

Try your own family / favourite fillings and replace the fish with cottage cheese, chicken or lamb morsels.
Tastes just as good with a plain lime-cilantro coleslaw, sour cream, a fiery Sriracha hot sauce or Barbeque sauce.