Have you ever had a fish taco? Yeah, yeah let’s try to ignore the obvious joke insertion here. I wanted to make those jokes too prior to having one. Here in New York there is actually a shortage of really good, fresh baja style tacos in general. The kind of Mexican tacos you typically find here come in a crunchy corn shell and have some kind of super dressed meat or chicken, heavy on the cheese and sour cream. Here in New York, fish tacos are a rare occurence.
So what IS Baja Style? Baja style is characterized by fresh, healthy, light ingredients with a heavy emphasis on fish, fresh salsas and salad- it’s kind of a mix of California style meets Mexico. I for one really enjoy Baja style Mexican food because it doesn’t weigh in your stomach like you ate a lead, cheese covered brick.
SO, as of right now, the LAST time I ate an excellent fish taco was last spring, right around April or May when I was down in South Carolina for my friend’s wedding. Part of our celebrations included a mandatory trip to Taco Boy a great Baja style Mexican restaurant right near Foley Beach- it’s so quintessentially beach bum, one of those places you can go to in your flip flops with sand still in-between your toes. The fish taco they had there was damn near perfect. The fish so lightly battered placed on just the right amount of shredded cabbage, a few slices of radish, a wedge of lime and a light, lovely ancho chili yogurt dressing all for a mere $3.95 each! I ate about four of them, washing it all down with a margarita on the rocks. This taco was the type of food that you think about for months after you eat it. So, from the second after I ate one, my quest to recreate the experience commenced. Since I knew that finding a comparable fish taco in New York was not going to happen, my only option WAS to recreate. The below comes as close as I can get and it’s pretty damn close. I like to use cod because it holds up well to frying. I also pair this and ANY Mexican food I make with fresh pico de gallo. Go get yourself some Coronas and enjoy!
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup beer
For the Sauce:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 teaspoon minced capers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 quart oil for frying
1 pound cod fillets, cut into 2 to 3 ounce portions
1 (12 ounce) package flour tortillas
1/2 medium head cabbage, (white or purple) shredded
For the Batter:
To make beer batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).
In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.
Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees.
Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Warm your tortillas. I like to do this by placing the in-between paper towels and microwave them for up to 1 minute. To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo and white sauce.
Fresh Pico de Gallo:
1 medium tomato, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine tomato, onion, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno pepper, cilantro and green onion. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
No comments:
Post a Comment