Baja Fish Tacos
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Crispy beer-battered cod tucked into corn tortillas and topped with slaw and a smoky chipotle sauce, Baja fish tacos are the perfect summer meal.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Many years ago, Michael and I rented a convertible and drove up the California coast. One of our favorite stops was La Jolla, where we strolled around town and stumbled upon a Mexican restaurant with great food and breathtaking views of the Pacific ocean. I don’t know if it was the scenery, the margaritas, or the fact that we were on vacation, but the Baja fish tacos were out of this world. To recreate them at home, I came up with this version made with crispy beer-battered cod tucked into corn tortillas with a cabbage slaw and smoky chipotle sauce. I’m happy to say they come pretty darn close. To complete the meal, pair the tacos with chips, salsa, and guacamole.
“I have made these so many times – now my friends a family are all making them as well. The chipotle sauce is the star!”
What You’ll Need To Make Baja Fish Tacos
Most of the ingredients are pretty straightforward, except maybe the canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. If you’ve never had them, get ready to add a new staple to your pantry! They’re small peppers (usually red jalapeños) that have been dried and smoked, and they come in a spicy tomato sauce that has a smoky flavor. You can find them in the Latin section of most supermarkets, and I have many recipes that incorporate them.
How To Make Baja Fish Tacos
Begin by making the slaw, which is a combination of shredded red cabbage, chopped red onions, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, oil and salt.
Next, make the chipotle sauce by combining the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, mayonnaise, lime juice and garlic in a mini food processor or blender. I use three peppers for a spicy sauce; of course, use less if you prefer a milder sauce.
When you’re ready to fry the fish, prepare the beer batter by whisking together the flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Slowly pour in the beer, whisking all the while.
Cut the cod into 1-inch wide x 4-inch long strips.
Then dip the fish into the beer batter.
Pan-fry the fish until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. As you can see, there’s no need to deep fry the fish. I use about a 1/2 inch of oil, which is plenty as long as you flip the fish midway through.
If you’re wondering if you can skip the beer batter and frying altogether and just grill or pan-sear the fish, the answer is yes but the tacos won’t be nearly as good. Fried fish has a wonderfully crispy texture and depth of flavor that really can’t be achieved any other way. It’s worth it! Plus, even with the fried fish, these tacos are still amazingly light and fresh.
When the fish is golden brown, drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
Warm up the corn tortillas (I do it in the microwave), then assemble the tacos with a generous amount of chipotle sauce, a heap of cabbage slaw and a piece of crispy cod. Serve with lime wedges, lots of napkins and enjoy!
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Baja Fish Tacos
Crispy beer-battered cod tucked into corn tortillas and topped with slaw and a smoky chipotle sauce, Baja fish tacos are the perfect summer meal.
Ingredients
For the Cabbage Slaw
- 5 cups (or one 10-ounce bag) shredded red cabbage
- 3 tablespoons minced red onion
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Chipotle Sauce
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, from one lime
- 2-3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (canned), roughly chopped, plus 1-2 teaspoons sauce (see note below)
- 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
For the Beer Batter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup beer
For the Fish and Tortillas
- 1½ pounds skinless cod, cut into 1-inch wide x 4-inch long strips
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas, warmed
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Toss the cabbage, red onion, cilantro, vinegar, oil and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotle chiles with sauce and garlic in a blender or mini food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Mix the flour, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Gradually add the beer, whisking until the batter is smooth with no lumps. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet, over medium heat, add enough oil to reach a depth of ½-inch. Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F, or when the end of a wooden spoon sizzles when dipped into the oil.
- Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, dip the fish strips in the beer batter and coat on both sides. Let the excess batter drip off, then fry the fish in the hot oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Smear each tortilla with a generous amount of the chipotle sauce, then top with the cabbage slaw. Lay one piece of fish inside each tortilla and serve with lime wedges.
- Note: 3 chipotle peppers and 2 teaspoons sauce will give you a spicy sauce. Use less for a milder sauce. You can freeze any leftover chipotle peppers from the can.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately 3 tablespoons of oil are absorbed into the fish when fried.
- Note: Nutritional Information does not include the chipotle sauce.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 577
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 66 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 39 g
- Sodium: 1025 mg
- Cholesterol: 73 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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A great recipe for authentic fish tacos. You won’t be disappointed!
What temperature would you fry the fish at? I was thinking 375 F.
Hi Lon, Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Hope you enjoy!
I’m not even kidding when I say these are some of the best fish tacos I have ever had! Making them for a fourth time. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
These are amazing! Replaced mayonnaise with sour cream (just personal preference) and used green cabbage (no red available). Flavor combination of crispy fish, corn tortilla, slaw and spicy sauce were perfect. We will certainly be making these again.
I adore this recipe! They are the best fish tacos ever, rivaling any you’ll have in Southern California! Each aspect adds a layer of flavor that enhances the fish, without overpowering it. They are a little time consuming to make, but you can easily make the cabbage slaw and chipotle sauce ahead of time. Perfection!!
As a California native, I have to say these are well deserving of 5 stars! I have MISSED Baja Fish tacos since living in the southern United States it’s not something I’ve seen on any menus out here sadly. Jen, you’re story driving down the California coast and stopping in La Jolla brought me back home! I had no idea how easy these were to make! SUPER delicious and the sauce really makes it!! I used olive oil to fry the fish, and also substituted green cabbage for red in the slaw! It came out great! These will be a staple now in our home!
I loved all the flavors together. They were delicious. I had problems with frying the fish. The batter on the fish kept sticking to the pan and ended up falling off the fish. I know I had it hot enough because I used an electric fry pan and had it at the correct temperature. Any suggestions to make them look crispy and look like yours in the picture?
Hmmm… I would guess that the oil wasn’t hot enough, but you mentioned you had the correct temperature. Next time you may want to try using a non-stick pan.
Hello, We tried this recipe from your book and the fish stuck to the pan during frying. We used a half inch of oil heated to approximately 350. Even so the batter stuck to the bottom. Any ideas what we didn’t do correctly?? We still liked the tacos! JD and Karen
Hi JD, Sorry you had a problem with this! It could be that your oil was not hot enough. Here’s a good link that shows how to tell when the oil is the right temperature. Hope you have more success next time!
I made these for a potluck. They were amazing. I love getting fish and chips out and I love fish tacos, but I never make them myself. this was so easy. I didn’t change any of the ingredients, but I was trying not to break the bank, so I cut smaller pieces of the fish and I was able to find these small/mini tortillas called street size in Mission brand. Everyone loved them and finished them all. Thank you. I’ll be making them again for myself at home.
DELICIOUS!!! I would give this recipe 10 STARS
So I made some variations:
1. Used Broccoli Slaw instead of Cabbage
2. Used Frozen Costco Tilapia Filets (3-3.5 min per side) and cut them in 1/2
3. 1.25 cup vs 1 cup of beer since my batter was too dry
These are amazing. We make them at least once per week! Is it possible to use something besides vegetable oil for the cabbage, and frying the fish? Or could the fish be baked in the oven, perhaps?
Hi Gigi, I suggest vegetable oil for the slaw because it has a mild flavor, but you can substitute another oil if you’d prefer. And, while I think you get the best result from frying the fish, a few readers have commented that they’ve baked it and have been happy with the results. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it this way!
Hi! I LOVE your recipes! I have a question about this one. I don’t like putting any form of alcohol in my food. What can I replace with the beer that’ll still provide a similar texture and taste? Thanks!
Hi Rafia, So glad you like the recipes! You can use club soda in place of the beer–they will still be delicious!