Chipotle-Beer Battered Fish Tacos…and We Turned 6!

Tacos.

My Achilles….

Well, one of the many at least.

And I gladly use ANY excuse to have them.

Monday = Taco Tuesday Eve…

Tuesday = Taco Tuesday!

Wednesday = The NEW Taco Tuesday...

Thursday = The NEW Taco Wednesday…

Friday = Five More Days Until Taco Tuesday….

So it’s really no surprise that I’d default to them in light of our 6th Blogiversary!

Yes Friends, this week marks 6 years that I turned to this space to jabber about food, share lots of pics and tell random anecdotes about my family and loved ones.

Thanks so much for sticking around with me through the years and for all of the wonderful messages and positive energy you send through the blog-o-verse.

I heart y’all dearly. ❤

And if I could, I would invite EVERYONE over for a Taco Fiesta to show my appreciation! But alas, mi casa is tiny….

So for now, let me share with you these Chipotle-Beer Battered Fish Tacos. It’s a riff on the beloved Baja Fish Tacos with a slight smoky kick from the addition of chipotles and adobo sauce. They’re wonderfully crisp, bright, and will just put a big–BIG smile on your face.

Much, MUCH ALOHAS to you all…and here’s to many more Foodventures! ❤

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Chipotle-Beer Battered Fish Tacos
Makes approximately 8-12 tacos

Ingredients:

1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
2 whole chipotle peppers (canned in adobe sauce), divided
2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
vegetable oil
1 pound cod or other firm white fish, cut into 1½ strips|
kosher salt
black pepper
1½ cups all purpose flour
2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 ounces cold lager (I used Pacifico)
8-12 small tortillas (I used homemade flour tortillas)
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced cucumbers
sliced avocados
pickled red onions
1 cup thinly sliced radish
2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges
hot sauce

Place the crema, 1 chipotle pepper, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce and lime juice in a blender. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready for use.

Fill a heavy bottom pot with about 2 inches of oil. Heat until it reaches 375 degrees F.

While the oil heats, prepare the fish. Using paper towels, blot off any excess moisture from the fish. Season well with kosher salt and pepper.

Place ½ cup of the flour in a shallow dish. Whisk ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper into the flour. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Slowly whisk in the beer until just combined. Mince the remaining chipotle pepper finely and add it with the remaining adobo sauce to the batter. Whisk until just combined.

Work in batches of 3-4 pieces at a time to cook the fish. First, dredge the fish into the seasoned flour. Dust off any excess flour before dipping them into the batter. Allow the excess batter to run off the fish before carefully laying it into the heated oil. Fry the fish for about 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the fish from the oil and drain on a wire rack that has been placed over a tray or plate. Continue with the process until all of the fish has been cooked.

Assemble the tacos. Warm each tortilla over a skillet, open flame or microwave. Place a small mound of shredded cabbage inside the tortillas. Top with avocado, cucumbers, pickled onions, 1-2 pieces of crispy fish, radish slices, tomatoes, drizzle of chipotle crema, and cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges and hot sauce (optional).