Grow Up and Cook Something! Sriracha Mayo

You're busy, I get it. You put in about sixty hours a week at the office, you're trying to meet that someone special, and you still have eight more hours of Bones on TiVo. Wouldn't it be nice to use those 150 wasted feet of tiny apartment? You can and I'll help.

Thursdays are hereby devoted to quick and easy recipes designed to ease you into back into the kitchen. It's time to get cooking.

Today we will explore Sriracha Mayo. While I love this drizzled on fish tacos (see below), it works on just about anything. I use it to spice up take-out hamburgers, smear it over char-grilled steak, and adore it as a chicken strip dip.

Sriracha Mayo
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
1/2 lime, juiced
1 pinch (about 1/4 teaspoon) salt

1. Combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha hot sauce. My preference is to use a tablespoon for medium heat but feel free to adjust the measurement to your own taste.

2. Squeeze fresh lime juice into bowl, scooping out any seeds that might drop in. The goal is to develop a loose sauce consistency suitable for drizzling. If too loose, add more mayo. If too thick, add more lime juice.

3. Season with salt to taste - I use a hearty pinch or about 1/4 teaspoon.

There are two key notes to this process. First, don't get fancy with it; all you need is a small bowl and a fork to mix. Secondly, "to taste" is an important note. It's not only okay to taste your food while cooking, it is encouraged. Frequent tasting allows the cook to adjust the flavor continuously and prevents inedible results.

Fish Tacos, One Pan
1 box better-quality breaded fish fillets, frozen
1/4 head each red and green cabbage (or substitute shredded coleslaw mix)
12 soft taco shells (wheat or white corn)
6-8oz shredded jack cheese
Sriracha Mayo (recipe above)

1. Throw the frozen, breaded fish fillets onto a baking sheet and into the oven. Follow the package directions and don't forget to pre-heat.

2. Shred red cabbage and green cabbage. If you're not feeling the shred that day, buy a bag of coleslaw mix - you can find it next to the pre-bagged salads in the supermarket.

3. Layer cooked fish sticks, shredded cabbage, and a light sprinkling of shredded jack cheese into taco shells.

4. Drizzle with Sriracha mayo

I like to keep my fish tacos pretty simple. You may want to additional toppings such as diced tomatoes, green chillies, sliced jalapeños, or diced onion. I try not to overpower the flavor of the fish. Also, if you can't find shredded jack cheese (the all white jack, not the orange and white colby jack), mozzarella is a nice substitute. Again, let at least some of the mild whitefish flavor shine through. I, myself, do not partake of the dairy so I leave the cheese off all together. Sriracha Mayo has a nice creamy undertone of its own. And I'm not going to lie - this recipe works spectacularly with good old fish sticks. Just throw around the terms "low country" or "retro" if anyone sees you eating them.