When your husband is an outdoor writer, the one thing you can count on is that there is fish in the freezer.

When you are not a big fan of fish, that pile is not viewed as delightful.

Give me shellfish and I am a happy woman. Crab Cakes, Clams in Red Sauce, Shrimp Scampi and Lobster all make my tummy happy.

Freshwater fish is another thing. I enjoy Haddock; cod and walleye can be interesting. I will eat catfish nuggets and the occasional perch. And that is about it. I do not even serve my kids fish sticks. Perhaps I should to widen their palettes but I hate wasting food, so, no to that.

Ellee's Shore Lunches' Fish Taco

And yet, here is a picture of a wonderful fish taco. What is a woman like me doing with a fish taco?

Enjoying every bite.

But let me start at the beginning of the tale.

It starts with the husband feeling stir crazy and deciding we have to go to our favorite drive-in, the 49’er in Valparaiso, to see the double feature of Cars 2  and  Green Lantern. This is the last night we have that choice so I say OK.

Somewhere along the way, Steelhead Lee comes into the plan. Maybe he called with a fishing report and the husband told him what we were up to. Turns out Lee lives near the 49’er and offers to bring fish tacos made by his business partner/companion, Ellen.

So first is the tortilla that is the slightly thicker homestyle flour tortilla. Those are my favorite as I am not a big fan of corn tortillas. Next is the grilled fish, completely de-boned. There was not one single nasty surprise. Next came the mango salsa and cilantro greens. The final touches are slaw and a lime wedge which I squeezed over the whole thing.  

To say it was tasty would be an understatement. There was so much going on with the warm softness of the fish fillet, the crunch of the slaw, the sweetness of the salsa and limey tartness. I was really surprised that I liked fish this way.

Ellen and Lee run a company that aspires to make the healthiest food you can find on the fair and festival circuit called Ellee’s Shore Lunches. In fact, last year at the Porter County Fair, their booth was written up for having great food that is good for you.

The other goal of the company is to remind people how good a Canadian Shore Lunch makes you feel. You can visit their booth next at the Porter County Fair on July 22-31 and the Lake County Fair on August 5-14. To find their booth, look for the Flying Fish.

Side note: Yes, we brought food into the drive-in. But I also made certain that we bought treats from the concession stand. Dots, popcorn, candy and icecream filled the tummies of my family members.

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