This baja fish taco recipe comes from chef Mely Martínez‘s cookbook, Mexico in Your Kitchen. It features light and airy beer battered fish, pico de gallo and a creamy dressing. Martínez recommends preparing all the toppings before making the batter and frying the fish. Once the fish is cooked, you’ll need to assemble the taco immediately.
On the sentimental story behind this dish, she writes, “This recipe always reminds me of the first time I visited Baja California, in the early ’90s. One day during our trip, my husband invited me to have some tacos for lunch at a taco stand, and I was surprised that they only served fish tacos. Despite growing up in a town on the Gulf of Mexico, I had never seen fish tacos before! After trying them, I was intrigued as to why we didn’t make them on the eastern coast of Mexico. Nowadays, you can find them in restaurants throughout Mexico and the United States.”
Another gem to try from her cookbook is this refreshing Cucumber Lime Agua Fresca. It’s the perfect beverage for a hot summer day.
Baja Fish Tacos
Ingredients
Pico de gallo
- 2 plum tomatoes diced
- ½ cup chopped white onion
- 2 serrano peppers chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ tsp salt
Creamy Dressing
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce from the can
- 1/3 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- Salt and black pepper
Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp dried Mexican oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1/3 tsp garlic powder
- 1 bottle or can light beer at room temperature
Instructions
To make the pico de gallo:
- Place the tomatoes, onion, serrano peppers, and cilantro in a medium bowl, then add the lime juice. Add the salt and stir well.
To make the creamy dressing:
- Add the chipotle pepper to a blender along with the crema, mayonnaise, and the 1 tablespoon lime juice and process until smooth and creamy.
- Season with salt and black pepper and stir.
To make the batter:
- Place the 1 cup flour in a medium bowl.
- Then crush the oregano with your fingers and add it to the flour along with the ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper and the garlic powder. Mix well.
- Gently pour a small amount of the beer into the flour while mixing everything with a whisk. (You will NOT need to use the whole bottle/can; just enough to make a batter that has a texture similar to pancake batter.)
To make the tacos:
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- While the oil heats up, cut the fish, against the grain, into strips about 4 inches (10 cm) long. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Place the ½ cup flour on a plate, then proceed to dredge the fish strips in the flour, making sure that they are well coated.
- Once the oil is hot, dip the floured strips of fish into the batter, coating them completely. Then place them into the oil, working in batches as not to overcrowd the pan.
- Cook until they are golden brown and crispy, flipping to cook all over, 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to absorb any excess oil.
