A few months ago, I had a life-changing food discovery called fried avocado tacos. I mean, I’ve already found many ways to eat what’s arguably my favorite ingredient—from grilling avocados to adding them into salads. But a way that makes them crisp on the outside yet still soft on the inside for serving up as part of my favorite dish? Genius. The restaurant version I ate included mushrooms and feta, but I decided I could really make some changes to elevate the humble fried avocado taco to something great. Some strips of roasted poblano pepper, creamy goat cheese, and chipotle crema were just the trick. For this edition of Tacos & Tequila I also wanted to try my hand at a more unusual margarita to accompany these tacos, so I incorporated my favorite hibiscus tea for an herbal touch. Keep reading for my recipes, and let me know if you plan to give them a try!

Fried Avocado Tacos with Chipotle Crema

For the crema:

1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon of sauce from 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
Salt to season

For the tacos:

2 large avocados (ripe but firm)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup fine cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cayenne and chili powder
Canola oil for frying
Poblano pepper, roasted and cut into thin strips
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed, heated and seasoned with dried oregano
1 tomato, finely diced
Tortillas, heated
Goat cheese, crumbled
Cilantro leaves and lime wedges for serving

To make the crema, combine sour cream, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, lime juice and honey in a small bowl. Season with salt and set aside. Prepare three bowls: one with the flour, the second with the egg, and the third with the cornmeal plus salt, cayenne and chili powder mixed in. Half each avocado and remove the seed. Slice each half into four wedges. Using a large spoon, carefully spoon out the wedges. One by one, dip each avocado slice into the flour and coat well. Next, dip it in the egg, letting the excess drip off. Last, coat each slice in the cornmeal mixture. Heat an inch of oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat, until it reaches 350 degrees. Working in batches, transfer prepared avocado slices to the oil and fry, turning once until golden brown and crisp on each side, just a minute or so. Using tongs, transfer fried avocado slices to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Spread black beans on a tortilla followed by 2-3 fried avocado slices, roasted poblano slices, diced tomato and goat cheese. Drizzle with chipotle crema. Serve with cilantro leaves and lime slices for squeezing on top.

Hibiscus Margaritas

1 hibiscus tea bag (I used Tazo Passion, you can also use Red Zinger)
2 ounces of blanco tequila
1 ounce of lime juice
1 ounce of lime simple syrup (1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, zest of 1 lime)
Ice
Salt for the rim

Steep 1 tea bag in 4 ounces of hot water for 10 minutes. Remove tea bag and let the tea cool. To make the lime simple syrup, combine sugar, water and lime zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally until sugar completely dissolves. Remove from burner and let cool. Strain out the lime zest before using. In a cocktail shaker, add tequila, lime juice, simple syrup and one ounce of the hibiscus tea. Fill with ice and shake vigorously. Serve in a glass with half the rim salted.