The Best Fish Tacos
When I was younger, my dad went on a hunt to find the best fish tacos every time we visited California. He isn’t necessarily a whole hearted “foodie,” but he can get fixated on certain foods or restaurants he sees on television. I’ve also never heard him talk about al pastor or carne asada tacos the way he does about fish tacos. So I decided that this Father’s Day I’m going to make him the best Beer Battered Fish Tacos!
New Competition
Because I am my father’s daughter, I also have a passion for fish tacos. I love both grilled and fried fish tacos, but something about the fried ones always hits different. The contrast between the crispy, fried fish and the fresh toppings is always such a great combination. It’s indulgent yet has fresh and acidic components to contrast that heaviness. I decided to take this as an opportunity to build what would be my ideal fish taco. These Beer Battered Fish Tacos have fried beer battered cod, cabbage slaw, pickled red onions, a homemade crema, crumbled queso fresco, and fresh cilantro leaves all on a warmed corn tortilla. This recipe has become a favorite, and I’d go as far as to say that it competes with fish tacos you get at restaurants.
Let’s Taco Bout It
Jumping into the recipe, we’re starting with the pickled red onions. Pickled red onions are probably one of my favorite ingredients in general. I love adding them to salads, wraps, tacos, and sandwiches. They add a sweet and tart acidic bite and a gorgeous pop of color to any dish! The best part is that while they look kind of crazy, they’re really easy to make.
Ideally, you want to start the red onions the night before so that they have time to pickle. Add water, apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, and salt into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it for about 2 minutes or until the liquid is hot and the sugar and salt have dissolved. Alternatively, add the ingredients into a small pot and heat it over medium high heat until hot and the granules have dissolved. Add in the sliced red onions and set it aside to pickle for at least a few hours if not overnight.
Moving onto the crema, add the mayo, sour cream, heavy cream, hot sauce, and salt into a bowl. Mix it until combined then set it aside. For the cabbage slaw, it’s just as simple. Add the cabbage, cilantro, mayo, lime juice, cumin, coriander, and salt into a bowl. Mix the cabbage with the ingredients until it’s well coated in the dressing. I love adding crema and cabbage slaw to fish tacos because they add creaminess, freshness, and texture!
Hey Batter Batter…
Now that all of our toppings are prepped, we can focus on the star of the show: the beer battered fish. For this recipe we’re using cod. Cod is a classic fish used for fried fish dishes because it’s usually thicker, sturdier, and flakier than other fish. It maintains its shape and texture as it cooks, creating large flaky bites. Cut the cod into sticks about 1-inch thick and 3-inches long. Pat them dry with paper towels to ensure that the batter will stick.
To make the batter, combine flour, cornstarch, ground mustard, kosher salt, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper into a large bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together until well distributed. Then pour in the beer. Beer happens to be one of my dad’s favorite beverages, which is also why this recipe is perfect for him for Father’s Day. Mix the beer into the dry ingredients until you get something resembling a thick pancake batter. The combination of the cornstarch, baking powder, and beer is what’s going to help create a light and crispy coating when the cod is fried.
Golden Brown Goodness
Working in batches, dip the sticks of cod into the batter, making sure they’re all well coated. Allow any excess batter to drip off then gently drop it in a pot of oil heated to 350℉. Cook the cod for about 6-7 minutes until cooked through, golden brown, and crispy. Remove the fried cod from the oil and place them onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat this process to fry the remaining cod.
Once all the cod is fried, we can start to assemble our tacos! Heat the tortillas in a pan with a bit of oil until they’re heated through. Add a piece of beer battered cod to each tortilla along with cabbage slaw, pickled red onions, a drizzle of the crema, a sprinkling of queso fresco, and fresh cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges and get ready to experience the most gorgeous and delicious beer battered fish tacos of your life. I know that’s a strong statement, but I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it.
Fresh Yet Fried
We eat with our eyes first, right? Fried dishes tend to be very one-toned, and that tone is brown. While we have golden brown fried fish, it’s brought to life with green cilantro and cabbage and that bright magenta color from the pickled red onions. The best part is that it tastes just as good as it looks. The cod is perfectly cooked and flaky with that crispy outer coating. Then the acidity and crunch from the slaw and pickled red onions add the perfect contrast to the fried cod. Lastly, the queso fresco and crema add touches of saltiness and a bit of sauciness to the taco.
This is one of the best fish tacos I’ve had, which is crazy to say since it’s all homemade. Alas, I’m here to bring gourmet recipes to your kitchen at home, so these Beer Battered Fish Tacos have to be on your list of recipes for the summer. Let me know if you try this out in the comments below and how they turn out!
Beer Battered Fish Tacos
Ingredients
For the Pickled Red Onions:
- 1 cup Water
- ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ Large Red Onion (thinly sliced)
For the Crema:
- ⅓ cup Mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup Sour Cream
- 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream
- ¼ tsp Hot Sauce
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
For the Cabbage Slaw:
- 4 cups Shredded Green Cabbage
- ⅓ cup Roughly Chopped Cilantro
- Juice from 1 Lime
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Cumin
- ¼ tsp Ground Coriander
For the Beer Battered Cod:
- 1¼ lb. Cod (cut into 1 inch thick 3 inches long pieces)
- 1¼ cup All Purpose Flour
- ⅓ cup Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Ground Mustard
- ¾ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 10 oz. Mexican Beer
- As Needed Neutral Oil (for frying)
- 8 Corn Tortillas
- ¾ cup Crumbled Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese
- Cilantro Leaves (for garnish)
- Lime Wedges (for serving)
Instructions
For the Pickled Red Onions:
- Add the water, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Microwave it for 2 minutes until the liquid is hot and the sugar and salt have dissolved. Alternatively, add the ingredients into a small sauce pot. Heat it over medium high heat until the liquid is hot and the sugar and salt have dissolved. This should only take a few minutes.
- Add the sliced red onion into the pickling liquid. Set it aside to pickle ideally overnight or at least for a few hours.
For the Crema:
- Add all of the ingredients into a bowl and set it aside.
For the Cabbage Slaw:
- Add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined. Set it aside.
For the Beer Battered Cod:
- Pour enough of the neutral oil into a pot until it's about 4 inches deep. Heat it to 350℉.
- While the oil heats, pat the pieces of cod dry with paper towels.
- In a large bowl, add in the flour, cornstarch, ground mustard, salt, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Whisk the dry ingredients together until they're evenly combined. Pour in the Mexican beer. Whisk until combined and the mixture looks like thick pancake batter.
- Working in batches, fully coat the cod in the beer batter. Allow any excess batter to drip off then gently drop it into the hot oil. Cook the cod for about 6-7 minutes until its cooked through, golden brown, and crispy. Remove the fried cod from the oil and place it onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Fry the remaining pieces of cod.
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in a ½ tablespoon of neutral oil. Place a few of the tortillas into the pan. Cook them for about 1-2 minutes on each side until the tortillas are heated through. Repeat this process to warm the remaining tortillas.
- To assemble the tacos, add a piece of fried cod, cabbage slaw, pickled red onions, a drizzle of the crema, a sprinkle of queso fresco or cotija, and cilantro leaves to each taco. Serve with lime wedges and enjoy!
