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If you’ve ever visited the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, chances are you were served a rendition of these satisfyingly delicious Authentic Baja Style Fish Tacos. Crispy fried fish is wrapped in a warm corn tortilla and then garnished with shredded cabbage, fresh cilantro and then drizzled with creamy chipotle sauce and finished with a squeeze of fresh lime.
For these tacos, a really great tortilla can put these over the top. If you have a little extra time, try making your own for a truly authentic and traditional meal. These tortillas are simple to make and they freeze well. Here’s a great recipe for fresh corn tortillas.
Get the recipe!
Authentic Baja Style Fish Tacos
Crispy fried fish tacos wrapped in a warm corn tortilla and garnished with shredded cabbage, fresh cilantro and then drizzled with creamy chipotle sauce.
Ingredients
Preparing The Fish
- 2 lbs firm white fish cod or haddock, works well, cut into 1 inch by 4-5 inch strips
- Freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 bottle dark or amber beer 12 ounce
- vegetable or peanut oil for frying
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Chipotle Sauce (Chipotle Crema)
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Small handful cilantro finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- Chipotles in adobo or chipotle hot sauce
- salt to taste
Taco Assembly & Garnishes
- corn tortillas warmed
- shredded red cabbage tossed with lime juice, salt & pepper
- pico de gallo optional
- cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
DIRECTIONS
PREPARING THE FISH & BATTER
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Drizzle the fish with lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until you’re ready to cook. Before frying, remove the fish from refrigerator and pat the fish dry with paper towels.
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In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, garlic, cayenne, mustard, oregano, 1 teaspoons salt, and pepper until well blended. Pour in the beer and whisk lightly until there are no lumps. Rest for 15 minutes. The batter should be similar to a pancake batter in consistency. After the batter has rested, add a little more beer if the batter seems too thick.
PREPARING THE CHIPOTLE SAUCE:
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In a bowl mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, cilantro, lime juice. Then mix in the chipotles in adobo 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired spice level. Add salt to taste.
FRYING THE FISH
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Pour the oil into a deep heavy bottomed pan to a depth of 2 inches and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Test temperature using a thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer you can put the end of a wooden spoon into the oil and it should send up lots of little bubbles when ready.
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Begin adding the pieces of fish to the batter and thoroughly coat each piece. Using tongs, place a few of the fish gently into the hot oil. Cook a few pieces at a time until they float and are golden brown in color. Flip the pieces to cook both sides. Once done, remove the fish and place on a baking sheet lined with brown paper bags to drain. These can be placed in the oven to keep warm.
SERVING THE TACOS
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7 – Line a warmed tortilla with 1 or 2 pieces of the fried fish, top with the shredded cabbage, pico de gallo (optional), fresh cilantro and drizzle with the chipotle crema. Add a dash of your favorite Mexican hot sauce if you like some extra spice. Serve with a wedge of lime.
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8 – ¡Buen Provecho! (Enjoy your meal!)
Notes
- For these tacos, a really great tortilla can put these over the top. If you have a little extra time, try making your own. They’re so simple to make and they freeze well. Here’s a great recipe for fresh corn tortillas. Chipotles in adobo are very spicy! Add them a teaspoon at a time so you can reach your perfect level of spice.
Nutrition
Calories: 330kcal
