2024 the best fish taco recipe review

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(as of Oct 28, 2024 01:45:16 UTC - Details)

The definitive word on tacos from native Angeleno Wes Avila, who draws on his Mexican heritage as well as his time in the kitchens of some of the world's best restaurants to create taco perfection. 

In a town overrun with taco trucks, Wes Avila's Guerrilla Tacos has managed to win almost every accolade there is, from being crowned Best Taco Truck by LA Weekly to being called one of the best things to eat in Los Angeles by legendary food critic Jonathan Gold. Avila's approach stands out in a crowded field because it's unique: the 50 base recipes in this book are grounded in authenticity but never tied down to tradition. Wes uses ingredients like kurobata sausage and sea urchin, but his bestselling taco is made from the humble sweet potato. From basic building blocks to how to balance flavor and texture, with comic-inspired illustrations and stories throughout, Guerrilla Tacos is the final word on tacos from the streets of L.A.

From the Publisher

Cauliflower Taco

I don’t remember why we started doing cauliflower tacos, but it just works. You don’t want the cauliflower mushy, it should be more crispy and browned and a little bit caramelized. You’re looking for some crunch from the pine nuts, some sweetness from the dates, and some sourness from the olives and salsa. I like to use Romanesco, or bright orange or purple cauliflower, for color, but you can use whatever is available.

Recipe

Fill a large stockpot with about 4 quarts water. Add salt until it’s as salty as the sea. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower to parboil and then remove after 3 to 4 minutes, when the cauliflower is about three-quarters done. Drain completely.

Meanwhile, in a dry pan over medium heat, toast the pine nuts just until slightly fragrant, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the cauliflower florets and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they start turning golden brown. Add the garlic, curry powder, and thyme and continue to cook until the florets are fully golden brown and crispy in places, about 10 minutes. Add the dates and pine nuts and toss with the cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and discard the garlic and thyme.

Add the cauliflower mixture to the tortillas, then the olives, top with some salsa, and finish with the fenugreek. Serve immediately.

Ingredients Kosher salt 1 head of cauliflower or Romanesco, stems and leaves removed, cut into bite-size florets 1⁄4 cup pine nuts 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife 1 teaspoon curry powder 4 thyme sprigs 1 cup Medjool dates, seeded and sliced into edible pieces Freshly ground black pepper 12 corn tortillas, warmed 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted and quartered Roasted Tomato Salsa for topping 5 leaves fresh fenugreek or parsley, roughly torn from stem

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ten Speed Press; Illustrated edition (October 10, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399578633
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399578632
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.26 x 1.08 x 9.75 inches
Reviewer: Lisa
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Love this!
Review: I love Mexican/Tex-Mex and will take any excuse to try a new book. This one did not disappoint. As with most cookbooks like this, there are multiple recipes in each recipe so it does take a while. That being said, it is so worthwhile. Everything I've made has been fabulous. The fish tacos are the best ones I've ever made. Sometimes you may need to use your head to figure out if you really need to make a whole recipe of a salsa or topping because the proportions seem to be more for someone who is making these frequently (like a food truck owner) and not just for dinner one day. That's the only drawback I see and I wouldn't let it stop me from buying this book and using it often. Wesley Avila is an interesting character and makes a mean taco.

Reviewer: Donna O.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great taste
Review: Great book. the actual restaurant food is amazing and this recipe book does not disappoint.

Reviewer: Gpuig
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The best taco cook book EVER and more..
Review: I usually don't ever write reviews of anything. Too lazy I guess. But with this book I just had too. I have many other cookbooks. I am a home cook with an book obsession since they are my only source of education. This has been my favorite taco book so far. Every dish I have prepared has been incredible. Not only is every recipe amazing but his story and how he got to where he is is also very inspiring. This is a true gem that everyone should have in their pantry. Not all recipes are easy but they certainly are worth it.

Reviewer: Carrie Tommins
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Creative melding of flavors make these recipes one of a kind and outstanding
Review: If you like cooking and eating tacos, I can not recommend this cookbook enough. It’s possibly the most-used cookbook I’ve ever owned! Each recipe is unique, not something you could just find on the internet. Wes does a fantastic job at pairing unexpected ingredients and flavors in a really cohesive and well-thought out way.

Reviewer: Fry Boy
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The sweet potato taco salsa alone warrants a commanding review
Review: Okay, first off, the author swears too much. I get that you want to put YOU into your book, but for the benefit and unscarring of any kids out there that want to benefit from what you're offering, maybe tone it done a bit on the second edition or next book.All right, enough pontificating. The first recipe I made from the book was the Sweet Potato Taco and man was it awesome. The almond salsa--which doesn't taste like almonds, really, but is still incredible--was probably the most involved thing on the menu. (I made the mistake of buying red bell peppers instead of roasted red peppers, so I had to learn how to roast red bell peppers to produce roasted red peppers.) But I got through all that and the salsa was spicy and like nothing I've ever tasted. Glad I used half a habanero pepper in that.The recipe calls for Japanese sweet potatoes--never heard of!--so I used the regular kind and picked out the slimmest ones. Author says boil and simmer for 12 minutes. I say boil and simmer for 24 minutes. And then you're supposed to brown the coin-slices of sweet potato for 15 minutes per side in butter on medium-high heat, but I'd say low-medium for 8-10 does the trick. YMMV. Not sure what sort of stovetop arrangement the author had, but the second time around the browned sweet potatoes came out better for me.Eyeballing the "albondigas" recipe for the next prep. . . . Looks like meatball and pork stew with a lot of tomato. (In other words, looks tasty.)

Reviewer: Sierra DeRose
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Beyond Amazing
Review: As always Wes has blown it out if the part. My partner and I love cooking, I was raised by chefs and cooks and my partner is a Chef. So sometimes when we get a cookbook and its a bit dumbed its kind disappointing. Now I am not saying you should have to go around the world and back and chop and blend a thousand things for every recipe but many times I think. No don't dumb it down I want to cook what you're cooking, your favorites, and thats exactly what he has done. There are seafood, vegetarian, beef, ox, pork and more recipes there is even a duck heart recipe. This book is beyond incredible and it reads well, it also comes with incredible art and graphic novel looking designs to help tell his story. I will never regret this purchase.

Reviewer: Angie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Ain't enough Taco Trucks in OH!
Review: Wesley, Wesley, Wesley - WHY didn't I find you/attend the Griffith Park Food Truck Expo a few years ago?! Ugh! I'm in Ohio now. Thank Gawd for The Marketplace in Cleveland. It's the ONLY place I'll be able to find about 75% of ingredients. The rest, online. Oddly enough, I ran across your book while working/ fulfilling orders at Amazon. After shift, sat in parking lot, ordering it before heading home. Oh man. There's a couple of chains of "Mexican" joints/restaurants here in OH. Have tried them all. Just, so bland. Taco Bell for the, "east-side", & mild hot sauce, they can't handle. Might as well go grab a Swanson TV Dinner & ketchup. Peeps in OH get a nosebleed from mild plastic packets. Hell, I'm half Italian & cook WAY MORE MX/Baja, style. You've saved me! Mucho Gracious! (ONLY on page 81, drooling). And, my Mom has kidnapped the damn book. I guess I'll let her have it - Happy Cinco de' Mayo & Mother's Day! Cheers to You & Familia - be SAFE! WANT MORE! 🍈🌶🧅🌮🌯🦀🦞🦐🦑🍻

Reviewer: Armand Diaz
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Wes Avila is my spirit animal
Review: Heartfelt and comical, this book hit a home run for me. Wes is doing incredible things with Mexican food in Los Angeles and he shows us his secrets in this book. After playing with several recipes, I’ve found that they provide sophisticated balance of salt, fat, sweet, acid - all told from a humble perspective. The salsas and their flavor are symbiotic with their respective dishes, analogous to a sauce in any classic French recipe; likely an homage to his fine dining experience. Although many recipes are not super traditional, his cooking does not lack authenticity. It’s nice to have a Mexican cookbook written by an actual Mexican chef, and we’re lucky to have Wes in LA.

Reviewer: Dean Ford
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: My family loves making Tacos every week and through looking at all of the books available in our city's libraries, I've focused on this one. Renewed it four times until I had to return it. Then I bought this one off of Amazon! I've made every Salsa in the book. My family usually prefers using half of the chiles recommended, though.This is a cookbook by a professional taco chef, if there's such a thing! Worth every penny!

Reviewer: marco simonetto
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Grande libro sui tacos di strada

Reviewer: Matthew
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Packed with exciting ideas and inspiration, this book is all about fun and flavour, all garnished with sincerity and a love of food. I especially recommend the Cauliflower Taco: a recipe that epitomises fun and delicious. You get depth, aroma, sweetness, crunch, heat, and freshness all in one bite. Sensational! Cooking is a labour of love. And, every good cook understands that a recipe is only a guide, not a drill instructor. So, please do ignore the negative reviews. The author promotes the “use what’s available” philosophy several times. It’s not difficult, with a bit of logic and resourcefulness. If you can’t get Roma tomatoes, use another fresh tomato. If you can’t get guajillo chiles, use another dried chili. It may be different, but I promise it will still be absolutely delicious!

Reviewer: D. Dowse
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I collect taco cookbooks and this is among the best I’ve found. Recipes are amazing! The stories from chef are amazing addition to the experience of using this cookbook. We use all the time.

Reviewer: Caroline
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great recipes chef Wes!!!!Love the book and the tacos 🌮Thank you for sharing your creativity with all of us 🙏🏼