Mar 12, 2010
7
reviews
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Beer-Battered Fish Tacos

Adding beer to the batter helps the fish for these tacos fry up golden brown.
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fish tacos Enlarge Image Credit: Penny De Los Santos
1 1⁄2 cups shredded green
 cabbage
2 limes (1 cut into wedges)
1 1⁄2 tbsp. kosher salt,
   plus more to taste
2 cups flour
1⁄2  cup cornstarch
1 12-oz. bottle dark beer
1 egg
Canola oil, for frying
1 lb. boneless, skinless red snapper,
   cut into 1 1⁄2" strips
2 tsp. chili powder
16  corn tortillas
1⁄4 red onion, thinly sliced
4 sprigs cilantro, chopped
1 tomato, cored and chopped
Sour cream or crema
Mexican hot sauce
        
1. In a bowl, combine cabbage and juice of 1 lime; season with salt, to taste; chill. In another bowl, whisk together 1 1⁄2 tbsp. salt, 1 1⁄2 cups flour, cornstarch, beer, and egg to make a batter.

2. Pour oil into a 5-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2"; heat until a thermometer reads 375˚. Sprinkle fish with chili powder and salt. Put remaining flour on a plate. Dredge fish in flour; shake off excess. Working in batches, dip fish in batter and fry until crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a rack set inside a sheet pan; keep warm in 200˚ oven.

3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add tortillas; cook, flipping, until warmed. To serve, layer 2 tortillas together, fill with some of the fish and cabbage, squeeze with a lime wedge, and garnish with onion, cilantro, tomato, sour cream, and hot sauce. Repeat.

SERVES 4

fish tacos

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #127

Ratings & Reviews (7)

noAvatar
Can this be done with cornstarch (or other GF flour mix) instead of wheat flour? You have a lot of GF people who subscribe to Saveur and it would be nice if some of the simpler recipes were also tried with GF alternatives.
This recipe looks terrific and I want to try it with a GF mix, but wish someone else would make some of the mistakes for me :-}
Thanks
noAvatar
Really quite good.. I did expect the batter to be crunchier and I do think it would be a 5 star recipe had it been so.
noAvatar
Easy, light and flavorful. I’ve never fried anything in my life and the comment about non-crispy batter worried me. But I think that possibly the reviewer was not using hot-enough oil, because my fish came out light/golden/crispy. Fish tacos were one of my favorite foods when I lived in Brooklyn and this recipe brought them right back. Awesome!
noAvatar
very quick and easy to make. the beer, cabbage, and red chili powder are key to the recipe. you can probably reduce the salt a little bit in the batter.
noAvatar
I agree that the batter was doughy and soft! I had my thermometer in the oil so I know it was at the suggested temp! I probably would have also given it 5 stars as the rest of the flavors were wonderful, but the soft batter made it less appetizing. I patted the fish dry and did everything suggested. I guess I'll just look for a more appropriate batter!

Joanne
noAvatar
many better fish taco recipes, such as in the las vegas issue.
noAvatar
The batter was far too gummy. It never crisped up. I think it's the egg and too much flour. It was like pancake batter. I've certainly made better.
Beer-Battered Fish Tacos 3 5 5 7

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