There is something special about fish tacos. Combining the festive vibe of a taco with the flavors of fresh seafood and a crunchy slaw is something I will always be up for and they are really easy to make right at home.
My favorite fish tacos are made with lightly fried cod, some pico de gallo slaw and a generous amount of my homemade tartar sauce and even though this is how we are making fish tacos today, they are super versatile! Instead of cod, you can use haddock, halibut, mahi or rockfish and you don’t even need to fry them… pan seared or butter poached works deliciously too.
All you need to do is whip up some creamy tartar sauce, a crunchy slaw and dig in.
Let’s get started…
Start by making a batch of pico de gallo slaw by combining 10 ounces of very finely shredded green cabbage (angel hair cabbage, if you can find it) with 1/4 cup of finely chopped red onion, 1 cup of finely diced roma tomatoes (seeds removed), 1 small finely diced jalapeño (seeds removed to minimize heat), 1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro, 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice, 1/3 cup of Mexican crema and a big pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
This slaw is light, creamy and full of the classic pico flavors that I love.
Mix until everything is evenly distributed and set your slaw aside for now.
Now that the slaw is ready to go, it is time to make the lemon dill tartar sauce.
Now, if you are short on time, you could of course use a store bought tartar sauce, but making your own is really easy and totally worth it.
Combine 3/4 cup of a good quality mayonnaise (I love Duke’s!), 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 cup of finely chopped dill pickle, a heaping tablespoon of finely chopped fresh dill and a pinch of black pepper.
Mix everything together and chill your tartar sauce until the tacos are ready.
Now that the slaw and tartar sauce are ready, we can start making the star of the show… those crispy cod fillets. If you have ever struggled with getting your fish really crispy, you have to try this batter. It is straight forward and works really well.
In a shallow dish, whisk a cup of all purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a pinch of cayenne pepper and 1 cup of sparkling mineral water or beer.
Let the batter mixture chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to fry up the fish.
Be sure to have everything ready before you start frying. Place a deep skillet or dutch oven on your stove top over medium to medium high heat and add about 3 inches of a neutral oil.
While the oil is heating up, place a cooling rack over some parchment paper or a few sheets of paper towels. This is where the freshly fried fish will cool. If you place freshly fried fish onto a solid surface, it will become soggy as it cools, but if it cools on a cooling rack, all four sides will remain crispy and thats what we all want, right?
Cut your cod into strips about 4 inches long and 3/4 to 1 inch wide, dry them off with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper.
Once the oil is somewhere between 350 and 375 degrees, dip one piece of seasoned cod into the batter and flip it so all sides are coated generously. Pick the fish up out of the batter and let the excess drip off and then very carefully set the battered cod into the hot oil.
Note: Many people complain about battered fish falling to the bottom of the pot and then sticking to it. This happens for several reasons – either your oil was not hot enough, your fish was battered unevenly creating a “heavy side” or your fish was too wet before dipping in the batter. Regardless of why this happened, keep a long knife close by and if it appears that your fish dropped all the way to the bottom of the pot, very carefully scrape just a bit at the edges until you see the fish release and float to the surface.
Fry the cod for 4-5 minutes. Once the batter is golden and crispy on all sides, use a large slotted spoon or spider strainer to carefully remove the fried pieces and transfer them onto the cooling rack. Sprinkle the freshly fried fish with a little salt and then continue frying the remaining pieces.
Once all of the cod is fried, gather the pico de gallo slaw, the lemon dill tartar sauce and a few tortillas and prepare to assemble…
I like to start with a generous layer of tartar sauce, nestle my crisp fish on top and then finish with some slaw…
Ok, so I am at a slight advantage here, because I already know what they taste like, but you have to trust me… you will love these fish tacos.
They have all of the necessary textures… crispy, crunchy (they are different!), creamy, chewy and flaky.
These tacos hit all of the flavor notes too. They are salty, tangy, a little sweet and a little spicy. In other words, they are absolutely perfect and you are going to love them!
Buon appetito!
Crispy Fish Tacos
Ingredients
Fried Cod
- about 2 pounds of thick cut fresh cod, bones and skin removed
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- a pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 cup of sparkling mineral water or beer
- a neutral oil for frying
Lemon Dill Tartar Sauce
- 3/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup of dill pickle, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, finely chopped
- a pinch of black pepper
Pico de Gallo Slaw
- 10 ounces of green cabbage, very thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup of red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup of roma tomatoes, seeds removed, diced
- 1 small jalapeño, seeds removed, diced
- 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/3 cup of Mexican crema or sour cream
- a big pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Assembly
- flour tortillas
- lime wedges
Instructions
Make the pico de gallo slaw...
- Combine 10 ounces of very finely shredded green cabbage (angel hair cabbage, if you can find it) with 1/4 cup of finely chopped red onion, 1 cup of finely diced roma tomatoes (seeds removed), 1 small finely diced jalapeño (seeds removed to minimize heat), 1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro, 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice, 1/3 cup of Mexican crema and a big pinch of sea salt and black pepper in a large bowl and mix until everything is evenly distributed.
Make the lemon dill tartar sauce...
- Combine 3/4 cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 cup of finely chopped dill pickle, a heaping tablespoon of fresh dill and a pinch of black pepper in a small bowl.
- Chill until ready to use.
Make the crispy fried cod...
- Cut your cod into strips about 4 inches long and 1 inch wide, pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper
- Whisk a cup of all purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper in a large bowl
- Slowly add the sparkling mineral water or beer, whisking as you go, until a thick, but whiskable batter comes together (this should take about 1 cup). Transfer the batter into the refrigerator until your oil is ready for frying
- Place a large heavy bottom skillet over medium to medium high heat and add 2 inches of a neutral oil
- Once the oil is between 350°-375°, dip a piece of cod into the chilled batter until all sides are coated
- Carefully dip the batter coated cod into the hot oil repeat with 2-3 more pieces (avoid crowding the oil with too many pieces of fish)
- Once the batter is golden brown and crispy, carefully remove the fried fish from the oil using a large slotted spoon or spider strainer and transfer them onto a cooling rack
- Season the freshly fried fish lightly with salt
- Repeat the process until all of the fish is fried
Assemble the tacos...
- Assemble the tacos by combining the fried cod, pico de gallo slaw and lemon dill tartar sauce in your desired layers
- Garnish with additional tartar sauce and lime wedges
