Taco Seasoning

Baked Beef Enchiladas

Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, featuring

Salt Table Taco Seasoning

This Salt Table’s Taco Seasoning doesn’t have to be limited to tacos. It simplifies red chili sauce the making red chili sauce, which is the base for all kinds of Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes. Don’t want to go to the trouble of rolling up individual enchiladas? Simply layer the beef and bean mixture and cheese blend with corn tortillas that have been cut in half, just as you would make lasagna.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1½ pounds ground beef
• Salt Table Taco Seasoning
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
• ½ cup (or to taste) diced canned green chilies, drained
• Red Chili Sauce (recipe follows)
• 2 cups (1 15½ ounce can) pinto or black beans, drained
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded Mexican quesadilla or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar
• Sliced green onions and chopped cilantro for garnish, optional

How to make it:

1. Put the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot but not smoking add enough beef to cover bottom without crowding and stir until lightly browned. Remove and repeat with remaining beef. Season it very lightly with The Salt Table Taco Seasoning.
2. Spoon off all but a tablespoon of fat from the pan and add the onion. Sauté, stirring, until translucent and softened, but not colored. Return the meat to pan, add the chilies, 2 cups of sauce, and the beans. Stir well and simmer 20-30 minutes.
3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350° F. Rub a 9×13-inch casserole with oil. Spoon some of the meat mixture down center of a tortilla, sprinkle with both cheeses, roll up, and put it into casserole, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining meat, cheese, and tortillas, reserving ½ cup cheese for topping.
4. Knap the enchiladas lightly with Red Chili Sauce, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and cilantro if liked before serving. Pass the remaining sauce passed separately.

Red Chili Sauce

You can make this sauce using only The Salt Table’s Taco Seasoning, but a little extra cumin and added oregano really make the flavor pop.

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
• About 2 tablespoons Salt Table Taco Seasoning (to taste)
• ¼-½ teaspoon ground cumin (to taste)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
• 4 cups beef broth
• ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) tomato paste
• Sugar

How to make it:

1. Over medium heat, whisk together flour and oil in heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in the Taco Seasoning, cumin, and oregano and whisk until bubbly, smooth, and fragrant.
2. Slowly whisk in the broth, bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, and whisk in tomato paste. Add a teaspoon of sugar, adjust heat to slow simmer, and simmer 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the Taco Seasoning and sugar and simmer 2-3 minutes longer. Can be made several days ahead. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Suggested Seasonings

Taco Seasoning

Hot Taco Dip

Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, featuring

Salt Table’s Summer Salt and Taco Seasoning

This is perfect for holiday entertaining or to warm up a blustery night with the family. The Salt Table’s Savannah Summer Salt and Taco Seasoning simplify the flavorings and make putting it together a snap.

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground beef chuck, preferably from grass-fed cattle
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons Salt Table’s Savannah Summer Salt, or to taste
• 1 rounded tablespoon The Salt Table’s Taco Seasoning, or to taste
• 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup chili sauce
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• Corn or tortilla chips, for serving
• 1-2 ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped, optional
• 2-3 Jalapeno peppers stemmed, cored, seeded and diced, optional

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1. Warm the oil in a 10-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Crumble in the beef, raise the heat to medium-high, and sauté, tossing or stirring occasionally, until it has lost its raw, red color and is beginning to brown. Remove it from the pan and add the onion. Sauté until it is golden and softened, about 4 minutes.
2. Return the beef to the pan. Season well with Summer Salt and Taco Seasoning. Add the tomatoes, chili sauce, and broth and bring it to a simmer. Adjust the heat to a slow simmer and let it cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and the beef is tender, about an hour—longer won’t hurt it.
3. When ready to serve, stir in the cheese and transfer to a warm serving dish, chafing dish, or slow cooker set on low. Garnish if liked with tomato and jalapeno peppers (or a milder pepper if you prefer) and serve with corn or tortilla chips. You may also offer the dip plain with tortilla chips and serve the cheese and optional garnishes on the side, to be added by each guest.

Suggested Seasonings

Savannah Summer Salt

Taco Seasoning

Fresh Fish Tacos

Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, featuring

Salt Table Savannah Summer Salt Seasoning, Chipotle Chili Powder, and Fine Himalayan Pink Salt

Fish Tacos have long been a specialty of the Mexican resorts on the Baja Peninsula, and in recent years have become a summer favorite in The United States, especially in the balmy, humid South. Savannah Summer Seasoning Salt gives them a nice southern zip.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 3 limes
• 1 medium clove garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or oregano
• Salt Table Chipotle Chili Powder
• Salt Table Fine Himalayan Pink Salt
• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1½ pounds firm, white-fleshed fish fillets such as cod, halibut, grouper, or snapper cut 1-inch thick
• Salt Table Savannah Summer Salt Blend, to taste
• 8 large flour tortillas
• 1 large, ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1-1½ cups shredded Romaine or Iceberg lettuce
• ½ medium Vidalia Sweet Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into bite-sized dice

HOW TO MAKE

1. To make the lime cream, blend together the mayonnaise and sour cream or yogurt. With a microplane grater, grate the zest from 1 lime into the sauce then grate half the garlic clove into it. Set aside the other half of the clove for another use. Blend in 1 tablespoon of lime juice and 1 tablespoon of cilantro or oregano. Season it to taste with chipotle powder and pink salt (if needed). Taste and adjust lime juice. Let stand 15 minutes, then taste and adjust seasonings.
2. Cut remaining limes into wedges. Cut the fish into bite-sized cubes. Sprinkle it generously with about a tablespoon (or to taste) of Summer Salt and gently toss to coat. Warm the oil in a large non-stick or seasoned iron skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the fish and raise heat to medium-high. Sauté, gently tossing occasionally, until the fish is just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove it from the heat.
3. Meanwhile, warm a griddle or a large non-stick pan over medium-low heat. When the fish is ready, lay a tortilla on the griddle and let it get hot, turning it once (about half a minute) and remove it to serving plate. Spoon 1/8 of the fish down center and top it with tomato, lettuce, onion, and avocado. Lightly sprinkle with Summer Salt, drizzle with a spoonful of lime cream, and sprinkle on a little of the remaining chopped cilantro.
4. There are two options for presenting them: you may simply leave them open-faced and let your guests roll them up themselves, or roll them first as follows: 1/4 of tortilla at the bottom over edge of filling, then fold the left side all way over. Roll the taco over on itself to fully wrap the tortilla around its filling in a neat package. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.

Suggested Seasonings

Brown Chipotle Powder

Savannah Summer Salt

Fresh Beef Tacos

Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, featuring

Salt Table’s Summer Salt Blend

Taste-Tested and enthusiastically approved by my grandchildren. Our granddaughter likes them finished with a drizzle of ranch dressing, but you could add sour cream, and/or any salsa that you like, but keep the dressings spare or the excess will just ooze out and drip all over you.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground beef chuck, preferably from grass-fed cattle
• About 2 teaspoons Salt Table’s Savannah Summer Salt, or to taste
• About 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
• ¼ cup tomato catsup or chili sauce, optional
• 8 large whole wheat flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 large, ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and diced
• 1-1½ cups shredded Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce
• ½ medium Vidalia Sweet Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• Thinly sliced fresh hot Jalapeno peppers, optional
• Ranch dressing, sour cream, and/or salsa of your choice, for serving, optional

1. Warm the oil in a 10-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Crumble in the beef, raise the heat to medium-high, and sauté, tossing or stirring occasionally, until it has lost its raw, red color and is beginning to brown. Season well with Summer Salt and chili powder to taste and lower the heat to medium low. If you’d like a sauce to bind the meat, add the optional catsup or chili sauce. Let it simmer about 2-3 minutes longer, or until the beef is just cooked through (and if you’ve added catsup, it’s reduced and thickened). Remove it from the heat.
2. Warm a griddle or large non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Lay a tortilla in the pan. Let it get hot, turning it once, and remove it from the pan to a serving plate. Spoon 1/8 of the beef down its center and top with a sprinkling of cheese, then the tomato, lettuce, onion, and jalapeno peppers. Lightly sprinkle with Summer Salt and, if you like, drizzle a little dressing or sour cream over it, or add a spoonful or two of salsa (or offer these for each diner to add to taste).
3. Fold a quarter of the tortilla at the top and bottom over the edge of the filling and then fold the left side all the way over them. Roll the taco over the filling into a neat package. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and fillings and serve immediately.

Suggested Seasonings

Savannah Summer Salt