Taco 'bout the food fishery: Use that N.L. cod in these Baja fish tacos
CBC News | Posted: September 29, 2018 5:46 PM | Last Updated: September 29, 2018
This batter recipe is the real deal and originates from Ensenada, Mexico
These golden brown fish fingers on toasted flour tortillas will make your taco dreams come true.
The batter recipe comes straight from Ensenada, Mexico on the Baja California Peninsula and is the easiest way to visit that country without splashing out on a plane ticket.
You'll be making a few of your own condiments for these treats, and it's going to be glorious.
The full recipe and all the details follow right after this instructional video.
1. Make the lime-pickled onions
Here's what you need:
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 2 limes, juiced
- Pinch of Mexican oregano
- Pinch of sea salt
Pour the lime juice and seasonings over thinly-sliced onions and leave it all to marinate at room temperature for an hour or so in your refrigerator. You can keep them in there for up to a week. Be sure to tell your guests you spent hours on these.
2. Make the avocado pico de gallo
Here's what you need:
- 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- Half a Spanish onion, diced
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- Sea salt
- Cracked black pepper
- 2 limes, juiced
- Dash of Mexican hot sauce
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste to check seasoning and set aside until needed.
3. Make the chipotle lime crema
Here's what you need:
- 1 cup of sour cream
- Half cup of milk
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and taste to check seasoning. I like to put the crema in a squeeze bottle to drizzle it over the tacos.
4. Prep the fish
Here's what you need:
- 6 one-ounce fingers of fresh cod
- Sea salt and black pepper to season
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
Season the fish fingers with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour. Shake off any excess flour and set them aside.
Need a primer on perfectly filleting cod? Voilà:
Need a primer on perfectly filleting cod? Voilà:
5. Make the batter
Here's what you need:
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp of baking powder
- 1.5 bottles of your favourite local beer
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp of dried chicken bouillon
- 1 tsp of dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tbsp of yellow ballpark mustard
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed into a paste
- Vegetable oil for frying
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour in the beer and yellow mustard and whisk until thoroughly combined. Now send those little fish fingers for a swim in that batter.
6. Fry the fish
Here's what you need:
- Vegetable oil, for frying
In a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer, heat the oil to 350 degrees. Slowly drop the battered fish fingers into the oil, turning occasionally for about five minutes or until crispy, golden brown.
7. Toast those tortillas
Here's what you need:
- Six flour tortillas
Hold those magical rounds of corn flour over a gas flame or flop them down on a dry skillet for a good warming, right before you serve your tacos. Place them on a platter along with your piping hot fish fingers, your bowls of zippy garnishes and a little pile of thinly-sliced cabbage.
Now crack a beer and sit back as your guests tell you what a genius you are.
Nice work.