Baja Style Tempura Fish Tacos Recipes

BAJA-STYLE TEMPURA FISH TACOS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cold water, lime juice, garlic, chiles, oregano (if using) and salt. Add the fish and set aside at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the ice water and mustard. Gently stir in the flour, being careful not to overmix the batter; a few small lumps are okay. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Drain the fish and pat the pieces dry with a paper towel. Have a plate lined with paper towels or a cut-open brown paper bag at the ready.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat at least 2 to 3 inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 360°F (182°C) on a deep-fry or candy or instant-read thermometer.
• Remove the tempura batter from the refrigerator and stir to recombine.
• Dredge a few pieces of fish at a time in the batter, turning to coat them evenly. Gently lower a couple pieces of fish into the oil, adding a couple more pieces every 30 seconds. Fry no more than 4 pieces at a time. Fry the fish, turning as needed, until the pieces are crisp, light golden brown, and floating on the surface of the oil, about 2 1/2 minutes. Monitor the temperature of the oil throughout frying, letting the oil return to proper temperature between batches; to ensure crispness, it must remain a constant 360°F to 380°F (182°C to 193°C).
• Using a fine-mesh skimmer, transfer the fried fish to the paper towel-lined plate or brown paper bag to drain. Repeat with the remaining fish and batter, being sure to remove any flecks of floating fried batter in between batches.
• Place the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping, on a platter. (If using extra tortillas, simply double them up.) Divvy the slaw and fish equally among the tortillas. Top with salsa and desired garnishes or allow guests to do so themselves. Grab, fold, and eat right away.

BAJA FISH TACOS

Steps:

• For the sauce: Mix all ingredients together and set aside.
• Preheat a fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with oil to 375 degrees F.
• Mix 1 of the packages of batter, but only use 1/2 the required amount of water and use beer for the remaining amount instead. Add the beer until the batter becomes almost like a heavy cream consistency.
• Using the other package of batter add salt and garlic powder, coat cod pieces with the dry mix, then dip into prepared batter. Deep-fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
• Place fried cod pieces on warmed corn tortillas, add white sauce to fish, a little shredded cabbage and a squeeze of lime, to taste.

BAJA-STYLE FISH TACOS

Steps:

• Marinate: Slice fish into 1-inch-thick pieces (about 2 ounces each). Place in a wide, shallow bowl and season with salt on all sides. Pour lime juice over the pieces and let rest while preparing the batter, 5-10 minutes.
• Make batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and beer until smooth. Whisk in baking powder, then add sambal, mustard, oregano, and salt, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Dredge, batter, and deep-fry: Place flour on a plate. Add oil to a pot and set over medium heat. Secure a thermometer to the pot's side and heat oil to 375 F. Remove fish from marinade, one piece at a time, and dredge in flour on both sides. Then dip in the batter, coat well, and carefully place into the hot oil. Repeat with one or two more pieces, working in batches to avoid crowding the pot. Fry until the fish is evenly cooked and golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer fish to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Assembly: Warm tortillas on a comal or skillet over low heat. While tortillas are heating, mix together mayonnaise and crème fraîche in a small bowl. Place a warm tortilla on a plate, and spread a dollop of mayo-crème sauce down the middle. Place a piece of fish on top of the sauce, followed by another spoonful of sauce. Add cabbage, an avocado slice or two, then finish with a spoonful of pickled red onions. Repeat assembly with remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

BAJA STYLE FISH TACOS

Steps:

• Mix tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, 1 tablespoon juice from jalapeno peppers, and garlic salt in a bowl; squeeze 1/2 lime over salsa fresca. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing fish.
• Toss coleslaw mix with ranch dressing in a bowl; set aside for flavors to blend.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir batter mix and beer together in a bowl. Wrap corn tortillas in wet paper towels and set aside.
• Dip cod in the batter mix; fry coated cod in batches in the hot oil until cod is cooked through and coating is brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove cod with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Microwave corn tortillas on high until warmed, about 1 minute.
• Stack two tortillas on a plate; top with fish, a sprinkle of Mexican cheese, coleslaw mixture, salsa fresca, and a squeeze from lime wedge. Drizzle with chile-garlic sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

BAJA STYLE FISH TACOS

Steps:

• For the Beer Batter:
• Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually add in the beer while whisking. Set aside and let the batter rest for 15 minutes before using.
• For Cream Sauce:
• Add the mayonnaise and crema to a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice and water. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper (can be made 3 days ahead, covered and refrigerated).
• For the Fish:
• In a large skillet, over medium heat, add enough oil to reach a depth of 1-inch. Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F or when the end of a wooden spoon sizzles when inserted into the oil.
• On a large plate, combine the flour and salt. Season the fish pieces all over with salt and pepper and coat with the flour. Working in batches, dip the fillets in the beer batter and coat on both sides. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Make tacos with the tortillas and fish and top each with cream, shredded cabbage, tomatillo salsa and pickled jalapenos, if desired.
• *Cook's Note: Crack open a cold Mexican cerveza like a Negra Modelo or a 2 Equis (XX) Amber to make this tasty beer batter, which will change the way you think about fried fish! You can use it for vegetables, too.
• **Cook's Note: Mexican Crema is Mexico's version of creme fraiche and is found at many supermarkets and can easily be substituted with sour cream.

BAJA-STYLE TEMPURA FISH

Steps:

• To make the marinade, in a large bowl, combine the 1 1/2 cups water, lime juice, garlic, chiles, oregano, and salt. Add the fish strips and let marinate for at least 20 minutes.
• To make the tempura batter, in a separate bowl, whisk together the ice water and mustard. Gently stir in the flour, but don't overmix; a few small lumps are okay. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Drain the shark pieces and pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Have a plate lined with paper towels ready. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat at least 2 to 3 inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 360°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Remove the batter from the refrigerator and stir once more. Dredge the fish pieces in the batter, a few at a time, to evenly coat. Drop them in the hot fat, 2 pieces at a time, adding 2 more pieces every 30 seconds (fry no more than 4 pieces at a time). Monitor the temperature of the hot oil throughout frying, letting the oil return to proper temperature, if necessary, between batches; to ensure crispness, it must remain a constant 360°F to 380°F. If too low, the fish will be oily; if too hot, the pieces will burn.
• Fry them until crisp, light golden brown, and floating in the oil, about 2 1/2 minutes per batch. With a fine-mesh skimmer, transfer the fish tempura to the paper-towel-lined plate to absorb the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining pieces of fish. During frying, be sure to remove any pieces of floating batter, or they will burn and darken the oil, which will transfer a burned flavor to the tempura. Serve immediately.
• To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the slaw and filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa and garnish. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some slaw, then filling, top with salsa, fold, and eat right away.

FISH TACOS - BAJA STYLE

Steps:

• Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, garlic, cayenne, mustard,oregano, 1 teaspoons salt, and pepper until well blended. Stir in the beer until there are no lumps. (Batter may be made several hours ahead and refrigerated).
• Trim the fish of all blood lines, skin, and bones. Cut into pieces the size and shape of your index finger. Sprinkle with a few drops of lime juice and a little salt. (If not using immediately, wrap and refrigerate). Pour the oil into a deep, wide pan to a depth of 2 inches and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. I use a thermometer, or you can drop a bit of batter into the oil and it should rise up quickly surrounded by little bubbles.
• Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Check the thickness of the batter by dipping in one piece of the fish. The batter should be the consistency of medium-thick pancake batter, coating the fish easily but dripping very little. Add a little beer if the batter seems too thick.
• Add the fish to the batter. Using tongs or chopsticks, swish each piece to make sure it is thoroughly coated, then lift out of the batter, let it drip once, and lay the fish gently into the hot oil. Cook a few pieces at a time until they float and the batter is set but still very light in color. If a piece sticks to the bottom, leave it alone and it will release itself.
• Remove the fish to a rack to drain; reserve the frying oil. (The fish can be prepared ahead to this point, cooled on a rack, and refrigerated uncovered. Cool the oil and reserve).
• When you are ready to serve, reheat the oil to 350-360°F and refry the fish a few pieces at a time until crisp and golden brown.
• To serve, hold a tortilla in your hand and add a spoonful of guacamole. Top with fish and squeeze lime over the whole thing. Then add the secret sauce, salsa, shredded cabbage, cilantro and onion as desired.