Oh, my! Yes! I’ll take 2… This is an inspiring recipe that jumps the bridging gap between meat and true, plant-based eating with a flavourful, great-textured, filling, entirely satisfying main. And nobody’s pretending it’s meat…
If you think you need a dip or salsa with this light, perky, taco,
do use green (tomatillo-based) salsa as illustrated above.
You’ll really be able to get your teeth into this great taco, and you’ll love the fresh, zippy flavour. It may be the best implementation of grilled Portobellos I’ve seen yet!
What it is…
If this nouveau-twisty taco seems somehow familiar in its basics, the picture should come into sharp focus if you think of it as homage to Tex-Mex fave Fjitas.
Accordingly, this recipe is a little fussy but worth every moment you invest. It’s marinated Portobello caps topped with slaw. But the contributor of the dish supplies an innovative Napa Cabbage slaw that perfectly complements the character and lightness of the mushrooms.
The slaw mix calls for Napa Cabbage, Red Onion, Avocado and Grated cheese. Don’t fret about finding Cotija cheese. Just use grated Jack or white Cheddar as you normally would on a taco.
Super simple marinade
You may wonder about the simplicity of the marinade; it’s only a few ingredients. But it’s perfect for this dish. Also a great go-to when you want to add a top layer of Tex-Mex character to any dish.
Use any Chili Powder blend you like. This dish, I’ve found, is looking for a lighter, sweeter, milder mix, to balance the mushrooms. Of course, you can always tweak the spices any which way you want to go, to suit your personal taste.
The Fajita toppings mentioned in the official recipe can be supplemented with thinly sliced Bell Peppers or any other toppings you’d like. Reminder: Tomatoes, Pico de Gallo are traditional. The fresh Cilantro is usually considered essential…
Omissions…
There’s an odd, out-of-place reference to ‘meat’ near the top of the original recipe, as posted by the contributor. It does not concern us, in our efforts.
Likewise, the reference to thinly sliced Avocado. We prefer Guacamole – if we really think we need a Guacamole presence in our version of this taco.
I, personally, feel Salsa Cruda plus Pico de Gallo is over the top on this taco. In spite of the popularity of classic Tomato-based Salsa across the mainstream Taco map. While Pico will boost, tweak and pique the overall flavour of the dish, heavier, tomato-based salsa, which adds another dose of spicy heat may just turn the overall flavour to mud…
My take
Take full advatage of the tips and recommendations offered in the original source recipe, as posted at Delish.com. And take anything that sounds out of place with a pinch of salt (to taste).
Be sure not to forget the squeeze of fresh Lime Juice. It’s classic on Fajitas, and especially complementary and supportive to the overall flavour of this one.
Finally… Allow 2 tacos (at least) per diner when buying ingredients for this dish. Like many summer classics, they’re infectiously S’More-ish!
~ Maggie J.