Fish Tacos - Baja Style

"Beer battered fish with a "secret" garlic cilantro sauce, guacamole, and salsa. The fish are double fried allowing you to do most of the preparation ahead of time and making the fish crispy. My mom has declared this her favorite meal. Grandmother said this was the best fish she has had in 89 years and 10 months. This really makes more servings than listed, but people usually continue eating these even when they are full!"
 
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photo by limeandspoontt photo by limeandspoontt
photo by limeandspoontt
photo by limeandspoontt photo by limeandspoontt
photo by Deborah M. photo by Deborah M.
photo by limeandspoontt photo by limeandspoontt
photo by appleydapply photo by appleydapply
Ready In:
1hr 45mins
Ingredients:
23
Yields:
26 tacos
Serves:
8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, garlic, cayenne, mustard,oregano, 1 teaspoons salt, and pepper until well blended. Stir in the beer until there are no lumps. (Batter may be made several hours ahead and refrigerated).
  • Trim the fish of all blood lines, skin, and bones. Cut into pieces the size and shape of your index finger. Sprinkle with a few drops of lime juice and a little salt. (If not using immediately, wrap and refrigerate). Pour the oil into a deep, wide pan to a depth of 2 inches and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. I use a thermometer, or you can drop a bit of batter into the oil and it should rise up quickly surrounded by little bubbles.
  • Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Check the thickness of the batter by dipping in one piece of the fish. The batter should be the consistency of medium-thick pancake batter, coating the fish easily but dripping very little. Add a little beer if the batter seems too thick.
  • Add the fish to the batter. Using tongs or chopsticks, swish each piece to make sure it is thoroughly coated, then lift out of the batter, let it drip once, and lay the fish gently into the hot oil. Cook a few pieces at a time until they float and the batter is set but still very light in color. If a piece sticks to the bottom, leave it alone and it will release itself.
  • Remove the fish to a rack to drain; reserve the frying oil. (The fish can be prepared ahead to this point, cooled on a rack, and refrigerated uncovered. Cool the oil and reserve).
  • When you are ready to serve, reheat the oil to 350-360°F and refry the fish a few pieces at a time until crisp and golden brown.
  • To serve, hold a tortilla in your hand and add a spoonful of guacamole. Top with fish and squeeze lime over the whole thing. Then add the secret sauce, salsa, shredded cabbage, cilantro and onion as desired.

Questions & Replies

  1. Is the second frying critical to the recipes sucess?...I didnt pick up enough informarion in the reviews. Can you cook it crispy in the first frying?
     
  2. How much fish and what type is to be used? Just saying "fish" without the other two leaves me shaking my head in confusion. Would you please help with how many pounds of fish and a couple types in case one isn't avail? I've wanted to make these for a very long time. Thank you.
     
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Reviews

  1. This recipe made it into book#234156! FABULOUS!! If I could give this 10 stars, I would. Some comments from my family: "This is delicious" ; "I LOVE it" ; and a two thumbs up because someone was too busy eating to talk. In my opinion, I did not think the recipe was at all difficult or time-consuming to put together. I recommend putting together the sauce and prepping the topping ingredients before starting on the fish. Don't skimp on any of the suggested toppings - the combination is what really makes this whole recipe stand out. The sauce is EXCELLENT...love it. I used plain greek yogurt (low fat) along with the mayo, jarred chopped garlic & fresh cilantro. Other notes: 1. For 4 people, I halved the fish & batter amts. but left the sauce amt. the same - it was perfect. 2. We tried it with both corn and flour tortillas and everyone here voted for the flour tortillas (the corn tasted too dry and was too crumbly for us). 3. Cutting the cod into "index finger size pcs" is a great recommendation. It seems too small at first, but once dipped in the batter and fried they are plenty big. 4. I used Killians Irish Red beer and loved it. 5. I didn't have Mexican oregano so I used Italian and it was fine. 6. I used canola oil for frying to make it as healthy as possible. This recipe will be made again and again. So yummy. Thank you! ~Made for Aussie/NZ Swap~
     
  2. This dish is one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life! 10 stars, easy. When I reheated the scant leftovers in the toaster oven this morning, they were so incredibly crispy and delicious. The batter is magic, and works great on zucchini as well. The secret sauce compliments the other flavors perfectly. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
     
  3. I made these for my son's birthday party since I had invited over a group of huge fish lovers and we were doing a Mexican theme. I prepped these the night before and re-fried the next night so they were hot. I was afraid no one would touch them since everyone had had so many appetizers, but I couldn't believe how quickly all of them disappeared! Thank you so much for this recipe - it's certainly a keeper!
     
  4. I made these today. Since the recipe said it could be done ahead of time, I figured I'd get a jump on dinner. I couldn't help myself...I had to try one and it was lunch time. I will agree with everyone else....10 stars! Monday is our try " Something New " day. My family always cringes when I announce a new dish, but usually loves the outcome. We have never tried fish tacos. I can honestly say I can't wait for them to come home for dinner tonight! These were fantastic! I used my own cayenne pepper I grew last summer and had dried. I wish I would have added a bit more of it because mine were not very hot. Next time I will double all of the spices in the batter. Maybe even add some peppers to the secret sauce. I used tilapia because I had plenty of it. I did cut the fish a bit too big but that will be a easy fix at dinner time after the second frying. Overall FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!! I already know what my family will say at the end of dinner tonight....DO OVER!!!! That is the code for " WAY TO GO MOM "!
     
  5. Just like a big fish, this recipe is a "keeper". I live near the bay in S. Texas and we fish a lot. In the summer months, we have a constant stream of visitors every weekend who want to fish, and of course we have to cook the day's catch when we get back. This is one way to cook fish that everyone that has visited loves.(We usually catch Speckled Trout which is a more delicate fish, but I have no problems with it.) I love it because it's easy to make most of it ahead of time so I spend little time when we come back tired and hungry. Just heat the oil, batter the fish and done!<br/>We have lots of seafood restaurants here and I have tried the fish tacos at all of them. This is by far the best I have eaten. The 'secret sauce' is so refreshing and pairs perfectly. Thank you cookiedog for posting.
     
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Tweaks

  1. These are a really delicious fish taco! The batter was so light and airy, and all the suggested toppings went with it really well. I didn't have any beer so I used club soda, and I used sourcream in place of the yogurt. I also just added a little lime juice and taco seasoning to the secret sauce and it came out really good. Thanks for posting!
     
  2. What a great meal! A bit putzy, but definitely worth the effort in my book :-) Left out the cayenne (we're wusses!) and cilantro (don't like it), used tilapia (because that's what I have on hand). Instead of tongs for dipping the fish in the batter, I simply used my fingers, and it went fine (if messy). Since I served right away, I didn't do step six at all. To the sauce, I added dried dill weed, which hit the spot as far as I'm concerned! *PAC Spring 08*
     

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