Panko-crusted rockfish tacos with slaw and avocado sauce

Panko-crusted rockfish tacos with cumin black beans, slaw and avocado sauce — a reasonably local-sourced meal

We recently saw the film Food, Inc., at the Seattle International Film Festival. While we weren’t exactly expecting anything life-shattering, having read The Omnivore’s Dilemma and being obedient farmers’-market attendees, it still made an impression on us.

Namely, that while food in the U.S. has become incredibly industrialized and hyper-processed, the most basic thing you as a consumer can do to take a stance against it is to “opt-out” of that industrial system. It’s a familiar mantra: buy local and buy organic. And we already make an effort to read labels and avoid unpronounceable ingredients and high fructose corn syrup. But watching the movie inspired me to make more of a concerted effort to actually look at where our food is coming from.

Putting this into practice earlier this week at the vast and daunting Shoreline Central Market was another story. We’d go to grab some organic apples, wince at the $3 a pound price, then see they were shipped in from Chile. Isn’t this Washington State? Isn’t this where most of the apples in the country come from? The same thing happened with buying the fish for the fish tacos. I went to ask for my standby of tilapia, only to see it was farmed and from Ecuador. Foiled! Fortunately the fishmonger (great word, huh) recommended rockfish, which was wild and labeled as USA. (It ended up tasting better than tilapia, too.) Still, I guess we should feel fortunate that the store labeled origins at all, even if it was sometimes vague like “USA” or “Northwest”, which could mean anything.

I wonder, though, if we should give up on grocery stores all together and do more like we did living in Brooklyn, when we would often shop the old-fashioned way: one stop for bread, one for fish, one for vegetables. Each store does one thing and does it well, and gets their food from a source they personally know. It’s less convenient that way, but not necessarily more expensive: a hefty bunch of local asparagus at the Wallingford Farmers’ Market yesterday was $1.50, while at the Shoreline Market it was $3.99 a pound. But neither do we want to be the self-righteous windbags at a party proclaiming how we only eat food from our neighbors Joe the Farmer and Susie the Gardener. 

What we’re trying to do is simply the livable option. Be aware of where our food comes from and whenever possible, make the effort to go for the local, organic, environmentally friendly option. But not kill ourselves over it. 

Fish tacos with cumin black beans, slaw and avocado sauce

(Adapted from GQ, of all places, namely the slaw and sauce)

Feeds 2 people with leftovers for lunch the next day

For the slaw:

  • 3 cups shredded green cabbage
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 2 limes
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together and taste for seasoning, then cover and chill. This gets better the longer it sits in the fridge.

For the sauce:

  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 1/2 ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 or 2 limes, depending on preference
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. It may be on the thick side, depending on how much lime juice you used; thin with more lime juice or water. Taste for seasoning, and chill until the rest of dinner is ready. 

For the beans:

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Crush in 2-3 cloves garlic and a couple dunks of cumin. When garlic is translucent, add 1 can black beans, partially drained (Goya is best) and bring to a bubble. Turn the heat down and let simmer at least 10 minutes or until everything else is ready.

For the fish:

  • 3/4 to 1 lb. white fish filets, like rockfish or tilapia
  • 1 egg
  • Flour
  • Panko! 
  • Olive oil

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Meanwhile, set up one plate of flour, one bowl with the egg, beaten, and one plate of panko. Salt and pepper the filets, then dip both sides in flour, egg wash, and panko in order.

Put filets in hot pan and cook about 4 min per side or until fish flakes and is no longer translucent in the center. Flake into manageable pieces and serve with small corn tortillas, black beans on the side, and slaw and sauce on top. With a nice Mexican beer, natch.