The family-friendly cross-country board game Ticket to Ride connects cities, friends and families. Now players of all ages can have fun cooking snacks, meals and more inspired by the iconic game. “Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook” features dining-car menus inspired by the various cities the game travels through. Try making New England Clam Chowder from Boston, Poutine from Montreal or West Coast recipes like California Roll, Guacamole and Chips and Baja Fish Tacos.
Baja Fish Tacos
Excerpted from Ticket to Ride™: The Official Cookbook. Copyright © 2024 Ulysses Press. Reprinted with permission from Ulysses Press. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
Bring the beach to wherever you’re gaming with these Baja Fish Tacos. Crunchy and tasty, they pack a major flavor punch with a super-creamy sauce and just the right amount of heat. This recipe uses halibut, which swim all along the California coast and down through Baja, but really, you can use any mild white fish.
Makes: 6 tacos
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 limes, divided
Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
1 egg
1 cup lager beer
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
1 cup flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 1/4 pounds skinless halibut fillet, cut into 2-inch strips
6 flour tortillas
1 avocado
1/2 cup salsa verde
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
1. In a small bowl, mix the sliced cabbage with the zest and juice of 1 lime and a sprinkle of kosher salt until the cabbage is covered with the liquid. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least an hour but up to 4. Drain the pickled cabbage before serving.
2. In another small bowl, mix the crema with the zest and juice of 1 lime. Slice the remaining two limes into wedges.
3. Mix the batter by whisking the egg, beer, chipotle chili powder, salt, pepper, and agave in a large shallow bowl. Once combined, add the flour and whisk until smooth.
4. In a medium pot, heat approximately 4 inches of vegetable oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375°F. Dip the fish in the batter, then fry in batches in the hot oil until golden and just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Season with more salt.
5. Toast each tortilla quickly in a skillet over medium-high heat until slightly charred but still flexible.
6. Halve, pit, and slice the avocado. Fill the tortillas with the fish, avocado slices, pickled cabbage, and salsa verde. Drizzle with Mexican crema, top with cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.
Salsa Verde
2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, stemmed
6 cloves garlic, peeled
8 tomatillos, skins removed
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped zest and juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons salt
For the salsa verde, cut the chiles in half lengthwise and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet along with the 6 garlic cloves, the tomatillos, and 1 chopped onion. Broil on high until slightly charred, about 5 to 7 minutes, turning once halfway through.
Transfer the charred vegetables to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam for 10 minutes. Then use a mortar and pestle or food processor to roughly chop them. Return to the bowl and stir in the lime zest and juice and the 2 teaspoons salt. Let rest in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to meld until ready to serve, about 45 minutes.
