Fish Tacos

MathMom.calif's Note:

There are already a lot of fish taco recipes on Zaar. But this one is a little different than the others. I found this recipe on the Internet somewhere. We really like it. I serve it with Spicy Chipotle Cole Slaw, instead of the cabbage and sauce that are suggested.

• Total Time: 33 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 3 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• oil (for frying, peanut oil recommended)
• 1 lb shark fillets or 1 lb other firm fish, such as mahi mahi
• steamed tortilla

Beer Batter

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg yolk
• 4 -6 ounces beer

Sauce

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon cilantro
• 1/2 lime

Condiments

• lime, for squeezing
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced

Directions:

1. Batter: In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, spices, beer and egg yolk. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit more beer, but don't let it get watery. You want it thick to coat the fish.
2. Cover the batter and refridgerate for at least 3 hours. It can sit over night. Variation: whip up an egg white and fold it into the batter just before dipping the fish. (I've never added the egg white -- sounds interesting.).
3. Sauce: If you will be using the sauce for a condiment, combine all the ingredients. Use enough lime juice to make it "saucy".
4. Fish: Cut the fish into pieces that will fit well into the taco after they are fried. I usually cut mine about 1 inch by 1 inch by 3 inches.
5. Heat a good 1/2 inch of oil to about 375 degrees. Once the oil is hot, dip the fish into the batter to get it well coated, one piece at a time. Do not put too many pieces into the pan at once. Only cook a few at a time. While the batter is still thick on the fish and dripping, drop it into the oil and fry it about 4-5 minutes, turning to the other side about halfway through.
6. To serve: Serve with steamed tortillas. You can serve with the sauce, cabbage, lime and avocado as suggested above (put fish into taco, add avocado, cabbage, top with sauce and a squeeze of lime). Or lately we just serve with Spicy Chipotle Slaw inside the tortilla with the fish. Usually two pieces of fish per taco.

Reviews

[Chef #1309564]

I did not use an egg in this recipe and the batter still stuck to the fish and fried nicely. I doubled most of the ingredients in the batter as per previous reviews, and added a tsp of sugar, but might still slightly increase the seasonings next time because the flavor is so light. I cleaned the fish with lime juice, dried it well, then lightly seasoned it with old bay before dipping in the batter, and that helped give it more flavor. I also overlooked the instruction for 3 hrs chill time for the batter, which may make a difference. Overall this was a good recipe that I will try again.

[magpie diner]

We really enjoyed this, kids included. I rarely ever fry anything (just because of the mess and the smell really)...but this was worth the effort. The fish was lovely, light and moist (I used tilapia), but I agree the batter could use a little more flavour...not necessarily more heat, next time I might up the 1/2 tsp items to 1 tsp, except for the chili powder which was just right for the kids. It's hard to judge the spices and the seasoning beforehand because batter just doesn't taste very good! Frankly I could do without the tortillas myself and just have eaten the fish and the sauce by itself! Also served this with the coleslaw, which was great. Thanks!! (ps...note the 3 hours chill time for the batter, I missed that part before I started)