Taco Night by Deborah Kaloper
Whether it’s a weekend gathering with friends, a date-night in, or simply taco Tuesday—Taco Night, by Deborah Kaloper features tacos for almost any occasion!
Photography: Mark Roper
California-raised, Melbourne-based food stylist, prop stylist and recipe developer, Deborah Kaloper’s passion for food started at the age of six when her grandmother, Nonie, presented her with her very first cookbook.
A former breakfast and pastry chef, Deborah now works daily with top photographers, chefs, food writers, and brands, styling their food for books, magazines and advertising campaigns. Her latest cookbook, Taco Night, following her two previous cookbooks, Pasta Night and Pizza Night, includes taco recipes for gathering with friends, a date-night in, or simply taco Tuesday!
Learn how to make your own flour and corn tortillas with ease, so you’ll never have to rely on store-bought versions again—mix and match salsas and toppings and invite your guests to build their own tacos. With chapters that include recipes for vegetarian and vegan, seafood, chicken, duck and turkey, pork, beef and lamb tacos, the choices are (almost) endless.
Below we share a recipe from the new cookbook: Spicy ahi poke.
This is an edited extract from Taco Night by Deborah Kaloper—published by Smith Street Books. Purchase the book online now here.
Beef and Lamb Quesabirria from Taco Night.
SPICY AHI POKE
INGREDIENTS
oil, for shallow-frying
12 small Corn tortillas
450 g (1 lb) sashimi-grade ahi tuna
1 Lebanese (short) cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds scraped out
1 avocado
1/2 small sweet salad onion, peeled and finely diced
1 teaspoon toasted black
sesame seeds
1 teaspoon shichimi togarashi
Sriracha Crema
125 g (1/2 cup) Mexican crema, sour cream or creme fraiche
2–3 teaspoons sriracha chilli sauce, or more to taste
Soyu & Ginger Marinade
2 tablespoons shoyu
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons honey
1–2 teaspoons sriracha chilli sauce
11/2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1 garlic clove, finely grated
To Serve
tobiko (flying fish roe, available
from Asian grocery stores)
shichimi togarashi
coriander (cilantro) leaves
lime wedges
METHOD
To make the sriracha crema, mix the ingredients in a small bowl until well blended. Refrigerate in a clean airtight container until required. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, and makes about 125 g (½ cup).
Pour 3 cm (1¼ inches) of oil into a wide frying pan and place over medium–high heat. Heat the oil to 175°C (345°F), then, working in batches, fry the tortillas for 1–2 minutes, until golden brown. Drain the tortillas on paper towels set over a wire cooling rack.
Cut the tuna, cucumber and avocado into 1 cm (½ inch) dice and place in a large bowl. Add the salad onion, sesame seeds and shichimi togarashi and gently fold to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the shoyu and ginger marinade ingredients, then taste, and add more sriracha if desired. Pour the marinade over the tuna mixture and gently toss to combine.
To serve, place some poke mixture on a fried tortilla, drizzle with sriracha crema, then add a small teaspoon of tobiko and a sprinkling of shichimi togarashi. Top with coriander and serve immediately, with a squeeze of lime.