Fish Tostadas
The typical tostada adds up to a mountain of fat and calories: First there’s the deep-fried tortilla base or shell, which is spread with a liberal amount of refried beans. Then come the greens (no fat!), the fish and big dollops of sour cream and guacamole. Talk about a heavy meal.
But don’t despair. Our version starts out with an extra-thin corn tortilla that’s baked until crisp--not fried. Then, white beans are mashed, combined with grilled onion, garlic and chile, and simmered over low heat.
The halibut filet is grilled without any oil. And instead of finishing the tostada with rich sour cream and guacamole, a light citrus dressing is drizzled over top. Here’s one tostada you’ll have no problem eating.
Cook the onion slices, 1 clove of garlic and the chile on a well-seasoned grill pan over high heat or an outdoor grill until charred on all sides and tender, about 5 minutes. Chop and set aside.
Drain the beans reserving the liquid. Cook the beans over low heat in a nonstick skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, mashing until pureed. Stir in the onion, garlic, chile and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir in about 1/3 cup of reserved liquid from the beans and simmer several minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lime juice.
Cut the remaining clove of garlic in half. Rub the surface of the halibut with the cut clove. Spray the fish with nonstick cooking spray and rub the oregano over the surface. Cook the fish on a well-seasoned grill pan over high heat or an outdoor grill about 5 minutes. Lightly season with salt and turn. Continue grilling until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from the grill. Set aside.
Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
For the dressing combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of lime juice, the lemon juice, water, chopped cilantro, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.
Lightly spray both sides of the tortillas with nonstick cooking spray and place in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Spread about 2 tablespoons of the beans on each tortilla. Top each with 1 cup of romaine.
Flake the fish and divide among the tortillas, placing it on top of the greens. Drizzle the tostadas with the dressing. Sprinkle tomatoes over the top of each.
Get our Cooking newsletter.
Your roundup of inspiring recipes and kitchen tricks.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
