Fried Fish Tacos
These Fried Fish Tacos feature crispy beer-battered fish paired with zesty cilantro lime slaw, smoky Chipotle sauce and juicy pico de gallo, served in a tender tortilla!These are one of our favorite summer meals: packed with flavor, bold, fun, and easy to make, they’re sure to be a hit with your family too!
Ingredients
For The Slaw
- 2 cups (140 g) shredded green cabbage (or half a 16 oz coleslaw mix)
- 2 cups (140 g) shredded purple cabbage (optional)
- 1 cup (70 g) shredded carrot
- 1 cup (10 g) cilantro (minced)
- 2 limes (juiced)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For The Chipotle Cream
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream or mayonnaise (or a blend of both)
- 3 teaspoon canned salsa de chipotles in adobo (or chipotles in adobo, we use La Costeña brand - not sponsored-, use any leftover sauce for our Creamy Chipotle Chicken next, it's so good!!!)
- 1 teaspoon lime (juiced)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For The Pico De Gallo (Optional)
- 1 small tomato (finely diced)
- 1/4 small white onion (finely diced)
- 1/4 medium jalapeño (finely diced)
- 1 small lime (juiced)
- Salt (to taste)
For The Fried Fish
- Oil (sunflower, vegetable, canola, peanut or lard)
- 1/2 cup (60 g) all-purpose flour (for the coating)
- 1 lb (450 g) tilapia (or cod, fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 1 and 1/2 cup (185 g) all-purpose flour (for the batter)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 10 oz (300 ml) light beer (like Corona)
For The Tacos
- 10 small flour or white corn tortillas (we like the 4-inch or 10 cm ones, or try our Homemade Flour Tortillas)
Instructions
- Prepare the slaw. In a large bowl, add the cabbage, carrot, cilantro, lime juice, and salt, toss until combined, cover and chill until ready to assemble.
- Make the Chipotle cream. In a blender, add the sour cream and Chipotle sauce (or Chipotle in Adobo with some of the sauce), lime juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add a splash of water for a thinner consistency. Cover and chill until ready to assemble.
- Make the Pico de Gallo (optional). Add the tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to a small bowl and mix until combined. Cover and chill until ready to assemble.
- Preheat the oil. In a saucepan or skillet, add enough oil for the fish to be fully covered and allow to reach 350F-365F (175C-185C) over medium-low heat. This will take a few minutes so, meanwhile, go to step 5.
- Prepare the coating and batter. In a large plate or shallow bowl, add flour and salt for the coating, mix, then toss with the fish. In a separate bowl, add the flour, salt and beer (or water) and mix until smooth: the batter will be a bit runny, it’s okay, you’re supposed to dip the coated fish and fry.
- Fry. Quickly dip each fish stick into the batter then add to the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden, flip then fry for another 3-4 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with a few paper towels to absorb any extra grease. Repeat until with all the coated fish. While frying, heat the tortillas.
- Heat the tortillas in a hot skillet (best if cast-iron), griddle or microwave. For the skillet or griddle (do not grease): heat over high heat for about 15 seconds per side then place onto a clean plate. For the microwave: wrap a stack of 5-6 tortillas into a wet paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds or up to a minute.
- Assemble the tacos! For each tortilla, add 2 sticks of fried fish, a spoonful of slaw, then drizzle with the Chipotle cream and top with Pico de Gallo (optional). Enjoy! I recommend assembling only the tacos you think you’ll eat so you can store any leftover ingredient separately!
Notes
More Topping Ideas: Lime Pickled Onions, Avocado Hot Sauce (this isn’t Baja style but it’s good!), plain sour cream, Habanero sauce, lime pickled cucumbers, radish.
Serving Ideas: Mexican Street Corn Salad (fun, fresh, quick), black beans or refried beans (filling, protein), Sweet Potato Fries (delicious and fun), corn on the cob (summery, customizable), Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Rice (light but filling, pair with beans).
Reheating Instructions: Reheat the fried fish a hot skillet (best if cast-iron) over high heat until hot and crisp again, add a light splash of oil, if desired!
TIP: Instead of doing tacos again, we love turning all the leftover fried fish, slaw, sauce, and pico into a delicious Baja Taco Bowl.
Nutrition
Calories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 14gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 937mgPotassium: 395mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2623IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 2mg
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