Walleye Fish Tacos with Lime Crema — The Meals That Work for One Hand

Two weeks left. Two weeks of being Nurse Linda Johansson, RN, St. Mary's Medical Center, Oncology. I told my patients this week. The ones I've been caring for long-term — the regulars, the ones who know my name and my face and the way I adjust their pillows and the way I say "good morning" as if I mean it, which I do, every time, even at six AM when the fluorescent lights are buzzing and the night has been long. Mrs. Henderson — not the neighbor, a different Henderson, seventy-two, lung cancer, fierce and funny — said, "You can't leave, Linda. Who's going to tell me the truth?" I said, "The new nurses will tell you the truth." She said, "Not the way you do. You tell it with your eyes before your mouth opens." She's right. I do. I've been doing it for thirty-three years and I didn't know it until she said it. The young nurse I've been training — Sarah, twenty-five, her first year — asked me for advice. "What's the most important thing you've learned in thirty-three years?" I said, "Be in the room. Not just your body. All of you." Dorothy's words, passed to me in 1985, passed by me to Sarah in 2018. The thread. Paul's decline continues. His right arm is showing the first signs — a slight weakness in the grip, a tremor that I noticed on Tuesday when he was holding his toothbrush. The right arm. The one that's been compensating. The one that's been doing the work of two. I didn't tell Paul I noticed. He knows his own body. He doesn't need me to narrate the loss. He needs me to adapt to it, quietly, the way I adapted when the left hand went — cutting food smaller, buying lighter utensils, opening jars before he asks. I ordered adaptive silverware this week. Weighted handles. Ergonomic grips. They arrived on Wednesday in a box from a medical supply company and I put them in the drawer and didn't mention them and when they appear at the table, they'll appear the way all my adaptations appear: without announcement, without fanfare, as if they've always been there. I made a weeknight dinner: fish tacos again. The walleye, the lime crema, the cilantro. The least Swedish thing I make. Paul ate three — one-handed, holding the taco carefully, managing fine. Some meals are easier than others for one hand. Tacos work. Soup works. Sandwiches work. Steak doesn't. Corn on the cob doesn't. I'm learning the architecture of one-handed eating, and the learning is clinical and practical and also the saddest education I've ever had. Two weeks. Fourteen shifts. Twenty-eight hours on the floor. Then I'm done. I'm not ready. I'm ready. Both.

Fish tacos have become our weeknight constant — the meal I reach for when the shift was long and the evening needs to be simple. Paul can hold a taco in one hand, no knife required, and that quiet practicality is why I keep coming back to this recipe. The walleye, the lime crema, the cilantro — the least Swedish thing I make, and maybe the most loved thing on our table right now.

Walleye Fish Tacos with Lime Crema

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb walleye fillets (or other mild white fish), cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 small flour or corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Lime Crema

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Make the lime crema. Stir together sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Season the fish. Pat walleye fillets dry and cut into strips about 1 inch wide. Toss with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook the fish. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the walleye strips for 2–3 minutes per side, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat and break into smaller pieces if needed.
4. Warm the tortillas. Heat tortillas in a dry skillet for about 30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds.
5. Assemble the tacos. Layer fish onto each tortilla. Top with shredded cabbage, a drizzle of lime crema, and a generous sprinkle of fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 320 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 380mg