Mexican
Baja-Style Fried Fish Tacos
Crisp beer-battered white fish tucked into warm corn tortillas with lime-bright cabbage, smoky chile crema, radish, and cilantro for a cool, crunchy Baja-style contrast.
4 servings · 35 minutes prep · 20 minutes cook
Ingredients
Cabbage and Crema
- 3 cups finely shredded green cabbage
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 small dried chipotle meco (about 5 g), stem and seeds removed after soaking; use to taste
Fish and Batter
- 1 1/2 pounds firm white fish fillets, cut into sixteen stout strips
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups cold pale lager
- 6 cups neutral oil, for frying
To Assemble
- 16 small corn tortillas
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- lime wedges, for serving
Directions
Season the Cabbage and Mix the Crema
- Cover the dried chipotle with boiling water in a heatproof mixing bowl and soak for 20 minutes until pliable. Drain, split the pepper, remove the stem and seeds, and mince finely.
- Toss the cabbage with 2 tablespoons lime juice and half the salt. Rest 15 minutes, then drain any liquid; the shreds should bend but still crunch.
- Stir the mayonnaise, sour cream, half the minced chipotle, remaining lime juice, and remaining salt. Taste and add more chipotle a little at a time for a mild but clearly smoky heat; chill until assembly.
Heat the Oil and Make the Batter
- Use a dry deep heavy pot with at least a 7-quart (6.5 L) capacity, and make sure the neutral oil reaches no more than halfway up its sides. Keep a fitted lid beside the stove and begin heating the oil over medium. While it warms, heat the corn tortillas in the dry skillet in overlapping batches of four for 20 seconds per side, turning and rotating them so each becomes pliable. Stack them immediately and cover with an inverted mixing bowl. Bring the oil to 365°F (185°C) after the tortillas are covered. If the oil smokes, turn off the heat. For an oil fire, turn off the heat and cover the pot; never use water. Pat the fish completely dry.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt; pour in the cold beer and whisk just until no dry pockets remain. Rest 5 minutes; do not beat out every small lump.
Fry and Assemble
- Dip four fish strips in batter, let excess fall away, and lower them individually into the oil. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until pale gold, crisp, and 145°F (63°C) at the thickest point. Drain the batch on the wire rack.
- Fill four warm tortillas with cabbage and the just-fried fish, then add crema, radish, and cilantro. Serve that batch immediately with lime wedges for squeezing. Let the oil return to 365°F (185°C) and repeat the frying and assembly sequence with the remaining fish in three more batches. Turn off the heat when frying is complete and let the oil cool completely in the pot before straining or disposal.
