Best 6 Baja Style Tempura Fish Recipes

BAJA FISH TACOS

Steps:

• Toss the cabbage, red onion, cilantro, vinegar, oil and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotle chiles with sauce and garlic in a blender or mini food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• 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-inch. Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F, or when 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 and coat on both sides. Let the excess batter drip off, then 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.
• Note: 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.
• Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately 3 tablespoons of oil are absorbed into the fish when fried.
• Note: Nutritional Information does not include the chipotle sauce.

BAJA-STYLE TEMPURA FISH TACOS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cold water, lime juice, garlic, chiles, oregano (if using) and salt. Add the fish and set aside at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the ice water and mustard. Gently stir in the flour, being careful not to overmix the batter; a few small lumps are okay. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Drain the fish and pat the pieces dry with a paper towel. Have a plate lined with paper towels or a cut-open brown paper bag at the ready.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat at least 2 to 3 inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 360°F (182°C) on a deep-fry or candy or instant-read thermometer.
• Remove the tempura batter from the refrigerator and stir to recombine.
• Dredge a few pieces of fish at a time in the batter, turning to coat them evenly. Gently lower a couple pieces of fish into the oil, adding a couple more pieces every 30 seconds. Fry no more than 4 pieces at a time. Fry the fish, turning as needed, until the pieces are crisp, light golden brown, and floating on the surface of the oil, about 2 1/2 minutes. Monitor the temperature of the oil throughout frying, letting the oil return to proper temperature between batches; to ensure crispness, it must remain a constant 360°F to 380°F (182°C to 193°C).
• Using a fine-mesh skimmer, transfer the fried fish to the paper towel-lined plate or brown paper bag to drain. Repeat with the remaining fish and batter, being sure to remove any flecks of floating fried batter in between batches.
• Place the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping, on a platter. (If using extra tortillas, simply double them up.) Divvy the slaw and fish equally among the tortillas. Top with salsa and desired garnishes or allow guests to do so themselves. Grab, fold, and eat right away.

BAJA FISH TACOS WITH CHIPOTLE CREAM

Steps:

• FISH TACOS: Heat peanut oil to 350F in a large dutch oven or deep fryer. In a 9" x13" glass dish, combine club soda and tempura batter mix. Season fish with salt and pepper. Coat pieces of fish in batter and carefully drop them into the hot oil to cook.
• Fry for about 3 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Warm tortillas in the microwave or in a dry skillet over medium heat. Pile some fried fish on each corn tortilla and top with chipotle cream, red onion, cabbage and cilantro sprigs. Squeeze on some fresh lime juice and enjoy.
• CHIPOTLE CREAM: Combine ingredients in a small mixing bowl with a spoon or rubber spatula until combined, adding more or less chipotle according to your taste.

BAJA FISH TACOS

Steps:

• For the sauce: Mix all ingredients together and set aside.
• Preheat a fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with oil to 375 degrees F.
• Mix 1 of the packages of batter, but only use 1/2 the required amount of water and use beer for the remaining amount instead. Add the beer until the batter becomes almost like a heavy cream consistency.
• Using the other package of batter add salt and garlic powder, coat cod pieces with the dry mix, then dip into prepared batter. Deep-fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
• Place fried cod pieces on warmed corn tortillas, add white sauce to fish, a little shredded cabbage and a squeeze of lime, to taste.

GRILLED BAJA FISH TACOS

Steps:

• Whisk cider vinegar, vegetable oil, and salt together in a small bowl. Combine cabbage, scallions, and cilantro in a separate bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over top and toss to coat; set cabbage slaw aside.
• Combine chili powder, salt, coriander, cumin, and pepper in a bowl. Pat fish dry and rub with vegetable oil. Rub fish evenly with spice mixture. Place fish on a wire rack and refrigerate until grill is ready.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat with the lid down for 10 to 15 minutes.
• While the grill is heating, combine mayonnaise, 1/2 of the lime juice, chipotle peppers, and garlic in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Scrape the hot grill grate until clean. Dip a paper towel in vegetable oil and quickly rub it over the grate. Lay fish on the grill, perpendicular to the bars of the grate.
• Cook until fish is opaque and flakes apart when gently prodded, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Tear fish apart into a bowl and pour remaining lime juice over top.
• Place several tortillas in a single layer on the grill and cook until warm, about 10 seconds per side. Transfer to a tortilla warmer and repeat to warm remaining tortillas.
• Smear warm tortillas with mayonnaise mixture, then add fish, cabbage slaw, and queso fresco.

FISH TACOS - BAJA STYLE

Steps:

• Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, garlic, cayenne, mustard,oregano, 1 teaspoons salt, and pepper until well blended. Stir in the beer until there are no lumps. (Batter may be made several hours ahead and refrigerated).
• Trim the fish of all blood lines, skin, and bones. Cut into pieces the size and shape of your index finger. Sprinkle with a few drops of lime juice and a little salt. (If not using immediately, wrap and refrigerate). Pour the oil into a deep, wide pan to a depth of 2 inches and heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. I use a thermometer, or you can drop a bit of batter into the oil and it should rise up quickly surrounded by little bubbles.
• Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Check the thickness of the batter by dipping in one piece of the fish. The batter should be the consistency of medium-thick pancake batter, coating the fish easily but dripping very little. Add a little beer if the batter seems too thick.
• Add the fish to the batter. Using tongs or chopsticks, swish each piece to make sure it is thoroughly coated, then lift out of the batter, let it drip once, and lay the fish gently into the hot oil. Cook a few pieces at a time until they float and the batter is set but still very light in color. If a piece sticks to the bottom, leave it alone and it will release itself.
• Remove the fish to a rack to drain; reserve the frying oil. (The fish can be prepared ahead to this point, cooled on a rack, and refrigerated uncovered. Cool the oil and reserve).
• When you are ready to serve, reheat the oil to 350-360°F and refry the fish a few pieces at a time until crisp and golden brown.
• To serve, hold a tortilla in your hand and add a spoonful of guacamole. Top with fish and squeeze lime over the whole thing. Then add the secret sauce, salsa, shredded cabbage, cilantro and onion as desired.