Fish Tacos

A great recipe for wonderful fresh fish tacos. Strips of fresh Sea Bass in a light beer batter inside corn tortillas, served with salsa, lime wedges and sour cream.

One of my favourite Mexican dishes and also one of the easiest to make. Simply cut fresh fish into strips, coat in flour then batter and then deep-fried until crispy on the outside. Served inside a warmed corn tortillas with a side of salsa made from tomatoes, sweetcorn, avocado, red onion, lime juice, coriander leaf, a little sugar and seasoning. A dollop of sour cream completes the dish.

The important thing here is the freshness of the sea bass and the salsa ingredients to give that true taste of Mexico. Making the salsa around 1-2 hours in advance lets the flavours fully develop, it is best kept at room temperature as tomatoes love the heat. It is also important to leave making the beer batter until the last-minute so it stays light.

Serves two People

Preparation time 15 minutes, cooking time less than 10 minutes (salsa best made 1-2 hours in advance)

 

Ingredients

2 Sea bass fillets – remove skin and cut into strips 2 cm thick

4 corn tortillas – warmed in a pan before serving

50g seasoned flour – in a plate or flat-bottomed bowl to coat fish

Oil to deep fry

Sour cream – a dollop on the side

Lime wedges – to garnish

For The batter

225-250g plain flour

330ml chilled lager beer – I used san miguel

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/3 tsp salt

For the salsa

4 round tomatoes – finely chopped

1 avocado – diced

2-3 Tbsp sweetcorn

1 medium red onion – diced

Handful coriander leaf – finely chopped

1 red chilli – finely sliced

Pinch of brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Cooking instructions

1. Start by making the Salsa. Combine ingredients in a glass bowl and mix well, cover and set aside at room temperature until ready to serve. The salsa is best made at 1-2 hours in advance as this gives the flavours time to develop.
2. Heat oil in a deep pan to around 190ºC – the oil needs to be deep enough to completely submerge the largest piece of fish. Heating the oil to this temperature also ensures the fish will cook very quickly and that the batter will seal and prevent oil seeping into the fish pieces.
3. Mix the batter ingredients in a deep bowl until a smooth batter is formed. Coat each piece of fish in the seasoned flour then into the batter mixture then add to the hot oil. The fish will cook very quickly and try to turn each piece after 1 minute. Once the fish is a light golden colour on all sides remove from the oil and drain well on absorbent paper.
4. Warm the corn tortillas in a frying pan, then serve immediately with the fish inside the tacos and the salsa on the side – adding it too early will make the tacos go soggy. A dollop of sour cream and a lime wedge completes the dish.