Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 24

While I love fish, I rarely venture into the realm that pairs tacos and fish together. That being said, having tried these Blackened Fish Tacos, I believe I might be converted. Fresh, healthy and a beautiful mix of chilled sweet and spicy flavors, these fish tacos were simply delicious. Paired with a homemade red cabbage and mango slaw, the spice of the seasoned blackened fish helps to provide interest while the fresh slaw provides sweet and tangy Caribbean vibes to mellow out the heat. Similarly, while Joanna mentions cooking the fish in a cast iron skillet with the ventilation fan on high to prevent a pervasive fish smell, we found that using our cast iron skillet over our charcoal grill outside worked very well and helped prevent our house from smelling like fish.  

Crowd Average Rating:

As both Charlie and I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe, the Blackened Fish Tacos gained an average rating of an 8. I do have to confess that we tried these tacos with small traditional fajita tortillas instead of corn tortillas as I do not like the texture of corn tortillas, so we did make that small substitution, but even so, the results were delicious. Similarly, I will note that we were surprised at having a hard time finding the fish options that she recommends using. Perhaps it was just the supply chain issues of the day, but as the fish is marinated, we did not get a strong mahi-mahi flavor, so I believe in the future, we might substitute it with whichever white fish that we can easily come by.

Recently my mom has found a recipe called “Blueberry Buckle” that she has been making when all of us kids return over the holidays. It is light, fluffy, and wonderfully delicious with the sweet blueberries. In my mind, this Buttermilk Blueberry Puff was going to be the same, and I was excited to try it out. Unfortunately, unlike my mom’s Blueberry Buckle, this Buttermilk Blueberry Puff was not light, fluffy, or wonderfully delicious. Full of great ingredients, I had very high hopes, and while the flavor of the puff was amazing, the texture was not at all what any of us expected. While filled with great sweet blueberry flavor, the texture was slippery and slightly soggy. When cooking, I did add time while it was in the oven as it was not firm or set like a bread pudding, but then it began to get even more saucy as the juice cooked out of the blueberries. On the whole, I am not sure if it was my cooking inability or it is was supposed to have a slippery texture, but it was not the dessert that any of us anticipated.

Crowd Average Rating:

While this recipe had delicious flavor, the surprise textured landed the average rating of the Buttermilk Blueberry Puff at a 6. Similarly, we did find that if you toasted the leftovers while reheating, the texture was slightly improved, however I am not sure this recipe will be making it back to our table.

Fresh and delicious, this guacamole recipe was wonderful. As I am a lover of all things avocado, I was very excited to try Joanna’s recipe. To my happy delight, the guacamole had a wonderful texture, a fresh taste of cilantro, and a subtle flavor of jalapenos. If you do not have a go to recipe already for your summer fresh guacamole dip, this recipe is one you should definitely try.

Crowd Average Rating:

As only Charlie and I had the pleasure of trying out this guacamole, it gained an average rating of a 7.5. While guacamole is not typically Charlie’s favorite side dish, he was quite pleased with the freshness of this recipe as well and both of us felt it paired perfectly with the Blackened Fish Tacos above.

• Olive oil
• Black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Butter
• Crusty bread
• Garlic powder
• Dried herbs
• Romaine hearts
• Tomatoes

• Cucumber
• Radishes
• Bacon
• Buttermilk
• Mayonnaise
• Sour cream
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Parsley

• Dill
• Chives
• Cayenne pepper
• All purpose flour
• Eggs
• Bread crumbs
• Chicken broth or white wine
• Capers
• Artichoke hearts