This fish taco salad dishes up joyful beach vibes for weeknights at home

Joy is a nutrient, according to my friend and fellow dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, who champions it as one of the “pillars of positive nutrition.”

I couldn’t agree more. Vitamin Joy is essential to our well-being: The pure pleasure of eating is one reason even the most precisely formulated meal-replacement drink could never provide the full nourishment of an actual plate of food.

One way food brings joy is by evoking memories — taking us back to some of the happiest moments in our lives. For me, those are often the dishes that remind me of relaxed days at the beach — whether it’s the steamed clams and chowder that reflect my childhood summers on Long Island or meals such as this salad, which shuttle me back to precious family vacations on the Pacific coast. It’s the kind of meal I can imagine myself enjoying under a beach umbrella, feet in the sand, listening to the sounds of the ocean.

It brings the flavors of fish tacos, with chili-lime seasoned fish atop a romaine and cabbage salad in an avocado dressing, with radishes, and pickled onions and jalapeño on the side. The pickled onions as well as the dressing can be made in advance, and the fish needs to marinate for only about 20 minutes, all of which makes this recipe especially weeknight friendly.

Sure, this salad is packed with the standard essential nutrients — protein, healthy fat, fiber, minerals and B-vitamins — but it also brings plenty of Vitamin Joy to the table, dishing up relaxed beach vibes even if it’s just a regular Wednesday.

• Ellie Krieger is a registered dietitian nutritionist and cookbook author who hosts public television’s “Ellie’s Real Good Food.” Learn more at www.elliekrieger.com.

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Fish Taco Salad

⅓ cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

½ medium red onion (4 ounces total), thinly sliced (1 cup)

¼ cup water, plus more as needed

4 (5-ounce) skinless fillets mahi mahi, cod or other firm white fish

3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado, divided

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, divided, plus more as needed

1½ teaspoons ground ancho chile or chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more as needed

Flesh of 1 large, ripe avocado

2 scallions, coarsely chopped

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, divided

6 cups (8 ounces) chopped romaine lettuce hearts

3 cups (7½ ounces) shredded green cabbage

5 red radishes, sliced (about 1 cup)

½ cup pickled jalapeños, drained

Corn chips or warm corn tortillas, for serving

In a small bowl or jar, stir together the vinegar and honey until the honey dissolves. Add the onion and enough water to submerge it completely, and let sit at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Place the fish onto a rimmed dish or plate. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, the ground ancho chile, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and ⅛ teaspoon of the salt until well combined. Drizzle the spice mixture over the fish and rub it all over each piece. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients, about 20 minutes.

In a small blender, or using a narrow container with tall sides and an immersion blender, combine the avocado, scallions, the remaining 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of lime juice, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ cup of water, and puree until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed. You should have about 1 cup. (If you only have a large blender, you can double the recipe so you have an amount that will efficiently blend; refrigerate the leftovers until needed.)

In a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the fish, and cook until nicely browned on each side and flakes easily under the tines of a fork, about 8 minutes per inch of thickness, flipping halfway through. Transfer the fish to a plate. (Alternatively, you can roast the fish in a parchment-lined dish in a 400°F oven for 8 minutes per inch of thickness. You do not need the 2 tablespoons of oil or to flip the fillets, if roasting.)

In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce and cabbage with the avocado dressing until coated. Taste, and season with more lime juice and salt, if desired.

To serve, divide the dressed lettuce mixture among individual shallow bowls. Top each with a fish fillet, some pickled onion, radishes, pickled jalapeños and cilantro.

Makes 4 servings.

Substitutions: For red onion, use white onion. Dislike cilantro? Skip it. For green cabbage, use red, savoy or napa cabbage. Dislike heat? Decrease the amount of jalapeños, or omit them. For honey, use agave or maple syrup. Storage: Refrigerate the pickled onion for up to 2 weeks; the dressing for up to 4 days; the fish for up to 2 days.

Nutrition per serving (2½ cups salad and 1 fish fillet): 321 calories, 15g carbohydrates, 104mg cholesterol, 17g fat, 6g fiber, 29g protein, 2g saturated fat, 573mg sodium, 5g sugar

— From cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger