Summer means fresh local seafood, and on the Outer Banks we certainly have a plethora of it. Below are seafood taco recipes from 3 of our local restaurants – Miller’s Waterfront Restaurant, Tortugas’ Lie, and Goombay’s Grille & Raw Bar – all which will tickle your taste buds. Now you can make them in your own kitchen. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• ½ lb tail off 21/25 shrimp
• 2 ears of corn
• 2 poblano peppers
• 4 corn tortillas
• Napa cabbage
• cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses
• pico de gallo

Lightly coat shrimp with blackening seasoning, and pan sear. Once almost complete, add fresh corn cut from the stalk and diced up roasted poblano peppers. Heat flour/corn tortilla in a dry pan till just brown. 

Build your taco by first adding sliced Napa cabbage topped with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Add from the saute pan the shrimp and corn mixture. Finish with fresh-made pico de gallo and cilantro cream (recipe below). Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup mayo
• ½ cup cilantro
• ¼ cup buttermilk
• 1 green onion finely chopped
• pickled jalapeno to taste
• 1 lime
• 2 tsp mustard

Combine mayo, cilantro, buttermilk, green onion, mustard, pickled jalapeño, and juice from a lime; blend.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs mahi
• 3 tbsp cumin
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• salt
• flour tortillas
• red and green cabbage, chopped
• 8 oz shredded jack cheese
• cilantro, finely choppe

Out of all seafood taco recipes, mahi could be considered a pretty common direction in terms of fish choice from the Outer Banks. Start with good local mahi and cube it into bite size pieces. 

Put it in a bowl and lightly coat it with our spice blend, which is 1/2 cumin and 1/2 chili powder, with salt to taste. Sauté the fish until done. About 5 minutes in an iron skillet with olive oil. 

At the same time, heat up some flour tortillas in the oven or a hot pan. Corn tortillas are more traditional, but Tortugas uses flour tortillas because they hold up better. 

Build your taco using a mix of green and red finely chopped cabbage for the base. Then add a small amount of fresh cilantro and some shredded jack cheese. Finally, add the hot fish on top of that, and top with our homemade sauce. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup plain yogurt
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Texas Pete (or other hot sauce)
• fajita spice
• 2 limes
• 4 jalapenos, sliced

The homemade sauce is a yogurt base with almost equal parts of sour cream and mayonnaise. Mix this up in a large mixing bowl and add some fajita spice, Texas Pete for heat, and fresh lime juice for a zing. Put some jalapeños on the side so you can adjust your heat accordingly.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs. fresh yellow fin tuna, cut into 1 inch pieces
• flour tortillas
• shredded lettuce
• diced tomato
• cheddar jack cheese
• sour cream
• pickled jalapenos

Toss tuna pieces in olive oil & Outer Banks Foods Jamaican Jerk Seasoning (sold at Goombays) – or other jerk seasoning, refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cook tuna in a non-stick pan to desired temperature (medium rare to well done). Serve on warm flour tortillas with cheddar jack cheese, pickled jalapenos, diced tomato, shredded lettuce, and sour cream. Serve with side of black beans and rice if desired. Serves 4.

For a lighter version, simply top the grilled Jamaican jerk tuna with this Asian Cole Slaw and serve in flour tortillas!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 ½ tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• kosher salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. In another small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. In a large bowl, combine shredded cabbages, and carrots, toss to combine. Add vinegar mixture and toss to coat. Season with kosher salt & ground black pepper. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

If these seafood taco recipes sound like they will hit the spot for you, try them out and let us know! For other seafood tacos or other delectable foods based on the Outer Banks and its seafood culture, check out Outer Banks Restaurant Guide!