Next up for our Cinco de Mayo week are my absolutely ridiculous, over-the-top fried fish tacos. Now people, these aren't your ordinary fish tacos. Because I've had those fish tacos that are fried well and served with some sauce, maybe some lettuce and jalapenos... but they were just missin' something (apparently a whole lot of somethin'). I coated some small fish filets in my favorite beer batter and fried them until they were golden brown & crispy. After that, I made a whole bunch of different toppings. Let's start with the Mango de Gallo and the Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa...
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| Mango de Gallo & Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa |
The Mango de Gallo is sweet & fruity, which perfectly complements the fried fish. And the corn salsa is just damn good. I'm a lover of corn. Big lover. We just ate the corn salsa with chips for days. So don't leave either of these components out, they're key to fish taco greatness. I also made a coleslaw tossed in a homemade Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette for some acidity and freshness to cut through the heaviness of the beer batter and tartar sauce. I love this coleslaw... put it on every taco that you can, people. Lastly, there is the Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce, which is personally my favorite component. It's spicy and creamy, and pretty much what dreams are made of. I will be making this again when I make homemade fish sticks... or fried shrimp. By the way, did I mention that I hate fish?! Yes, it's true. The stuff gives me the heeby-geebies. But guess what, I friggin' loved these tacos. So much so, that we will be making them again very soon. Most likely this weekend!! Enjoy :)
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| Always Garnish with Some Crumbled Cotija Cheese... |
For the Beer Battered Fish:
2C AP Flour (plus a little extra)
Pinch of Salt
1t Baking Powder
½C + 2T Seltzer Water
½C + 2T Beer
Thin Filets of Cod Fish (or any other white, flaky fish)
Few Drops of Yellow Food Dye
1Q Canola Oil
Salt & Pepper, For Sprinkling
For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette:
½C Red Wine Vinegar, Honey, & Olive Oil
2t Dijon Mustard
2t Adobo Sauce
½t Paprika
¼t Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, & Dried Oregano
For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw:
1 ½C Coleslaw Mix
2-3 Green Onions, Chopped (depending on how much onion you like)
1 Large Jalapeno, Seeded & Diced
Prepared Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
Salt & Pepper, To Taste
For the Mango de Gallo:
1C Mango, Cut into Small Cubes
1 Jalapeno, Seeded & Diced
¼C Chopped Cilantro
½C Red Onion, Finely Diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 Lime, Zested & Juiced
Salt & Pepper, To Taste
For the Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa:
1 Poblano Chile Pepper, Roasted & Diced
1C Corn Kernels, Charred
1 Small Jalapeno Pepper, Seeded & Chopped
2T Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
2T Red Onion, Chopped
2T Fresh Lime Juice
2t Olive Oil
½t Sugar
Salt & Pepper, To Taste
For the Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce:
½C Mayo
1t Fresh Cilantro, Minced
½t Dijon Mustard
1t Capers, Roughly Chopped
1t Sweet Onion, Minced
1 Roasted Poblano, Seeded & Diced
1 Roasted Jalapeno, Seeded & Diced
½t Lime Zest
Salt & Pepper, To Taste
For the Fish Tacos:
Flour Tortillas
Prepared Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce
Crispy Beer Battered Fried Fish Filets
Prepared Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw
Prepared Mango de Gallo
Prepared Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa
Pico de Gallo, Fresh Lime, or Cotija Cheese
Directions:
1. For the Beer Battered Fish: Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 375 degrees. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add in the seltzer, beer, and yellow food dye. Whisk until lumps are gone. Dip the filets into some plain AP Flour, so that it is completely covered, and then shake off the excess. Dip the floured filets into the batter and gently lay into the hot oil for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and flaky inside. Sprinkle the fried fish with salt and pepper.
2. For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients, except oil in a blender and blend on low speed for 10 seconds. Slowly drizzle the oil into the blender on low speed. Chill the finished dressing for at least an hour.
3. For the Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Coleslaw: In a medium-mixing bowl, toss the coleslaw mix with the diced jalapenos and green onions until incorporated. Coat the coleslaw mixture with the prepared chipotle-honey vinaigrette until completely coated. Set it aside until ready to assemble the tacos.
4. For the Mango de Gallo: Add in all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve on the tacos.
5. For the Roasted Chile-Charred Corn Salsa: Add in all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve on the tacos.
6. For the Roasted Poblano Tartar Sauce: Whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. Assembling the Fried Fish Tacos: Line 3 tortillas on a plate, and then spread on some of the homemade roasted poblano tartar sauce. Place 1-2 pieces of beer battered fish onto each tortilla and top with chipotle-honey vinaigrette coleslaw and mango de gallo. Garnish with a spoonful of chunky guacamole, Pico de gallo, some onion, a squeeze of lime, and crumbled Cotija cheese (optional).
