Fried fish tacos are my favorite food ever. They are my birthday dinner of choice, the food I turn to when I want to celebrate, or when I need a pick-me-up on a hard day. If I could pick my last meal, it would be fried fish tacos. And I could quite possibly house the entire 30ish tacos this recipe yields, if I were told they'd be my last.
But where did fish tacos come from? The Indigenous people of coastal Mexico have likely been making fish tacos for thousands of years, but fried fish tacos came into play much later. It's thought that Japanese fisherman who immigrated to Baja, California (a coastal Mexican state on the Baja California Peninsula) in the 50's and 60's introduced their technique for tempura frying, helping to inspire the fried fish tacos we know and love today.
The best fish tacos have a wide variety of flavors and textures; hot and cold, crunchy and creamy, rich and bright, and with just the right amount of heat. Below, I break down how we achieve this symphony of goodness:
The Pickles
- This unstoppable combination of red onions (crunchy!), carrots (sweet!), and jalapeños (spicy!) is great on it's own. Add a spiced pickle brine, and you've got a condiment that tastes great on pretty much anything. I left the whole spices (coriander and cumin seeds) optional, because buying whole spices can be pricey. If you can get your hands on them, though, I highly recommend it; their flavor compliments the fish perfectly.
- If you did buy the spices, and are wondering how to use up the rest of them, here's a few suggestions:
- - Add them along with salt and pepper to veggies before roasting.
- - Add them to your grains or beans before cooking.
- - Heat with olive oil to make infused oil.
- - Toast and grind them in a mortar and pestle for spices much more flavorful and fragrant than their pre-ground counterpart!
- The Slaw
- We keep the slaw super simple: shaved green cabbage and cilantro. If you're not a cilantro fan, feel free to leave it out, or replace it with a different herb.
- As I mention in the video, any firm white fish will work. Tilapia, catfish, cod, or flounder all work beautifully. Because this dish has so many flavors and elements, any fish would be good. However, I recommend Hook and Lines Rockfish as the ideal fish for this recipe.
- The combination of flour, cornstarch, and cornmeal in the batter results in a crisp but sturdy crust that maintains that crispiness for a surprisingly long time. (Especially if you're keeping your fried fish warm in the oven.) When the beer is added it may look alarmingly thin, but don't worry! That flour coating you apply to the fish will help it stick.
- This creamy-spicy sauce is ridiculously easy. To make the best sauce possible, choose full-fat sour cream and mayo, and look out for this brand of chipotles—it's my fave.
- Got leftover sauce? It's great on breakfast sandwiches, as a dip for roasted asparagus or other veggies, on a burger, or really anything that could benefit from a savory sauce.
- Don't worry, we're not making these. But we are warming them up! Typically I like to warm up my tortillas in a dry, hot cast iron skillet, but heating 30 tortillas that way would take a long time. To heat your tortillas in the oven, wrap 5 tortillas at a time in aluminum foil packages. Make as many packages as you need, then place in a single layer on a baking sheet. In 15 minutes your tortillas will be soft, warm, and pliable!
- Made these tacos? Let us know how they went in the comment section below!
