How you doin’? I first met Ralph Rubio at one of his restaurants in the San Diego area. It was love at first bite--Fish Taco and me. It was everything I crave… lots of great flavor thrills and wonderful, crunchy textures.
 
I wanted to make these at home, but I don’t like to fry fish at home.  I thought about it and it’s possible the air fryer was invented just so I could fry fish at home. It turns breaded fish fillets into something wondrous—perfectly crispy on the outside, tender and flaky on the inside. You could just go ahead and eat them as fish sticks, but you’d be missing out because they are so very good in these tacos!
 
Here we’ve combined them with a crunchy, mildly spicy slaw and a lime crema. Despite the awesomeness of the fish, the crema nearly steals the show. It’s creamy smooth, full of cilantro, bursting with lime flavor—and so deeply satisfying as a condiment that everyone will be asking for the recipe (and here it is).
 
My tacos have Friday night on the patio written all over them. Put out some chips and guacamole, a small pitcher of grit margaritas and, BOOM!, you have a happy hour like no other.
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Yield:  Serves: 4 (2 tacos each person)
 
Ingredients 
For the slaw
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup rough chopped cilantro
1/4 cup julienne-cut red onion
1 thin sliced Anaheim chili
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
 
For the lime crema
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons mayo
Zest of one lime
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
 
For the fish tacos
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon mild chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
3 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1-1/2 pounds fresh cod fillets
 
Cooking oil spray
Corn tortillas
 
Directions
To make the slaw

1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and set aside.

To make the lime crema

1. In another small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients and set aside.

To make the fish filets

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 2 teaspoons of the salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin and transfer it to a plate.
2. In the same medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
3. In a separate medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt.
4. Cut each of the fish fillets into 1 to 2-oz strips.
5. Dredge each piece of fish in the flour, then the egg mixture, then the breadcrumbs, making sure it is well coated with before moving to the next.
6. Next, spray cooking oil on each side of the fish strips and place them in the air fryer basket.
7. Cook for 15 minutes at 375⁰ F, turning halfway through and re-spraying the strips with oil.
8. While the fish cooks, warm the corn tortillas on a dry, hot cast-iron skillet and wrap them in a towel to keep them warm and pliant.
9. Remove the fish from the air fryer and allow it to cool for 3 minutes.
10. Build your tacos, layering fish, slaw and lime crema in the corn tortillas.
11. Serve immediately.

ChefSecret:  You can easily substitute the sour cream and mayonnaise with 1 cup of plain unsweetened yogurt for a tarter favor.

Quip of the Day:  Wanna know something real cool?  Taco Cat spelled backward is Taco Cat.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entrees #Lunch #Dinner #FishTacos #Rubios #Pollack #Halibut #Cod #MexicanCrema #OriginalFishTaco #Baja #Cerveza #Cheers #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  

                                                                                  ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? I have another Instant Pot challenge for you. You can assume (from prior writings), I love working with my Instant Pot and I love PIE! I am overly fond of any kind of pies. As a kid, I grew up on pies from Du-pars and Knott’s Berry Farm. Pies are so typically American—every region in the United States has their own style of pie.
 
Growing up I was addicted to Hostess brand fried fruit pies that are still sold in grocery and convenience stores today. You probably know the ones that sit at the end of the junk food aisle along with the mini donuts. They are made with apple, cherry, lemon and even chocolate pie fillings topped with a sweet, powdered sugar glaze. As cheap as they may be, they’re still tasty and satisfying—just peel back the wrapper and take a couple of bites.
 
Recently on an episode of Somewhere South (PBS), Vivian Howard introduced the pie customs of the South including hand pies. Vivian’s schtick is to dig deep into the lesser-known roots of Southern food, Southern cooking, Southern hospitality and Southern living. Very entertaining!
 
So, in the following recipe I created a marriage of “fried” apple hand pies and my Instant Pot. For this recipe you need to have the Instant Pot air fryer lid (or any other air fryer). You can use most any fillings of berry, cherry and more, but for this recipe I have selected a buttery apple-cinnamon mixture. These pies bake in less than 10 minutes in an air fryer. So last minute, hot apple hand pies are possible in just a few minutes before sitting down to an evening dinner. Quick and easy hand pies will be in the mouths of your family in minutes! That makes a good evening even better! 
 
Start with a premade supermarket pie crust. You can also use a canned apple pie filling, or you can follow my recipe below. If you don’t have the Instant Pot air fryer lid you can use any brand of air fryer. Your almost-from-scratch air fried apple hand pies will have a light and flaky crust and a delicious, sweet cinnamon apple filling.
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Bake time:  15 minutes
Yield:  4 small hand pies
 
Ingredients 
For the filling
2 diced medium Granny Smith apples
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold water
1/2 (14 ounce) package pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie (you can use any store brand)
cooking spray
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
 
For the glaze
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon milk, or more as needed
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 
Directions
To make the apple filling and assemble the pies

1. Combine the apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a non-stick skillet. Cook over medium heat until apples have softened, and the sugar starts to thicken; about 5 minutes.
2. Dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Stir into the apple mixture and cook until it thickens, for about 1 minute.
3. Remove the apple pie filling from heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the crust.
4. Unroll the pie crust on a lightly floured surface and roll out slightly to smooth the surface of the dough.
5. Cut the dough into small rectangles so that two can fit in your air fryer at one time. Repeat with remaining crust until you have 8 equal rectangles, re-rolling some of the scraps of dough if needed.
6. Wet the outer edges of 4 rectangles with water and place some apple filling in the center about 1/2-inch from the edges. Roll out the remaining 4 rectangles so that they are slightly larger than the topped ones. Place these rectangles on top of the filling; crimp the edges with the tine of a fork to seal.
7. Cut 4 small slits into the tops of the pies.
8. Spray the basket of an air fryer with food release cooking spray. Brush the tops of 2 pies with vegetable oil. Using a spatula, transfer pies to the air fryer basket.
9. Insert basket and set the temperature to 385⁰F. Bake until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pies from the basket and repeat with the remaining 2 pies.

For the glaze

1. Mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Brush glaze on warm pies and allow it to set.
2. Serve pies warm or at room temperature.

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ChefSecret:  I prefer to use tart green apples, but any firm tart apple will do.

​Quip of the Day:  Q. Why is it so difficult to work at an apple pie factory?  A. Because they have such a high turnover rate.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entrees #MexicanChocolateOatmeal #ChocolateOatmeal #Oats #Breakfast #B'fast #HotCereal #QuakerOats #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                            ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025