Summer Garden Fish Tacos

I drove to Grinnell Saturday. Roger was in the garden — the garden that is his whole world now, the 81-year-old man who tends six tomato plants and twelve sunflowers with the same care he once gave four hundred acres. He's slower but he's still Roger. He still watches the crop reports. He still calls Jack on Wednesdays.

The recipe this week: zucchini bread. Standing at the stove, Marlene's wooden spoon in my hand (the cracked one, the one that will outlast us all), the recipe either from the card box or from my own expanding collection, both equally real, both equally mine. The kitchen holds all of it — the old recipes and the new ones, the teacher's food and the student's food, the grief and the joy and the cinnamon. All of it. Always.

The garden at peak production — tomatoes by the bushel, corn taller than Jack (which is saying something now, the boy is tall), peppers in every color, the zucchini in its annual attempt to conquer the neighborhood. I've left three on the neighbors' porch. They know. Everyone knows. The zucchini phase is endured, not discussed.

With the counter overflowing — tomatoes still warm from the sun, peppers in every shade, the corn Jack helped shuck — I needed something that would let the garden speak for itself. No fuss, no heavy sauces, just good fish and whatever the backyard handed me that morning. These tacos have become my answer to those July evenings when the kitchen is hot and the produce basket won’t close, and every bite tastes like the season at its fullest.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb white fish fillets (tilapia, cod, or mahi-mahi), cut into strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 ear)
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Garden Salsa

1 cup diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon red onion, minced
Salt to taste

Instructions

Season the fish. Pat fish strips dry and rub with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Let sit while you prepare the vegetables.
Make the garden salsa. Combine diced tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, and red onion in a small bowl. Season with salt and set aside.
Sauté the vegetables. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the zucchini, corn, and bell pepper for 3–4 minutes until just tender. Remove and set aside.
Cook the fish. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, cook fish strips for 2–3 minutes per side until opaque and flaky. Break into smaller pieces if needed.
Warm the tortillas. Heat tortillas in a dry skillet or directly over a gas flame for about 30 seconds per side.
Assemble the tacos. Layer fish onto warmed tortillas, top with sautéed garden vegetables and salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Nutrition (per serving)

Summer Garden Fish Tacos — When the Garden Gives You Everything at Once