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Original video by @BrianLagerstrom — all credit to the creator.

Brian Lagerstrom

Baja Fish Tacos with Crispy Beer Batter

Chunks of cod fried in a rice-flour beer batter that shatters when you bite it, tucked into warm flour tortillas with spicy sambal mayo, pickled red onions, and a juicy tomato-lettuce salad slaw. Everything in the taco is built to keep that crunchy fish front and center.

⏱ 65 min4-6Mexicanfish tacosbajabeer batterdeep friedcod

Ingredients

For the Pickled Red Onions

  • 1red onion · peeled and sliced very thin
  • 200 gwhite distilled vinegar · about ¾ cup
  • 200 gwater · about ¾ cup
  • 40 gsugar · about 3 tablespoons
  • 4 gsalt · about ¾ teaspoon

For the Salad Slaw

  • 200 glittle gem or romaine lettuce · about 4 cups, shaved very thin
  • 200 gtomato · about 2 medium, small dice, juice and seed pulp intact
  • 10 gcilantro · about ¼ cup, chopped
  • 10 gjalapeño · 1 small, small dice, optional
  • 2 gsalt · about ⅓ teaspoon
  • ½lime · juiced

For the Spicy Mayo

  • 200 gmayonnaise · about 7 tablespoons
  • 50-75 gsambal · about 2 tablespoons

For the Fish Tacos

  • 2 lbsfresh Atlantic cod or haddock
  • —salt
  • —neutral oil · canola, vegetable, peanut, or avocado, for frying
  • 16-204-inch flour tortillas · warmed and held in a tortilla warmer

For the Dredge

  • 25 gall-purpose flour · about 3 tablespoons
  • 25 gwhite rice flour · about 3 tablespoons

For the Batter

  • 75 gall-purpose flour · about ⅔ cup
  • 75 gwhite rice flour · about ½ cup
  • 2 gsalt · about ⅓ teaspoon
  • 2 gbaking powder · about ½ teaspoon
  • 10-12 ozbeer · basic lager or pilsner

Steps

  1. 1

    Make the pickled red onions: bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a boil, pour over the thinly sliced red onion, and let cool to room temperature before using.

  2. 2

    Cut the cod into 16-20 pieces roughly 4 inches long and 1 inch thick (about 1.5 oz each), trimming away any damaged edges or blood line. If using thawed frozen fish, pat it aggressively dry with paper towels.

  3. 3

    Lightly salt the fish on both sides and refrigerate uncovered while you make the batter and toppings.

  4. 4

    Whisk together 75g all-purpose flour, 75g rice flour, 2g salt, and 2g baking powder. Stream in the beer while whisking until the batter is the consistency of thin pancake batter — it should coat the back of a spoon. Refrigerate to keep it cold.

  5. 5

    Shave the lettuce very thin into roughly ½-inch pieces, small-dice the tomatoes (keeping the juice and seeds), and chop the cilantro and jalapeño.

  6. 6

    Toss the lettuce, tomatoes with their juices, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, and 2g salt together. Refrigerate until serving.

  7. 7

    Stir the mayonnaise together with the sambal.

  8. 8

    Add about 3 inches of neutral oil (roughly 1 quart in a 6.75-qt Dutch oven) to a wide, heavy-bottomed pot with no long handle and heat to 375°F over medium-low heat.

  9. 9

    Mix 25g all-purpose flour with 25g rice flour and spread it on a small sheet tray. Dredge each piece of fish on all sides and shake off the excess, then coat in the cold batter.

  10. 10

    Fry about 6 pieces at a time at 350-365°F for 3-5 minutes, until deeply golden and the fish reaches 145°F. Drain on a wire rack and let the oil return to 375°F between batches.

  11. 11

    Warm the tortillas. Build each taco with spicy mayo, a piece of fried fish, salad slaw, and pickled red onions. Serve immediately.

Creator's notes

Rice flour is the key to a glassy, brittle crust — the all-purpose flour is there for structure and browning. Skip craft beer; a basic lager or pilsner keeps the flavor from overwhelming the fish. Fresh Atlantic cod beats frozen here, with haddock an equally good (arguably better) choice. The dredge is insurance so the batter grips the fish instead of sliding off, and cold batter puffs and sets better in the oil. Brian deliberately skips cabbage — raw it's dry and fibrous, dressed it turns into coleslaw that buries the fish — in favor of a finely shaved lettuce-and-tomato "salad slaw" whose tomato juice acts as the dressing. Go easy on the lime so it doesn't take over. Use a wide, heavy pot without a long handle for frying safety.

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