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Home » Mexican » Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

By Hank Shaw on June 8, 2015, Updated November 6, 2020 - 6 Comments

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5 from 3 votes
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Fried fish tacos recipe
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Anyone who’s ever been to Southern California or Baja, Mexico knows how awesome fish tacos can be. We eat them like New Yorkers eat bagels, or Wisconsinites eat brats. Which means all the time.

Every time I make fish tacos, the accompaniments are different, but there’s always lime, pickled onions, a salsa and avocados.

Fish tacos come in two basic types: Grilled and fried. Mostly what you get at taquerias are fried fish tacos, and my rendition of this works really well — and is a lot lighter than you might think. Why? Tempura. I used that lighter-than-air Japanese batter on the fish, to keep things clean. You’ll see.

Fish Tacos Recipe
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

As for what fish to use, I used California halibut, which, like it’s larger cousins, is a very firm, very white fish. You can use pretty much anything.

If you want to do a great spread, make some fish ceviche to go with these tacos, so people can switch off between fried fish and the zippy marinated fish in their tortillas. Serve with plenty of beer.

Fish Tacos Recipe
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Fried Fish Tacos

Obviously this works with any fish that's good fried, which is most of them. Avoid oily fish like mackerel or bluefish or herring, and I really don't this this is an ideal recipe for salmon or trout. But other than that, go for it. The accompaniments to the tacos are also up to you. What's in this recipe are what I like with fish tacos, but regular salsa works, as would chopped tomato, and lots of people like to mix chipotles in adobo with mayonnaise and drizzle that on top.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 103kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 pounds of your favorite fish
  • Salt
  • 4 to 6 cups vegetable oil for cooking
  • 3/4 cup rice flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup ice cold sparkling water
  • 1 egg yolk

TOPPINGS

  • Corn or flour tortillas, heated
  • Sliced avocados
  • Red onion, chopped and soaked in lime juice
  • Limes
  • Cilantro
  • Salsa of your choice

Instructions

  • Cut the fish into pieces that will fit inside a tortilla. Salt the fish and set aside. Heat the oil in a heavy pot or fryer until it's 350°F. While the oil is heating, mix all the dry ingredients for the batter -- the flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt -- in a large bowl. Have the egg yolk and icy sparkling water handy.
  • Heat the oven to"warm." Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and put that in the oven.
  • When the oil is hot, mix the egg yolk and sparkling water into the batter. Do not beat the heck out of it, you want it lumpy and barely incorporated. Dredge a piece of fish in the batter and slowly dip into the hot oil. Doing this slowly allows the bottom of the fish to set a bit, which reduces the chance the fish will stick to the bottom of the pot. Repeat with as many fish pieces as you can get into the hot oil without crowding.
  • Fry until golden, using a chopstick or fork to flip the pieces over. This should take between 4 and 8 minutes depending on the thickness of your pieces. When they're done, move the fish to the rack in the oven and repeat with the remaining fish.
  • When all the fish is ready, move it to a platter and arrange all the accompaniments to the table. Let everyone make up their own tacos.

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 43IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
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Filed Under: Featured, Fish, Mexican, Recipe

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for Lou AlexanderLou Alexander says

    July 6, 2022 at 3:03 pm

    I’ve made this several times with halibut and it’s a crowd favorite! Boar’s Head make a fiery chipotle mayo that is an easy fabulous add on.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for Mary from SW WisconsinMary from SW Wisconsin says

    January 11, 2020 at 5:48 pm

    This was great. As expected. Used walleye. I intend to use this batter for all my tempura in the future. Like a cloud. I used all purpose flour and, having no plain sparkling water, used lime lacroix, which I think maybe enhanced it.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for 2pots2cook2pots2cook says

    June 24, 2017 at 10:48 pm

    Thank you for the creation. Pinning !

    Reply
  4. Avatar for John RJohn R says

    August 1, 2016 at 7:55 am

    I need a recipe that leaves out the refined vegetable oils please, as these are very unhealthy. Grilled fish tacos? Thanks Hank!

    Reply
  5. Avatar for Mary FrancesMary Frances says

    June 9, 2015 at 3:38 pm

    Your photos are positively drool worthy!

    Reply
  6. Avatar for Andy Hsia-CoronAndy Hsia-Coron says

    June 9, 2015 at 7:58 am

    Looks great. I plan on using it with searobins- one of my favorite underappreciated fish. I head back to Long Island NY each summer (currrently live in the Monterey Bay Area) and love eating these fish and that most other folks look down their noses at.

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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