Culinology - December 2019 - 37

Tommy Gomes' Fish Tacos

RCA Certification
A prestigious way to
differentiate yourself

Don't wait for the RCA Conference to taste the vibe of San Diego! Check out
this recipe for fish tacos from San Diego native Tommy Gomes. Use this
recipe as a guide, as Tommy's cooking style is guided by sight and taste.

Ingredients

Directions

The fish
Fresh or frozen fish
Italian dressing
Taco seasoning
The fixings
6-inch flour tortillas
Cabbage/coleslaw mix
(green and red cabbage, sliced
carrots for color)
Cheese (choose your favorite)
Salsa (the best you can find)
White sauce (see below)
Limes (cut into 1/8-inch wedges)
The white sauce
Buttermilk ranch dressing
Sour cream
"This is what
Hot sauce
makes it. There
Water
is no fish taco

If using fresh fish, remove bones,
bloodline and skin. Chop into small
pieces. Add taco seasoning to Italian
dressing and let fish marinate for two
hours.
Cook fish in a cast iron skillet. (It
makes a difference.) Shred and chop
into even smaller pieces to create
a fluffier amount. Season more if
desired.
For the white sauce, add ranch
dressing and sour cream to a
blender. Blend to remove chunks,
then add hot sauce and water. Blend
until smooth and pourable.
Serve in tortillas with cheese,
salsa, white sauce and limes.

without a great
white sauce!"

A native San Diegan, Tommy Gomes, better
known as Tommy the Fishmonger, hails from a
long line of tuna fishermen. In 2003, he joined
Catalina Offshore Products and eventually
became a fishmonger and the company's public
face. Tommy is an outspoken champion of local,
sustainable seafood, promoting responsible
fishing practices and zero-waste consumption.
His work was a significant component in
Catalina Offshore receiving a grant in 2019, in
collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, to find ways of
increasing the value of San Diego's local fisheries.

In a dynamic industry where
differentiation is key, one way to stand
out is through certification. RCA's
two certifications, Certified Research
Chef (CRC) and Certified Culinary
Scientist (CCS), are highly regarded by
employers and the industry at large.
According to a study conducted by
the RCA Certification Commission
(RCACC), supervisors, upper
management and HR managers of
CRCs and CCSs agreed their certified
employees help enhance product
speed to market and increase product
quality and team functionality.
For Eric Iserman, CCS, director
of product development at Save-ALot, certification was a way to justify
advancing his career into a more
senior role. "Once you find a role that's
satisfying, it's easy to get complacent
or pigeon-holed," he said. "By making
certification a goal, professionals can
continuously challenge themselves to
maintain a working knowledge of food
science and culinary concepts that
extend beyond their day-to-day work.
[Certification] equips them to assume a
wider variety of roles in the industry."
There has never been a better time
to pursue a CRC or CCS certification.
In March of this year, RCA transitioned
to internet-based testing, allowing
examinees greater accessibility. Those
interested in taking either exam may
now sit for it at the RCA Conference, a
local college/university or testing center,
or with a local proctor.
To date, RCA is proud to have more
than 375 CRC- and CCS-certificants.
Learn more at culinology.org/
certification.
For the full interview with Eric Iserman
and his path through certification, visit
RCA's Learning Library at culinology.
org/blog/why-certify.
DECEMBER 2019 | Culinology |

37
http://www.culinology.org/certification http://culinology.org/blog/why-certify
Culinology - December 2019

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