I am a ridiculous Mexican food fan. The combination of heat, spice and fresh flavours is something I never get tired of. Mexican is often relegated to the 'cheat day' category as it can be loaded with salt and fat. This recipe ticks all the boxes in terms of flavour, spice, heat, crunch and sweetness without the sluggish feeling you get from a fatty meal. It makes the perfect addition to your Summer recipe repertoire. This recipe serves two with loads of salsa left over for another day. Try the salsa over grilled white fish as well, you won't be disappointed!
Ingredients:
Iceberg Faitas:
4 large iceberg lettuce cups
1 1/2 lean chicken breast fillets
1/2 spanish onion
1 whole fresh capsicum cut into strips or 1/2 jar roasted capsicum (in brine preferably or drained on kitchen towel)
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 fresh lime
1 tsp minced garlic
1Tbsp taco seasoning
1 Tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 Tbsp oil for cooking
Roasted Corn and Mango Salsa
2 corn cobs
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1/2 spanish onion
1 fresh mango
1 large handful coriander, roughly chopped
1 fresh lime
Tobasco to taste - do yourself a favour and find Chipotle Tobasco, it's incredible!
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Cut the chicken breast into strips, cover with taco seasoning and cayenne (if you so choose), cover and set aside.
Peel and clean the silk and strands from the corn cobs, then either roast over the open gas flame if you have one, or on a pan over high heat if you don't, turning regularly until the corn is charred all over. Cut the roasted corn from the cob and place in a bowl. Here's a cool hack to help make the process a little less messy.
Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves, season with salt and pepper and place in the bowl with the corn.
Slice away the mango cheeks and cut into small squares and add to the corn and tomato mixture. I hate to see food wasted, so a little mini-hack I like to use is to cut the scraps of mango flesh away from the seed and freeze in a ziplock freezer bag. Depending on how often you eat mangoes, you'll end up with a bag of frozen mango pieces with enough in it to make a sorbet (or a cocktail if you're feeling festive!).
Add finely diced Spanish onion, chopped coriander, juice from the lime, tobasco and combine.
Make sure you taste and add seasoning to your liking.
Set this mixture aside to marinate while you make the Fajitas
Slice onion and capsicum into strips. I like to use roasted capsicum, both for the smoky flavour and also to save a little prep time, if you can't find roasted capsicum in brine, just drain the oil well on kitchen towel.
In a hot pan, add minced garlic to a little oil and sauté until fragrant.
Add chicken pieces and brown
Toss in capsicum, onion and mushrooms and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until mushroom and onion is soft and chicken is juicy.
Wash iceberg lettuce and separate lettuce cups by using a sharp knife to cut around the base of the lettuce and gently prise the cups away. You can see a YouTube tutorial here
Place two lettuce cups on each plate, split the chicken mixture between the 4 lettuce cups, top with the roasted corn salsa, parcel that sucker up and enjoy!
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