Rock cod is one of those poor unfortunate fishes that has been named, re-named and re-named yet again.  You'll hear it described as rockfish, snapper, perch and sea bass depending on who you talk to and who they talked to.  In my world, we usually just refer  to it as 'rock' which works for me!  To make things even more complicated - there are more than 60 different varieties of rock cod in a rainbow of colors from blaze orange to dark black with spots and stripes in between.  They have fun names too, such as a shortbelly, chilipepper, thornyhead and cowcod.  By the time they get to our shop, they have almost always been filleted and we're left with just the meat of the fish, which is essentially identical throughout the group.  Occasionally there will be a little bit of skin left on one of the filets and then we get to play detective and try and guess which variety we have our hands on!  Rock "cod" are not actually a cod at all, but rather a sebastidae, and all varieties have a venom (not toxic to humans) spine in their dorsal fin - so be careful if you run into a live one at some  point!

Rock cod range from Alaska to California and beyond, and for the most part they're opportunistic eaters - smaller fish and crustaceans are always on the menu!  They can get as large as 3 feet, perching or hiding in rocky bottom areas of the ocean and their meat has a really lovely mild flavor with a big flake that is perfect for just about any cod recipe.

Rock cod are caught through several methods in commercial fishing that include longline, trawl, jig, troll and pot fishing. Our cod this week hails from a British Columbia trawl fishery that operates on an IFQ (individual fisherman quota) system. To read more about the varieties, the fishery and the management of the broad ranging Pacific rock cod, visit the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The world is your oyster when it comes to fish tacos. So many options to explore, and some people get pretty persnickity about it.  There is a certain school of thought that says ONLY a fried fish taco is a "real" fish taco, then there's the whole Thrill of the Grill crowd that wouldn't have it any other way.  Personally, I've always thought the best fish taco is the one that's currently in front of me.  There are, however, some "essential elements" of a basic fish taco that we can all agree on.  Maybe.

• Good fish.  Never say you can't make the most amazing fish tacos out of nearly *any* fish in the sea!  Some of the more common varieties are mahi-mahi and cod, but we've had salmon tacos, oyster tacos, shrimp tacos and sturgeon is one of our favorites!
• Greens.  This is typically some sort of cabbage.  Your basic creamy coleslaw works wonderfully but feel free to get fancy with any sort of salad combo.
• Toppings.  We like a few things here!  Shredded cheddar cheese is vital.  Avocado is essential.  Sour cream is crucial. Some sort of hot sauce/salsa can be added or subtracted based on age, maturity, amount of wine left in the bottle, and taste buds. 
• Shell.  Flour tortillas, corn tortillas, hard or soft.... take your pick!

 Here we have some excellent rock cod sprinkled with blackening seasoning, rolled in breadcrumbs and pan fried crispy.  We topped it with some shredded cheddar cheese, a spoonful of fruit salsa, and a touch of sour cream.  Super yum!  You could easily substitute salmon, mahi, halibut or any other favored fish - whatever sounds good!  

You can also fire up the grill and cook your fish outside.  We will sometimes play it safe  and grill whitefishes on a piece of foil, but rock cod holds together pretty good and with a little finessing with a spatula for flipping, you can go right for the hot spot.  This rock cod was just sprinkled with blackening seasoning and a splash of olive oil.  Delicious, and about as healthy as it gets! 

For something a little more complicated, we decided to give Guy Fieri's Tex Wasabi recipe a try and I must say it ended up worth the extra effort.  Sort of the perfect mix of crunchy coating on the fish and super flavors in the sauce and marinade - I made the pico, the aioli and the marinade a few hours before it was time to cook the fish so that the time investment was split up nicely.  (I hate spending more than a half hour or so in the kitchen at a time.)  Also, the flavor of the tequila was fairly strong so feel free to leave it out all together or back it down a bit in volume if you're not *gasp* a tequila fan.  We loved it!  Cheers!

Here's the shopping list for the recipe to serve 2 to 4 adults for dinner:

1 pound of fresh fish (we recommend the rock cod!)

a dozen corn or flour soft tortillas (Ramirez!)

1 box tempura batter mix

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 cups vegetable oil for frying

6 roma tomatoes

1 bunch cilantro

1 red onion

1 jalapeno

1 head garlic

3 limes

tequila

ground cumin

sour cream

milk

salt and pepper

Start by making a big batch of basic Pico de Gallo:

6 roma tomatoes, diced

3 T chopped cilantro

� red onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

the juice of one lime

salt and pepper

Throw it all in a bowl and fold to combine.  If it tastes bland at all you probably need another pinch or two of salt.  If you can, make this a few hours early and refrigerate to let the flavors all come together.

Next, make the Tequila Lime Aioli:

3 T tequila

the juice of one lime

8oz sour cream

� cup milk

3 cloves minced garlic

� tsp cumin

2 T chopped cilantro

salt and pepper

Throw this all in a bowl and whisk it for a minute or two to combine and then pop in the refrigerator until it's ready to use.  Not sure why they call this an 'aioli' without any mayo in it, but there you go.  It's tasty!

And finally, the Marinade:

Fish in the marinade!

the juice of one lime

1 T tequila

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Whisk this up in a bowl also and then give it a bit sniff.  It smells so much better than it looks and it's going to make your fish taste fabulous, I promise!

When you're ready to cook and dive in, get set up.  Pour an inch or so of vegetable oil in a large fry pan and turn it on medium low to get warming up.  Set out two plates and a bowl - we're going to dip into tempura flour, then tempura batter, and then panko breadcrumbs in order to completely coat the fish with a fabulously crunchy coating.

Get your fish filets out and cut them into about three or four inch chunks.  (If the bones haven't been removed be sure and do this first.  If you're shopping with us just ask us to cut the bones out for you - it's no problem!)  Toss the fish in the marinade

Frying it up - just a little bit (1/2") of oil needed.

  and let it sit for at least 6 or 7 minutes while you're doing the rest of the set up.

Open up your tempura batter box and pour about a cup on the first plate.  In the bowl, pour about another cup of the batter and then whisk together with � cup of cold water.  On the other plate, sprinkle out about a cup of panko breadcrumbs.  Now - one more plate to line with paper towels for draining your fish once it's cooked.  Turn up the burner on the oil to just over medium heat (we're looking for about 350  degrees).  Grab a chunk of fish and dip in the flour, then the batter and finally the panko and pop it gently into the oil.  (It should sizzle, but not splatter.)  Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side and then remove to drain on the paper towel plate.  Repeat until all of your fish chunks are nice and fried crispy!

Now it's time to build.  Place a chunk of fish in a tortilla, top with a spoonful of the pico de gallo and a spoonful of the aioli, fold and enjoy!  As you might imagine, this dish goes pretty darn good with a frosty margarita and a side of tortilla chips on a back porch in the summertime.  Check, check and check!