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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.
“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.
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.
Can I Make Baja Fish Tacos Without Frying the Fish?
You can grill or pan-sear the fish instead, but I really recommend sticking with the beer batter and frying. The crispy coating is what makes these Baja fish tacos so special, and it’s the perfect contrast to the fresh toppings. If you’d prefer a lighter, unfried version, I have a delicious fish taco recipe in my second cookbook.
Baja Fish Tacos
Ingredients
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
Nutrition Information
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:
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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I am Latina and lived in SoCal and Baja. We do not use red cabbage or spicy sauce for Baja tacos. The fish should be very fresh, grilled and use lots of lime. The white sauce is on the internet. But, I will try your recipe for a Sunday.
So very good! I loved the beer batter on the fish. Felt like we were eating at a restaurant.
This is the first dish I made from this site, and the one that led me to Jen and all her wonderful recipes. These fish tacos are the closest to the ones I’ve had on the coast of Mexico. Don’t skip the chipotle sauce! It really makes the dish. My husband refers to it as “tartar sauce” and asks for it all the time ☺️
Delicious! Our go-to fish taco recipe!
I am a dinner hero!!! This was a hit. The Chipotle Sauce really shined. I also had leftover green sauce from the Peruvian Chicken recipe – that it was a nice addition to the tacos and on our rice side dish. My granddaughter – who does not like fish – enjoyed her Baja Tacos – and asked for seconds on the meat…… 🙂 we just had to make sure our description did not include the word fish – and all was good…..
Hi Jen,
I have made these before and they were amazing.
I don’t want to fry the fish so I was wondering if you can put it in the air fryer?
Hi Rani, Glad you like them! I don’t have an air fryer and don’t know much about using one so it’s hard to say for sure – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful in converting traditional recipes to air fryer versions. Hope that helps at least a bit!
We made these tacos today, and they were wonderful!!
My first time cooking fish (!) – and was so pleased, with Jenn’s instructions, the process was incredibly quick and easy. Came together in a flash.
The fish, my family decided, was the best they had ever eaten, and requested that it be put on fortnightly rotation!
So fresh and flakey and juicy, with beautiful crispy batter. Far cry from anything you could buy in the UK (and we’ve eaten a lot of fish and chips!) One family member thinks it was even better than the fresh battered fish we had in a hotel in Scotland (a meal which has been our gold standard for fish for over a decade!)
The mayo was also really great – I would make it regularly as a dip with other meals. Taste totally disproportionate to the effort involved!
My only regret is I could only make 1/2 lb of fish for 4 people because of the inflated EU fish prices (£4.50 on sale from £5). Here’s hoping Brexit will bring a harvest of fish!
Thank you once again, Jenn – you’re a genius!
BEST EVER! Thank you these came out amazing. Our local supermarket did not have corn tortillas so we made a batch from scratch… all around delicious and will definitely make again. Already had to share the recipe with a bunch of people who saw our pictures of it on Instagram. thank you!
OMG!!! So I made these for my brother-in-law awhile back, & I was visiting again (they are out of state) & his 1 request was that I make these fish tacos again. I thought I had saved the recipes, because last time I made a different recipe for the beer battered fish & a sauce, & I made the chipotle sauce as well that I pulled from another recipe. I must not have saved them, cause I went into panic mode when I couldn’t find them. But I found this & he just remembered the chipotle sauce, so I made this entire recipe, and it’s clear that I didn’t make this one last time at all cause they were sooo much better this time. I don’t even have words for how good these tacos are. The garlic is everything in the sauce, & they turned out so good. If your in the mood for some great fish tacos & you like a little kick (you can always adjust the amount of chipotle peppers) you have to try these. Well done Jenn. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Hello,
Made this recipe tonight and it was delicious! Everyone said it the best fish tacos they’ve had. Followed everything as instructed. Flavor was perfect 😋
Thank you Jen!
Hi Jen,
I made the fish and they were very tasty! One small problem. Cast iron skillet was used with the appropriate amount of oil. Waited till oil was good and hot and my wooden spoon sizzled.
The batter was nice and crunchy, BUT it fell off the fish and stuck to the bottom of the skillet. 🙁
What did I do wrong, or do you have any questions? I would like to try it again. As I did enjoy the flavor and ease of the batter. I used club soda as I cannot have beer.
Thanks!!!!
PS
Preordered your new cookbook. Can’t wait!!
Kim
Thanks so much for preordering the book! 🙂
And sorry you had a problem with the batter sticking to the skillet. Although the spoon sizzled (and it’s a good way to gauge if the oil is hot enough) it’s not foolproof. To be certain, you could measure the oil temperature with a thermometer next time. Also, you may want to use a nonstick pan and jostle the fish around a little before flipping it to ensure that it’s not sticking. Hope that helps!
Thanks Jenn!
I will be sure to give that a try!