I love these Baja Fish Tacos! They take me back to my favorite resort in Cabo San Lucas! I mean you are having pool time, the staff is passing around menus for you to have a delicious lunch at the pool and what do I always order? Fish Tacos! Can you imagine how delicious and fresh those fish tacos are in Cabo on the Baja Peninsula where the Sea of Cortez meets the mighty Pacific Ocean! Fresh!
Well, I’m not there to get the fresh fish in Cabo, but I did find a beautiful fresh red fish that I used for these tacos.
The red fish made wonderful tacos; however, you can use cod , snapper, mahi mahi, grouper, flounder or halibut. All of these make delicious beer battered pieces to use in your tacos.
love these baja fish tacos.
I topped these with a Chipotle Crema that is so delicious! I keep Chipotles in Adobo in my pantry. Most recipes only call for one or two with some of the adobo sauce so what’s left from the can I always put in a zip lock bag and label it so I have them for the next time I need them. I love Chipotle which is a smoked jalapeno. Here’s a link for Chipotle if you aren’t familiar with them. https://amzn.to/34kb6J0
I also topped these with finely chopped onion, purple or white are best, finely chopped cabbage and cilantro.
Taco Tuesday will never be the same when you add these Baja Fish Tacos to the menu!
love these baja fish tacos.
I use a beer batter that I season with salt, pepper and chile powder. I used New Mexico chile powder because we love it. Beer makes a better batter than water because it adds a carbon dioxide, foaming agents and alcohol to make a light and crisp crust. I used a lime flavored beer but use what you like. I don’t like a dark, heavy beer for these tacos.
Frying the fish doesn’t require a lot of oil. Because of that you only want to fry a couple of pieces at a time. It’s also key to get your oil up to 350 – 360 degrees. I suggest a kitchen thermometer if you don’t have one. You can get a pretty inexpensive one. https://amzn.to/2YmuMIi I like a thermometer like this.
Need another taco recipe? Thy these https://the2spoons.com/crazy-good-carne-asada-tacos/.
Here’s the recipe for the Baja Fish Tacos! Enjoy!
Baja Fish Tacos
Ingredients
For the Fish
- 1 lb fish like red fish, snapper, mahi mahi, cod, halibut
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup beer
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- corn or flour tortillas
- 3-4 cups canola or vegetable oil for frying
For the Chipotle Crema
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 chipotles in adobo ( just use one if you want less heat but they add so much flavor)
- 1 tbsp adobo sauce
- 2 garlic cloves
- pinch of salt
- squeeze of lime
Topping
- finely chopped red or white onions
- finely chopped cabbage
- chopped cilantro
- limes for serving
Instructions
For the Chipotle Crema
- Add the following ingredients to a blender or food processor and combine well: 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 chipotles in adobo, 2 garlic cloves, pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lime. You might need to add a splash of water to get it to combine. If you want more heat you can add more chipotles or some of the adobo sauce. Keep in mind that you can substitute some of the mayonnaise for plain Greek yogurt.
For the Fish
- Pat dry and season the fish on both sides with salt. Cut into strips that are approximately 1" x 3". To make the beer batter, add the following ingredients to a mixing bowl: 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and 1 teaspoon chili powder (optional). Combine well and then add 1 cup of beer. Whisk together until you have batter that is the consistency of thick paint, adding more beer if necessary (I added an additional 1/4 cup of beer to this batch.) Preheat 3-4 cups of oil in a saucepan until it reaches 350-360F (I used canola oil). One at a time, dip the fish sticks into the batter and drop them gently into the oil. Let them cook for 3-4 minutes or until the exterior is turning a darker brown. I used a narrow pan and only cooked 3-4 pieces at a time so that the oil temp remained as close to 360F as possible. Carefully remove the fish sticks from the oil and drain them in some paper towels, continuing until all the fish sticks are cooked. If making a big batch, place the fish sticks on a wire rack after draining , this will help prevent them from getting soggy. You can optionally keep them in a 250-300F oven until you need them.
- Warm up the tortillas on a hot griddle, my preferred way, or nuke them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Each tortilla gets fried fish, Chipotle Crema, the toppings and serve with limes.