Baja Fish Tacos

Inspired by Guerrilla Tacos - Los Angeles, CA

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When summer hits I think of the beach. And at the beach I like fish tacos. Fried up in beer batter and topped with citrus, crema, and spice - Baja Tacos are the best way to go. Take these steps and enjoy in all seasons.

Parts of this recipe were adapted by Wesley Avila’s recipe over at the amazing LA food truck turned restaurant, Guerrilla Tacos. I cannot recommend them enough.

INGREDIENTS

FRIED FISH (Comfortably Serves 4):

  • 2-2½ lbs cod (pat dry)

  • 2 cups cornstarch

  • 1 cup all purpose flour

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp paprika

  • 12 oz beer (I used IPA)

  • 1 large egg

  • canola oil for frying

  • tortillas (I like flour with these)

  • limes for garnish (optional)

CHIPOTLE DIJON CREMA:

  • 2 chipotles in adobo

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • 1 cup sour cream

  • 1 cup mayo

  • 2 TBS dijon mustard

  • Juice of 1 lemon or lime

  • 8 (total) mint and/or basil leaves

  • A few dashes of Worcestershire and/or Tabasco to taste

  • 1 stemmed pepper (serrano, jalopeno, or habanero) - (optional)

  • Salt to taste

  • 2 anchovies (optional)

  • grapeseed oil (if necessary)

BAJA SLAW:

  • 1 cup each of shredded red and green cabbage

  • ½ cup (or less) loosely chopped chopped cilantro

  • Juice of 1 or 2 limes (to taste)

  • Salt to taste

PICO DE GALLO:

  • 3 or 4 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced into ½ inch (or less) pieces

  • ¼ of diced red onion (white onion works too)

  • Juice of 1 lime

  • Minced cilantro to taste (1 or 2 TBS)

  • 1 stemmed and minced jalapeno or serrano pepper

  • 1 minced garlic clove (optional)

  • Salt to taste

GO FOR IT

FRIED FISH:

  1. Cut fish into bite-sized pieces and season with salt

  2. In a bowl, use about 1 ½ cups of cornstarch and cover all fish thoroughly - then set aside

  3. In another bowl, mix beer and egg, then whisk together

  4. In ANOTHER bowl, mix flour, baking soda, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and remaining ½ cup cornstarch - then pour this mixture into the bowl with beer and egg - then whisk together and season with salt and pepper (congratulations - you just made beer batter!)

  5. Coat corn-starched fish in the beer batter

  6. Fill dutch oven or frying pan with enough oil to cover fish (3 or 4 inches should do it) and heat on high to 375° - then turn heat to medium (but monitor and adjust throughout cooking time)

  7. Letting excess batter drip off before frying, dunk your fish in the hot oil (do not overcrowd or pieces will stick together) and cook until batter is golden brown (fish cook quickly so keep an eye on them) - then remove them from oil with a slotted spoon onto a plate with a paper towel

  8. Fill tortillas with fried fish and top with chipotle dijon crema, baja slaw, and pico de gallo (see below for recipes) - ENJOY

CHIPOTLE DIJON CREMA:

  1. In a food processor or blender, put all ingredients listed - puree until smooth

  2. You want a creamy sauce that will pour easily but is not too runny - if mixture is too think, add grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil) 1 TBS at a time until desired consistency is reached

BAJA SLAW:

  1. Chop cabbage to desired level (remember that you’re eating this in a taco - I like mine pretty finely chopped)

  2. In a bowl, mix with cilantro, lime juice, and salt

PICO DE GALLO:

  1. In a bowl, mix diced tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro, hot pepper, salt (and garlic if using). Enjoy any leftovers with tortilla chips

NOTES:

There are several moving parts to this setup and in total you could certainly spend hours putting this all together from scratch. I used my homebrewed IPA for the batter to add a slight taste of hoppy bitterness but feel free to use Bud if you aren’t into it. Don’t be afraid to take liberties. I won’t be offended.

You’ll obviously want to make the crema, slaw, and pico before frying your fish but there’s other ways you can approach this. I like making everything fresh for elevated quality and personal preference but I would be lying if I said there aren’t any perfectly tasty store bought pico de gallo and slaw out there. Or, buy a can of diced tomatoes to save time. And personally, I think these tacos call for a citrusy slaw (not a mayo based) but use what you like.

Same goes for the crema - feel free to buy as is and then add seasoning. Personally, I think the chipotle and adoba with Mexican crema (or sour cream) go very well on fried fish bites but there’s also chili powders you can mix if short on time. If you make on your own, you will have leftovers. Use on eggs, chicken, and lighter foods to add a little something extra. Or, freeze and use again later.