Eat Fresh, Day 2: Something’s Fishy With My Diet

Photo by Leigh Beisch

Who: Jessica Mordo, senior editor, Sunset.com

This year, I’m determined to: Eat more fish.

I chose this because: The health benefits are numerous, and I love a variety of fish, yet I barely ever consume any.

My biggest obstacles: Where do I begin?

1) I’m convinced I can’t cook this protein as well as I do others due to an abysmal lack of practice.

2) The high price tag of quality wild-caught fish intimidates me. I don’t want to splurge on a beautiful piece of wild Alaskan salmon and then completely blow it.

3) I’m also feeding a picky three-year-old and a sometimes even pickier husband, so I usually stick to what I know everyone will eat. I don’t want to go the fish sticks route to interest my little one; I know I can do better than a pre-made frozen meal.

My biggest temptations to cheat: A preschooler who’s whining for yet another black bean quesadilla. Plus, if she doesn’t like fish and my husband kvetches about it as well, the inconvenience of having to cook it just for myself.

Coping mechanism: Leaning on tacos, the great equalizer. Because my family loves them in general, why wouldn’t they love them with fish inside?

My daughter was adventurous enough to try

I’m feeling: Encouraged. The recipe I used (see below) was super easy to prepare and the seasoning gave the fish a nice kick. The tacos went over well with my husband (score), and even though my daughter (pictured above) put a less-than-enthusiastic stake in the ground (“I don’t like it. I don’t like the fish tacos.”), she at least agreed to try something new. She does like salmon…so now I know what I need to try next.

A recipe I’m really digging: Sunset’s Baja Light Fish Tacos were delicious. I had to bake the fish instead of grilling it due to rain, but it worked well in the oven. I topped it with a quick cabbage slaw (shredded cabbage, white wine vinegar, olive oil, S&P, marinated for about 10 minutes) and sliced avocado. My husband actually went for a second helping. Salvation wrapped in a tortilla!

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