Fried Fish Tacos with Cabbage Microgreen Slaw

Cabbage microgreens doing the job of a slaw without the mayonnaise, on local white fish. The pink stems are the only garnish the plate needs.

Grown on Johns Island · Delivered from James Island · Across the Lowcountry

Fried fish tacos topped with a cabbage microgreen slaw and lime
Serving suggestion.

Prep

20 min

Cook

10 min

Total

30 min

Makes

8 tacos

A recipe from The MicroGreens Farm on Johns Island, built around cabbage microgreens. Prep 20 min, total 30 min, makes 8 tacos. As with every microgreen: they go on off the heat, at the end.

Why cabbage works here

A fish taco needs crunch and acid, which is why it usually gets slaw. Cabbage microgreens deliver both with a fraction of the bulk, and their stems run pink to magenta, so the plate looks composed without anyone arranging anything. Dressed at the last minute they stay crisp where shredded cabbage goes limp.

Ingredients

  • •1.5 lb firm white fish (grouper, snapper or mahi), cut into strips
  • •1 cup flour
  • •1 tsp each paprika, garlic powder, salt
  • •1/2 tsp cayenne
  • •1 egg, beaten with 2 tbsp water
  • •Neutral oil for frying
  • •8 corn tortillas
  • FOR THE SLAW:
  • •3 packed cups cabbage microgreens
  • •Juice of 1 lime
  • •1 tbsp olive oil
  • •A pinch of salt
  • TO SERVE:
  • •Crema or sour cream thinned with lime juice
  • •Sliced avocado
  • •Hot sauce

Method

  1. Mix the flour with the paprika, garlic powder, salt and cayenne in a shallow dish.
  2. Pat the fish very dry. Dip each strip in the egg wash, then press it through the seasoned flour.
  3. Heat half an inch of oil in a heavy skillet to about 350F. Fry the fish in batches, 2 to 3 minutes a side, until deep golden. Drain on a rack, not on paper, so it stays crisp.
  4. Warm the tortillas in a dry pan for 20 seconds a side.
  5. Make the slaw LAST: toss the cabbage microgreens with the lime juice, olive oil and salt right before you build the tacos.
  6. Build each taco with fish, a pile of slaw, avocado, a drizzle of crema and hot sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes from the farm

  • The slaw is the last thing you make. Lime juice on microgreens is a five-minute clock, not a thirty-minute one.
  • Grilled fish works if you would rather not fry – the slaw matters more than the cooking method.
  • Radish microgreens instead of cabbage gives you a hotter, more peppery taco. Both are good; cabbage looks better.

Questions

Can I make the slaw ahead?

No. Dress cabbage microgreens more than about five minutes before serving and they go soft. Cut and toss them while the fish drains – it takes thirty seconds.

Do cabbage microgreens taste like cabbage?

Mildly, and without the sulphur of a mature head. They are sweeter and much more tender, which is why they work raw in a taco where shredded cabbage needs salting or dressing ahead.

Get Cabbage Microgreens

Cut clamshells from $6, or a living tray you cut yourself · 843.212.6932

The other eight recipes

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All nine recipes · about cabbage microgreens · where to find us