If we go out for dinner and fish tacos are on the menu, I’m probably going to order them. I like both the fried and non fried versions, especially if they come with a good sauce. My family really likes meat, so it can be tough to make meals that are seafood or vegetarian. These crispy fish tacos with avocado cilantro sauce are so delicious though that everyone is happy.
I usually use cod for fish tacos since it holds up well to frying, but you can really use any white fish. The average grocery store seafood counter fish is not that trustworthy since you know the seafood was frozen, but not how long its been sitting defrosted. I prefer to buy frozen and defrost it myself so I know its freshly thawed. This helps cut down on unwanted over fishiness. If you live somewhere costal and you have access to actually fresh fish, so much better.
I serve my fish tacos on corn tortillas and I always warm/char them before serving. This makes them SO much better. Just heat a frying pan until really hot, give a spritz of oil, and place tortillas in for 30 seconds or so until they start to get some brown spots. Flip to the other side for 30 seconds or so and place on a plate until a towel. This keeps them nice and pliable until you want to eat them.
In my opinion fish tacos need both coleslaw of some type, and sauce. There are a lot of variations and options for these and you can experiment with different combos. Today I made a simple coleslaw with green cabbage, carrot, a little mayo, salt, garlic powder and some white vinegar. For topping the tacos, I made avocado cilantro sauce which is made of those two things plus jalapeno, sour cream or mayo, salt, garlic and a little vinegar blended in the blender. So yummy!!
Crispy Fish Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
Ingredients
For the Tacos:
- 1 1/2 lbs white fish
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup light beer
- oil for frying
- corn tortillas
- coleslaw and sauce for topping
For the Coleslaw:
- 1/2 head green cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot grated
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 2-3 tbsp white vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- sugar to taste optional
For the Sauce:
- 1 jalapeno stemmed and seeded if you want less heat
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 avacado
- 1/4 cup mayo or sour cream
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- salt to taste
Instructions
Make the coleslaw:
- Combine the ingredients in a large bowl and toss with clean hands until the cabbage starts to wilt. Set aside in the fridge while you make the rest of the food.
Make the sauce:
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth. If the sauce is too thick you can thin it with some water. Taste it adjust the salt and vinegar until it tastes good.
Make the fish:
- Cut the fish into bite sized pieces and dry them with some paper towels. Put 1/2 of the flour in a shallow bowl. Combine the rest of the flour, cornstarch and seasonings in another bowl.
- Add the beer and egg to this mix and stir until well combined.
- Place the oil in the deep pot and heat to 350 degrees. Dip each piece of fish into the flour first, then into the batter. Place into the hot oil Cook several at a time, but overload the oil or it won't stay hot and the fish will be greasy.
- Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the fish is golden brown and crispy. The frying will get much quieter when the fish is cooked through. Drain on a paper towel lined sheet pan and sprinkle with salt.
To serve:
- Heat a frying pan very hot and spray with a film of oil. Add several tortillas and fry briefly until they start to char, then flip and do the other side. Slide onto a plate and cover with a towel until they are all done.
- Top a tortilla with fried fish, coleslaw and some sauce and enjoy!