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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Beer Battered Mexican Fish Tacos [Zack]

I don't cook fish very often.  I like it, but never really prefer it over a veggie or meat dish.  So I can say that my wife knows me pretty well judging by the note she left me (click to enlarge):


Since I was cooking for myself and I had some leftover guacamole and tortilla shells, I figured I'd try to beer batter the white fish.  You know, make it healthy.


The beer batter is extremely simple to make.  You pour everything into a bowl and stir it.  If it's slightly thinner than pancake batter, you're ready to coat something with a delicious crunchy armor.  The bubbles in the beer and the baking soda make the coating very light and crispy.  The cumin and paprika give it a nice Mexican flavor and color.

Process:

Gather your beer batter ingredients:


Slice your fish into finger-sized strips.  I cut against the grain so it flakes once cooked.  Make sure you check for small bones in your fish (if you find some, needle-nose pliers or tweezers can pull them out without damaging the flesh).

Prepare your beer batter:  pour the flour, beer, baking soda, salt, and seasonings into a bowl.


If you have whole cumin seeds, you can grind them with the mortar and pestle.  I like the flavor better :)


Whisk together to combine everything, but don't over-mix it - you'll beat out all of the bubbles in the beer.  It should be similar to a thin pancake batter.


Ready any garnish that you need for your tacos and heat up your pan on medium heat.  Also, warm your taco shells up.  For garnish, I chose to have guacamole, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, cilantro, and a splash of lime juice.  You can always add sriracha too....

Add enough oil to the pan to coat the bottom with 1/4 of an inch of oil.  Let the oil heat up - you will know it's ready when you stick the handle of a wooden spoon in it and it bubbles quickly.

Toss your fish fillets in the beer batter and gently place them in the oil.  Cook them the same way you would cook pancakes (wait until the bottom browns around the edges, then flip!)


Once both sides are golden brown, take them out of the pan and transfer to a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.


Put the fish fillets directly into the taco or tortilla shells, garnish, and serve quickly while they are still warm.


Ingredients (makes about 5 tacos):
2 filets of white fish
3/8 cup flour
1/2 cup beer
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp of salt
sprinkle of paprika
sprinkle of cumin powder

Taco shells or tortillas

optional toppings:
sliced tomato
sliced onion
guacamole
lime wedges
cilantro
sour cream
tomato salsa
etc

Song to fry to:  Jamie Lidell - You naked:
You Naked by Jamie Lidell on Grooveshark

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