CAJUN CATFISH TACOS WITH CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE

Cajun Catfish Tacos with Chipotle Mayonnaise image

Categories Salad Sauce Bake Marinate Mayonnaise

Yield serves 12; 2 tacos per person

Number Of Ingredients 26

Ingredients

Catfish
12 large catfish or other white fish fillets
1/4 cup Cajun seasoning (such as Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic)
2 (7-ounce) cans chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (reserve 2 whole chipotle chiles for the mayo, recipe follows)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)
1 cup olive oil
24 medium corn or small flour tortillas
1 head red or green cabbage, thinly sliced, for accompaniment
2 large limes, cut into wedges, for accompaniment
Cucumber-Tomato-Avocado Salad (recipe follows), for accompaniment
Chipotle Mayonnaise
2 cups mayonnaise
2 reserved chipotle chiles
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 1/2 medium limes)
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Cucumber-Tomato- Avocado Salad
1 medium cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
(makes twelve 1/3-cup servings)

Steps:

TO MARINATE THE FISH: Pat the fillets dry and spread them in 1 layer on a rimmed 13 by 18-inch baking sheet. (They can be close together, even touching, but not overlapping.) Liberally sprinkle Cajun seasoning on both sides of the fillets. Puree the chipotle peppers (minus the 2 reserved chiles) and their sauce in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the lemon juice and olive oil and pulse a few times until the mixture is combined. Pour the mixture over the seasoned catfish. Cover the fish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake until the fish begins to flake when pulled apart with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. Keep warm.
TO MAKE THE CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE: Whirl the mayonnaise, reserved 2 chipotle chiles, lime juice, Creole mustard, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade until blended. Scrape into a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
TO SERVE: Use a spatula to cut the fish into manageable portions and leave them on the baking sheet so guests can serve themselves. Set out the warm tortillas, sliced cabbage, chipotle mayo, and lime wedges, allowing guests to custom-build their own tacos. Have the salad on the table to serve with the tacos.
Cucumber-Tomato- Avocado Salad
Place the cucumber, tomatoes, and avocados in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt, freshly ground pepper to taste, and olive oil. Add the dressing to the vegetables and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
do it early
As long as the chipotle mayo is prepared with commercially made mayonnaise, it will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.