Pollock Fish Fajitas with Navy Beans

Oh California.. I miss you so..
Fajita plates are my transition into outdoor cooking weather.  They make me feel like I'm at a picnic because I could have used my plancha to do the last minute veg cooking, but didn't because it was too cold outside.

Exactly the same as my last fajitas, except for the fish instead of turkey meat... Or just like my fish burritos but with different beans and plating style.

Pollock Fish Fajitas

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Pollock filets (colin), cubed

1 garlic clove, grated

few pinches fleur de sel

squeeze from 1/2 lime

few grinds black pepper

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp chile powder (optional if serving with spicy beans)

1+1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced into moons

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 green chile, sliced (optional if serving with spicy beans)

Directions

1.  Rub the grated garlic onto the fish cubes and sprinkle on some fleur de sel, black pepper, cumin,  coriander, chile powder, and paprika.  Add the lime juice, rub in to make sure everything is evenly distributed.  Set aside and let marinate for at least 10 minutes (while you chop everything else.)

2.  Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil on high in a wok or heavy based pan.  Add the onion slices and stir fry until just translucent, then add the bell pepper and green chile slices with a pinch of fleur de sel.  Cook on high, stirring for about 3-5 minutes.  Reserve.

3.  Heat the other Tbsp olive oil into the same wok.  Add the marinated turkey slices and cook until nicely colored.

4.  Add the vegetables to the meat and heat through.  You want the bell peppers to be crisp, so don't over-cook them into mush.

Smokey Navy Beans

Serves 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup dried white navy beans, soaked overnight and drained

1/4 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight and drained

2 bay leaves

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 chicken or veg bouillon cube

1 tsp coarse sea salt

5 chipotle ancho chiles with their sauce

4-5 cups water

1 small can corn

1 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

Directions

1.  Place everything up to the water in the slow cooker.  Cook on low for at least 6 hours.

2.  Add the corn, pepper, and cumin.  Stir to heat through, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

3.  Remove the bay leaves and whole chiles before serving.  If the chiles burst, the beans will be way too spicy.  By removing them, you can decide which plate you would like to add the chile to.. (by the way, it's always my plate that wins).

Fajita Plate Garnish

cooked rice (I used a trio of Basmati, Brown, and Thai Red rice)

shredded cabbage

shredded swiss or gruyère

dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream

chopped cilantro

chopped green onions

tortillas (unfortunately, not pictured, but necessary to call this a "fajita plate")

I love the way changing one ingredient can transform a regular "classic" dish into a completely different work of art.  For the fajitas, I switched out the meat which is usually either flank steak or chicken for fish.  The fish works so well in these types of dishes.  Be sure to use a white firmed flesh fish and use filets to avoid any bones.

For the beans, I switched out the usual black or pinto beans for white navy beans, or "haricot lingot" which I lightly sprouted before cooking.  That part is optional and the sprouts were so tiny that it didn't make any difference in cooking time.

Now I need to find some masa harina (that doesn't cost 12€/kg) and a tortilla press to finish this job...