Taco Tuesday

When I was a senior at Davis, my gaggle of girls (and one boy) embarked on a poorly planned Spring break trip to Baja, Mexico.  I'm pretty sure our goal was to get tan and drink cheap margaritas.  We decided to camp on the beach (smart) and eat from roadside taco trucks.  It was at one such taco truck that I watched a lady prepare fish tacos from scratch.  When we got home, sunburned and broke, the recipe became one of my staples.  I made a spiffed up version this weekend with a mango relish, but the basic technique remains the same...

Baja Style Fish Tacos

1 1/2 lbs of fish (I used halibut, but often use snapper or tilapia)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp sea salt (plus a little more for finishing)

2 cups canola or rice bran oil for frying.

Cut fish into 2 inch pieces

Mix flour and salt in a wide, flat bowl

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a 3" deep wide skillet, keep a splatter guard handy

Sprinkle a pinch of flour into the oil to make sure it is hot. Dredge the fish through the flour, shaking off excess and place in skillet with about 1" of space between each piece.  You'll have to do a couple of batches.  Fry on one side for approximately 2 minutes, using tongs, flip the fish and cook for about 1 minute.  Transfer to a paper towel covered plate and sprinkle with sea salt.  

I always use corn tortillas, prepping them in a tortilla warmer. 

I prefer my tacos with a green avocado salsa, cabbage, cilantro and lime.  To make the mango relish, simply mince fresh mango, radish, cilantro, and a small pepper. I prefer serrano or jalapeno, but to make it more mild I used a pasilla for this particular version.  Mix with fresh lime juice and sea salt to taste.