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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Comments
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Hi Jenn, thank you for the recipe! My husband and I loved it! I have one small question. Do you know if there is no alcohol left after frying so that kids can eat too? Thank you!
The alcohol should burn off while cooking so it’s perfectly fine for kids to eat!
Jenn – I made these today they tasted wonderful – I make them a few times a year but this time I just couldn’t get the batter to stick on the fish. I mean it was on the fish but as it dries, it seemed not to puff up and coat like other times. Help!
Sorry you had a problem with these today! Did you have those issues before or after frying them?
No
Sorry for any confusion — what I’m trying to get at is whether the batter was a problem before you fried them or after you fried them.
The batter was fine . The right consistency . I dipped the fish in shook off the excess and put in batter which sizzled when I put wooden spoon in . But after the frying the fish was tanned but not crispy batter .
Hi Lee Ann, I suspect the oil wasn’t hot enough. The wooden spoon works well but unfortunately isn’t foolproof. If you plan to continue to make these, I’d recommend a deep-fry thermometer. They’re reasonably priced and they take all the guesswork out of it. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn,
It has been such a pleasure to try so many of your recipes! You have helped me improve my cooking skills and I now have several tried and true go-to recipes I know my family and friends think are wonderful! Tonight we all had a great experience eating your Baja Fish Tacos! Question: I used avocado oil to fry the fish. Is it ok to reuse the oil more than once? If so how many times and how would you recommend I store it?
Thank you!
Robin
Hi Robin, So glad you enjoy the recipes! Unfortunately, oil used to fry fish can only be used once. I’m sorry!
This recipe was so simple and delicious! I followed it exactly but I used Mahi Mahi instead of cod. I have always been afraid to use batter for some reason but this turned out perfectly. My kids liked it too minus the sauce which was a little too spicy for them. Next time I’ll make a kid friendly version with more mayo.
Even in a restaurant I have not had fish tacos this good.
Not a big mayo fan, could you use plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo?
Hi Jeff, It will work, but the sauce will definitely be on the tangy side – maybe use half each?
Hi Jenn, I love so many of your recipes! You’re my go-to site when I’m looking for ideas.
Is it possible to use a gluten free flour instead of regular white flour?
So glad you like the recipes! I haven’t made these with gluten-free flour, but I think it should work. Enjoy 🙂
Imagining myself eating these after a long day at the beach… What a moment that’d be!
The best. The chipotle sauce takes the tacos over the top.
Absolutely loved it! Three teenage boys made grunting noises 🤣. Note for next time, triple recipe. I didn’t make enough. Also had a little batter left over. Tossed in some yellow squash and fried that up. I love your book as well. Teaching my foster sons how to eat and cook real food is my heart’s mission. Appreciate you ❤
Glad it was a hit (and I love that you have foster kids AND that you’re teaching them such an important life skill)! ❤️❤️
This was really good, I’ve made this a few times. Question: has anyone used the fish batter for chicken, if so how did it come out?
My mom and I just made your Baja fish tacos and they were INCREDIBLE! I rarely go back for seconds but I couldn’t help myself. The chipotle sauce had the perfect amount of heat. I will never use another fish taco recipe again. My mom and I have made a couple of your recipes and we’re blown away by everything! Keep up the awesome work bringing delicious food to people who are cooking at home more often than ever ❤️