Honestly YUM

Pepian Fish Tacos

A taco twist on the classic Mexican pepian, a smooth velvety sauce made from pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, cilantro and chiles.

CourseMain/Entree
SeasonFall, Spring, Summer, Winter
MealDinner, Lunch
dietary restrictionDairy-Free, Gluten-Free
Difficulty LevelSimple

Servings

6tacos

Servings

6tacos

Ingredients

36-ounce (approximately) salmon filetspreferably skin on
3/4teaspoon cumin seeds
1cup pumpkin seedsshelled
6 serrano chiles
2tablespoons tahini
1bundle cilantroabout 1 cup, packed
1bundle scallionsabout 7-8 scallions
3cloves garlic
2 limesplus more for serving
1cup waterplus a few tablespoons more for thinning sauce, if needed
1/4head red cabbage
1/2cup cherry tomatoes
6 corn tortillas
1tablespoon sesame seedsfor garnish
grapeseed oilor other neutral oil
sea or kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

First, make the sauce by toasting the cumin seeds and pumpkin seeds in a pan over medium low heat until the cumin and pumpkin seeds become fragrant. Keep swirling them around in the pan and keep an eye on them to prevent them from burning. Remove the seeds from the chiles by cutting the stem off and slicing the chile down the middle. Using a spoon scrape the seeds out. If you want your sauce really spicy you can also leave the seeds in. Remove the stems from the cilantro and the root ends of the scallions and roughly chop.
Add the cumin, pumpkin seeds, serrano chiles, cilantro, scallions, garlic, tahini, the juice of 2 limes, in a blender. Add about 3/4 cup of water and blend. The sauce should thick, very smooth but pourable. If it is too thick, add more water about a couple tablespoons at a time until you get the right consistency. Add two large pinches of salt. Taste as you go and add more salt if it needs it. Remember this is the sauce for the tacos so it should be flavorful (and sufficiently salted).
Cut your filets in half and pat your filets dry with a paper towel and season liberally with salt and pepper. In a non-stick skillet, heat a glug of oil over medium high heat and sear the skin side and top side of the salmon for several minutes each until the salmon is cooked through. I press the top of the salmon to determine the doneness but if you can’t tell use a paring knife to cut into the thickest center of a piece.
To serve, heat both sides of each tortilla over an open flame until it becomes soft and pliable. Add a piece of salmon to each tortilla. Very thinly slice the cabbage and slice the tomatoes in quarters. Top each tortilla with a piece of salmon, a generous pour of the pepian sauce and top with some cabbage, tomatoes and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Serve with extra lime wedges.