We live only two hours away from Baja California, where battered fish tacos hail from. I can still remember sitting on a street curb in Tijuana eating my first “authentic” Baja-style fish taco while in college. As I grew older, the scene changed from being curbside to sitting rooftop overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean with a plateful of fish tacos and a bucket of iced cold cerveza. Heaven. Simply heaven.
When we can’t make the trek down south, we can easily find the ingredients needed to make the tacos right here in our own kitchen. Below you will find our version of Baja-Style Beer Battered Fish Tacos.
For this recipe, we used cod fish, but any good white fish will work.
Tip: if you have a little bit of batter leftover, do not throw it away! Use the batter to fry up vegetables like green beans, cauliflower florets, mushrooms, and onions.
BEER-BATTERED FISH TACOS
Ingredients
- Oil to fry (about 2-3 cups)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (reserve the 1/2 cup of flower in a small bowl for dredging of the fish)
- ¾ cup corn starch
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon chile powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can Mexican beer (Pacifico, Corona, Sol – any of these light beers will do)
- 6 cod fillets cut about 2" in width and 3" in length
To Serve
- Corn tortillas
- Shredded cabbage
- Chopped cilantro
- Crema Mexicana
- Lime wedges
- Salsa
Instructions
- Begin heating enough frying oil in a deep saucepot. Use a thermometer to ensure that the temperature is 350°F.
- Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside for dredging.
- Put 1/2 cup flour in a shallow bowl and set aside for dredging.
- Whisk together all the remaining flour and all the other dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Slowly whisk in the beer and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Pat dry the fillets with a paper towel. Cut in half or into
strips. - When the oil is hot enough, quickly dip the fish in the beaten egg, dredge in flour, and dip in the beer batter. Once coated, carefully place the fish in hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes each side.
- Do not overcrowd the pot, just work in batches. Allow the fried fish to drain slightly on paper towels.
- Serve the beer-battered fish wrapped in warm tortillas topped with shredded cabbage, cilantro, a dollop of Mexican crema (or our Spicy Mayo), salsa and fresh lime wedges.
Spicy Mayo
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise or Mexican crema
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 lime, juiced
- 4 tablespoons Tapatio hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and spoon over tacos.
Notes
Keep refrigerated.
These fish tacos are so good and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing! These are now my go-to fish tacos recipe.