Seafood · Mexican
Baja-Style Mahi-Mahi Fish Tacos
Born at the street stands of Ensenada, Baja fish tacos pair crunchy beer-battered fish with cool cabbage, pico de gallo and a creamy sauce. Mahi-mahi is ideal: firm, sweet and mild, and when it was frozen at peak freshness it stays moist inside its golden crust instead of falling apart in the fryer.
- Prep25 min
- Cook15 min
- Total40 min
- Servings4
Ingredients
- 700 g mahi-mahi fillets, thawed and cut into 10 cm strips $480
- Or 700 g wild-caught croaker (corvina) fillets, cut the same way $285
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup cold Mexican lager beer (or sparkling water)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup pico de gallo (tomato, onion, serrano, cilantro, lime)
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema or mayonnaise + 1 chipotle in adobo, blended with lime juice
- Lime wedges and salsa to serve
Instructions
- Pat the fish strips very dry and season lightly with salt.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder and cumin, then whisk in the cold beer until you have a batter like thick pancake batter. Rest 5 minutes.
- Heat 4-5 cm of oil in a heavy pot to 180 °C (350 °F).
- Dust each strip in flour, dip it in the batter, let the excess drip off and fry a few at a time for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp.
- Drain on a rack and sprinkle with a pinch of salt while hot.
- Warm the tortillas on a dry comal until soft and lightly spotted.
- Build each taco with a piece of fish, cabbage, pico de gallo and a drizzle of chipotle crema. Serve right away with lime and salsa.
Tips
- Keep the batter cold and the oil at temperature; that is the secret to a light, crackly crust.
- For a lighter version, skip the batter: season the fish with chile powder and lime and grill it 3 minutes per side.
