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)

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.

How To Make Baja Fish Tacos

Make the slaw: Begin by making the slaw, which is a combination of shredded red cabbage, chopped red onions, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, oil and salt.

Make the sauce: 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.

Batter and fry the fish: Whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper, then add the beer to make the batter. Cut the fish into strips and dip them into the batter. Pan-fry in a shallow layer of oil, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

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.

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Baja Fish Tacos

4.94 (316 reviews)

By Jennifer Segal

Slaw and chipotle sauce adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Inspired by the fish tacos of Baja California, these are fresh, flavorful, and surprisingly easy to make at home. Perfect for a fun, casual dinner!

Servings: 4

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the Cabbage Slaw

• 5 cups (or one 10-oz/283-g 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 to 3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, canned, roughly chopped, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sauce (see note below)
• 1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped

For the Beer Batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup beer

For the Fish and Tortillas

• 1½ lb skinless cod, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) wide x 4-in (10-cm) long strips
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 12 (6-in/15-cm) soft corn tortillas, warmed
• Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

• Make the cabbage slaw: Toss the cabbage, red onion, cilantro, vinegar, oil, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Make the chipotle sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotle chiles with sauce, and garlic in a blender or mini food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Make the batter: 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-in (13-mm). Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°F (175°C), or until 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, coat on both sides, and let the excess batter drip off.
• 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.

Notes

• 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.
• Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately 3 tablespoons of oil are absorbed into the fish when fried; it does not include the chipotle sauce.

Pair with

• 

  Guacamole
• 

  Salsa (Restaurant-Style)

Nutrition Information

Per serving (4 servings) Calories: 577kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 39gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1025mgFiber: 7gSugar: 4g

Nutritional Data Disclaimer

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.

See more recipes:

• Dinner
• Fish & Seafood
• Most Popular
• Mexican Recipes
• Tex-Mex Recipes

What To Serve with Fish Tacos

These tacos practically beg for margaritas, chips, salsa, guacamole, and plenty of lime wedges. If you’re having friends over and want to make a meal of it, start with jalapeño poppers and finish with churro cupcakes.

Make-Ahead & Storage Tips

Make-Ahead: The cabbage slaw and chipotle sauce can both be made up to a day in advance and refrigerated separately in airtight containers. Give the slaw a good toss before serving, as it may release some liquid as it sits. The fish is best battered and fried just before serving so it stays nice and crispy.

Storage: Leftover slaw will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, though it will soften over time. The chipotle sauce will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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