Most people do Friday night pizza, and while we tried that for a while at our house, we have since went old school and went back to fish Fridays. When I was a kid, we always did fish on Fridays, not because of religious reasons, but more because it was a tradition in my father’s family. It also gave us something to look forward to at the end of the week, and it was a guarantee of a healthy dinner. If we didn’t have the cash to get to the seafood market for fresh saltwater fish, we just went fishing in the backyard for catfish or brim. We usually enjoyed fried mullet, broiled snapper, fried catfish or brim. These days I am always looking for new fish recipes. I have heard of fish tacos for years, but have never had them. When I saw this recipe on Average Betty’s site, I just had to give them a try. I used tilapia fillets, because that’s what the fish guy recommended, but when I do these again, I’ll use mahi-mahi (what Average Betty recommended) or grouper. The tialpia fillets were almost too bland, especially after having discovered how to cook whole tilapia. Now I will not eat tilapia again unless it’s cooked whole, on the bone.
This recipe adapted very closely from Average Betty’s Baja Fish Tacos. You should also go look at her recipe, she also has a hilarious cooking video to accompany this recipe.
Yield: Serves 4
For the Cabbage
1/2 small red or green cabbage, thinly shredded
the juice of 1/2 a lime
a pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
For the Salsa
1 avocado, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
the juice from 1/2 a lime
a pinch of kosher salt
1 finely chopped jalapeno, optional
For the Sauce
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, grated
a dash of hot sauce
For the Fish
1 lb white fish, cubed (I used Tilapia)
3/4 cup AP flour
3/4 cup Mexican beer, I used Modelo Especial
1/2 teaspoon salt
vegetable or canola oil for frying
Small corn tortillas
For the Cabbage
Add all ingredients to a bow, mix well and set aside.
For the Salsa
Add all ingredients to a bowl, mix well set aside.
For the Sauce
Add all ingredients to a bowl, mix well set aside.
For the Fish
Preheat large skillet with about 1/2 - 1 inch deep in frying oil over high heat. Add flour, beer and salt to a large bowl. Mix well. Add fish and mix well to coat.
Add fish one piece at a time to hot oil. Brown on each side on high heat. Remove and place on paper towels to drain.
To Assemble
Warm corn tortillas in the microwave until soft and pliable. Take a tortilla, spread with sauce, then add fried fish, cabbage and salsa.
