Fish Tacos
For Blythe
Fish Tacos
adapted from Recipezaar (Note: Ignore the original recipe's title. These taste nothing like Rubio's.)
Ingredients
12 1- to 1 1/2-ounce pieces of halibut or cod
12 corn tortillas
oil (for deep frying)
Beer Batter
1 cup flour
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups beer (I used Boddington's pale ale)
garlic powder, pepper, cayenne and salt, to taste
White Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup yogurt
Salsa
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
5 tomatoes, ripe, seeded and diced
1/2 onion, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Garnish
1/4 to 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
Limes, cut into wedges (I fro-got to put them on my plate. D'oh!)
Method
Prepare white sauce and salsa and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet until oil temperature is about 375°F.
Mix flour with spices. Stir flour mixture into the beer and mix until well blended. Pat fish completely dry, then dip in batter until thoroughly coated. You don't want it too thick, but one nice goopy layer will do.
Place fish in hot oil in a single layer. Do not let pieces touch each other. Cook fish until batter is crispy and golden brown, a few minutes per side. Drain on a rack over paper towels.
Heat the corn tortillas lightly in a skillet to soften.
To assemble, place a piece fish on each tortilla, drizzle with white sauce and top with salsa, cabbage and a squeeze of lime. Fold tortilla over to serve.
NOTES
1. Fish tacos are one of my favorite foods ever EVER and these were pure bliss. I'm thrilled that I'm succeeding with these at home because I have such a difficult time - yes, even here in southern California - finding them exactly the way I like them. So thanks for this great find Blythe!
2. I don't have an oil thermometer. I have simply figured out when oil is hot enough for frying through trial and error and some good tips (thanks Krysta!). However, I did have slight issues with the pieces wanting to stick to the bottom of the pan when I turned them over. Thankfully, they turned with a little prodding, but I'd like to avoid that in the future. Any suggestions? Am I correct in guessing I needed more oil for the fishies to swim in?
3. The salsa was a lovely surprise. Normally we throw on something from a jar and call it a day. I was really glad I made the effort to do this one differently. That mound (I really piled it on!) of cool diced and minced vegetables was a perfect match with the white sauce and the fish.
4. This is my third attempt at homemade fish tacos and this was the best batter so far, I think because I added more beer. In the past, I was a slave to my recipe measurements; thus, the batter was too dry and made for a thicker, slightly chewier coating. But this fish was light and crisp, exactly what I want when I crave fried fish. So be sure to add enough beer to make a more liquid, smooth batter. Trust your judgment.
adapted from Recipezaar (Note: Ignore the original recipe's title. These taste nothing like Rubio's.)
Ingredients
12 1- to 1 1/2-ounce pieces of halibut or cod
12 corn tortillas
oil (for deep frying)
Beer Batter
1 cup flour
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups beer (I used Boddington's pale ale)
garlic powder, pepper, cayenne and salt, to taste
White Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup yogurt
Salsa
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
5 tomatoes, ripe, seeded and diced
1/2 onion, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Garnish
1/4 to 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
Limes, cut into wedges (I fro-got to put them on my plate. D'oh!)
Method
Prepare white sauce and salsa and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet until oil temperature is about 375°F.
Mix flour with spices. Stir flour mixture into the beer and mix until well blended. Pat fish completely dry, then dip in batter until thoroughly coated. You don't want it too thick, but one nice goopy layer will do.
Place fish in hot oil in a single layer. Do not let pieces touch each other. Cook fish until batter is crispy and golden brown, a few minutes per side. Drain on a rack over paper towels.
Heat the corn tortillas lightly in a skillet to soften.
To assemble, place a piece fish on each tortilla, drizzle with white sauce and top with salsa, cabbage and a squeeze of lime. Fold tortilla over to serve.
NOTES
1. Fish tacos are one of my favorite foods ever EVER and these were pure bliss. I'm thrilled that I'm succeeding with these at home because I have such a difficult time - yes, even here in southern California - finding them exactly the way I like them. So thanks for this great find Blythe!
2. I don't have an oil thermometer. I have simply figured out when oil is hot enough for frying through trial and error and some good tips (thanks Krysta!). However, I did have slight issues with the pieces wanting to stick to the bottom of the pan when I turned them over. Thankfully, they turned with a little prodding, but I'd like to avoid that in the future. Any suggestions? Am I correct in guessing I needed more oil for the fishies to swim in?
3. The salsa was a lovely surprise. Normally we throw on something from a jar and call it a day. I was really glad I made the effort to do this one differently. That mound (I really piled it on!) of cool diced and minced vegetables was a perfect match with the white sauce and the fish.
4. This is my third attempt at homemade fish tacos and this was the best batter so far, I think because I added more beer. In the past, I was a slave to my recipe measurements; thus, the batter was too dry and made for a thicker, slightly chewier coating. But this fish was light and crisp, exactly what I want when I crave fried fish. So be sure to add enough beer to make a more liquid, smooth batter. Trust your judgment.
