Beer Battered Fish Tacos Baja Style

Crispy golden brown beer battered fish tacos with crunchy coleslaw and corn tortillas are shown on a grey plate.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos Baja Style

Crispy beer battered fish is the main event in these scrumptuous fish tacos. Prepare the suggested crunchy slaw for fish and chipotle crema and create a veritable fiesta for the palate - a la Baja style!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 574kcal

Author: Milena Perrine

Ingredients

BEER BATTERED FISH

1.5 lbs white fish with firm flesh*
kosher salt and black pepper to season fish pieces
⅓ cup AP flour to dredge fish in
1 cup AP flour for the batter
½ cup corn starch for the batter
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper for the batter or paprika, to taste
12 oz beer cold, for the batter (see beer styles notes)
frying oil such as sunflower peanut or vegetable, as needed

BAJA STYLE TOPPINGS

½ small head of cabbage white, red or combination
4 green onions green parts only
½ bunch cilantro use about ⅔ in slaw, reserve rest for garnish
1 small lime juice of, for coleslaw
1 tablespoon olive oil for coleslaw
½ cup Mexican crema or as needed
1 tablespoon chipotles in adobo or adjust to taste

CORN TORTILLAS

as many corn tortillas as you will need
bacon fat or cooking oil as needed, to warm up tortillas

Instructions

Make the sauce for fish by combining Mexican crema with chipotles in adobo sauce (to taste). Place in the fridge to keep it chilled.
Make the coleslaw. Shred the cabbage, thinly slice the green onions and cilantro leaves. In a bowl combine them with the lime juice and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss well and place in the fridge to keep chilled.
Prepare the corn tortillas. In a small skillet over medium heat add a bit of bacon fat or olive oil and warm each tortilla on both sides. Keep the warmed and now pliable tortillas covered so they can stay warm.
Pat dry the fish fillets with paper towel and cut them into as uniform pieces as you can, aiming for a size just enough to be nestled into a single taco. Season with salt and pepper.
Pre-heat oven to 300 F to keep the fried fish 'nuggets' warm while you work on the next batch. Fit a wire rack over a baking sheet to drain the fried fish over. Heat the frying oil in the vessel** of your choice to 350F.
While the oven and oil are heating add the ⅓ cup flour to a bowl and dredge each seasoned fish piece in flour, shake off excess and arrange onto a board.
Mix the beer batter. In a large bowl mix the flour, corn starch, cayenne pepper (or any other seasoning you wish). Start adding the cold beer as you whisk. Once you have a consistent batter begin frying.
Using tongs dip each fish piece in the batter, allow excess to slide down and carefully lower into the frying oil. Work in batches so that the temperature of the oil does not become too low as you add the fish. Fry for about 4 minutes or until the fish looks golden brown and crispy***, gently turning the pieces around with a slotted spoon. Remove with the same spoon and place over the wire rack (or paper towels) to drain.
As soon as you add the new batch of fish to the oil, move the one you just finished to the oven to stay warm. Keep doing this until you have beer battered and fried all your fish pieces.
Assemble the tacos by first palcing some coleslaw in a tortilla, then adding a piece of fish, a squeeze of lime juice and a dollop of chipotle crema. Garnish with cilantro.

Notes

*You can use cod fish fillet, mahi mahi fillet (as shown in the pictures of the post), halibut, bass, haddock, grouper, snapper, catfish or tillapia. You can use up to 2 lbs of fish without needing to make extra batter.

** If not using a dedicated fryer use a deep large pot such as a Dutch oven or a Japansese tempura frying pot as shown in the pictures above (amazing results and ease of use, including clean up). Do not fill pot over half way with oil in order to allow enough room for the fish and for safety reasons.

***To check for doneness you can break one of the first pieces of fish you fried to examine the flesh inside. It needs to be flakey and still look juicy. The batter needs to be perfectly crispy and not over-browned. Once you do this you will be able to decide if you need to fry each batch for a bit longer or a bit less time. It really depends on the size of your fish 'nuggets' and the oil temperature you are able to mainatin.

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