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Made with crisply fried white fish and topped with crispy cabbage slaw and a delicious white sauce. This Baja Fish Taco is just like you get in the taco shops in San Diego and Baja, California.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Our oldest son moved to San Diego in January. One of my favorite things about San Diego is the fish tacos!
On our last visit, we enjoyed fish tacos five times in four days!I Our youngest daughter was with us on the trip. She has spent her whole life so far thinking she doesn’t like fish. But after our trip she realized she was wrong! She enjoyed fish tacos five times too!
I began having fish taco withdrawals as soon as we got home so I knew I had to figure out a way to make them at home! This recipe is pretty darn close to the real thing! Unfortunately, it doesn’t include the beautiful weather of San Diego though.
Ingredients Needed
- Fish. Use a light, white fish such as cod, halibut, mahi mahi or tilapia.
- Flour. I use unbleached all-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Egg
- Soda water or ginger ale, sprite or beer. We don’t drink so I use soda water or sprite and it works great.
- Corn Tortillas
- Cabbage. Shred or buy the pre shredded cabbage for cabbage slaw.
- White Sauce (see below for info)
- Oil for frying. I used canola or vegetable oil.
How to Make Baja Fish Tacos
- Cut the fish into two inch pieces.
- In a medium size bowl combine flour, cornstarch and soda water to make the batter.
- Dip fish pieces into batter until they are lightly coated. Let excess batter drip off fish.
- In a frying pan, heat oil to 375 degrees F. I used a cast iron skillet.
- Add battered fish pieces and cook until golden brown on all sides and fish is cooked through. You will need to do this in batches, you don’t want the fish touching the oil.
- Place cooked fish on a wire rack with a paper towel underneath.
White Sauce for Baja Fish Tacos
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Mayonnaise
- Lime
- Capers. Don’t leave this out
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Dill weed, dried
- Cayenne pepper or chili powder
- Tip #1
- The sauce is better if it is mixed up ahead and allowed to sit in the refrigerator for at least a few hours or overnight. The flavor improves as it sits.
How to Make White Sauce
- In a bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and whisk together.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator until ready to serve, at least an hour.
What to Put on A Baja Fish Taco
After placing fish into a corn tortilla top it with:
- Top with some chopped green cabbage slaw. It gives it a nice little crunch.
- Drizzle with white sauce. So good! Don’t skip this part!!
- Sprinkle with a bit of chopped cilantro if you like.
- Add a slice or two of avocado.
- Add some lime wedges for squeezing over top of taco.
- A bit of fresh pico de gallo would be delish too!
Frequently Asked Questions
A fish taco is traditionally served on a corn tortilla but if you prefer a flour tortilla, use it!
You want to use a mild, firm white fish. I like to use cod or tilapia because it is easy to find. You could also use halibut, mahi mahi, flounder or grouper.
These fish tacos are best enjoyed fresh, right after cooking. If you end up with leftovers store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Do not store with the cabbage and white sauce on them. Store that in separate containers. You can reheat in the oven or in an air-fryer.
For other taco recipes try these:
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Baja Fish Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fish cod, halibut or tilapia, cut into 1-2inch chunks
- 1 cup flour
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup soda water or beer used soda water
White Sauce
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mayo
- juice of one lime
- 1 tsp minced capers don’t leave this out
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dill weed dried
- 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1 quart oil for frying
- corn tortillas
- cabbage finely shredded
Instructions
White sauce
- In a bowl combine yogurt and mayo. Add in lime juice and seasonings. Allow to sit in refrigerator a few hours or overnight.
Fish
- Mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, egg and soda water to make batter. A few lumps is o.k.
- Heat oil in deep frying pan to 375 degrees. I used my cast iron skillet.
- Dip fish into batter and fry until crisp and golden brown and cooked through.
- Place on a cooling rack to drain and cool.
- To serve place fish in a corn tortilla. Garnish with sauce and shredded cabbage.
Tips & Notes:
- Top with some chopped green cabbage slaw. It gives it a nice little crunch.
- Drizzle with white sauce. So good! Don’t skip this part!!
- Sprinkle with a bit of chopped cilantro if you like.
- Add a slice or two of avocado.
- Add some lime wedges for squeezing over top of taco.
- A bit of fresh pico de gallo would be delish too!
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Nutrition Facts:
Brenda says
Love SanDiego! Love fish tacos! But I am not a fan of capers. You mention not to leave this ingredient out. Is there something else I could use in the sauce?