Tacos for the Halibut

This week, out of the blue, my teenage daughter announced that she no longer eats beef, lamb or pork. I was told to start buying more fish and tofu. So from now on, whenever we have chops for dinner, I’ll try to plan ahead to have some suitable leftovers for her.

One of our favorite fish dinners is grilled halibut with chipotle sauce. So I grill a couple of extra filets and reserve some of the sauce for a dynamite leftover meal of halibut soft tacos.

To cook the halibut, simply brush the filets with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Oil the grill racks so the fish won’t stick. Grill the filets for 5 minutes on one side, then turn and cook them until an instant-read thermometer registers 125 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the fish.

Morgan is author of “Cooking for the Week: Leisurely Weekend Cooking for Easy Weekday Meals,� (Chronicle Books, $18.95).

Grilled Halibut Soft Tacos

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes

12 corn tortillas

2 cups flaked grilled halibut

1/2 head cabbage, finely shredded, (about 5 cups)

3 green onions, including green tops, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch lengths

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tomatoes, cut in half, seeded and diced

3/4 cup Chipotle Sauce

* Place tortillas in covered heat-proof container or sealed aluminum foil packet; put fish in similar container. Warm tortillas and fish in 200-degree oven 15 minutes before serving.

* Toss together cabbage, green onions and lime juice in medium serving bowl. Place diced tomatoes in serving bowl. Put sauce in serving bowl. When tortillas and fish are warm, set on separate serving plates.

* Let each diner assemble his or her own tortilla. To assemble: spread a little sauce down middle of tortilla, add some fish, sprinkle with diced tomatoes, then garnish with cabbage mixture.

4 servings. Each serving: 601 calories; 278 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 0.83 gram fiber.

Chipotle Sauce

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Spoon some over the grilled halibut and reserve the rest for tacos.

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/3 cup buttermilk

3 minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1/4 teaspoon salt

* Mix together mayonnaise, buttermilk, peppers, cilantro and salt.

1 1/2 cups. Each tablespoon: 111 calories; 36 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.28 grams fiber.