At the beach? Dreaming of being at the beach? Try our fried Baja fish taco recipe with Tilapia, perfect for a dinner at the beach or just an easy weeknight meal. Simple and basic.
Baja fish tacos came on the American scene in the 1980’s, started by a guy named Ralph Rubio who started a walk up stand in San Diego. Word spread about Ralph’s fish tacos and they became a taco phenomenon nationwide.
Rubio’s boasts almost 200 restaurants and has served over 200 million fish tacos! Not bad for a surfer who tasted his first Baja fish taco on a college Spring Break trip, brought the idea back to San Diego and lived the entrepreneurial dream.
My fried Baja fish taco recipe is different from Rubio’s. The similarities are the fish is fried, the taco has a slightly spicy sauce and a simple slaw. Rubio’s uses a beer batter and serves the tacos on corn tortillas. That’s where my fish tacos take a huge veer from Rubio’s.
Our recipe is loosely based on Eddie Hernandez’s from a local Atlanta Restaurant called Taqueria Del Sol. Decades ago Eddie traveled to California to ‘study’ fish tacos, including the legendary Rubio’s. Eddie came back to Atlanta, tweaked his Baja fish taco recipe giving it a southern twist. A legend was born. The original fish taco is still Taqueria Del Sol’s number one menu item.
What Is A Baja Fish Taco?
A Baja fish taco recipe has fried white fish, tangy slaw, creamy sauce and often squeezed fresh lime juice.
Make Ahead Tips For Our Fried Baja Fish Taco Recipe
Simplicity at it’s best. This recipe is fast enough for a week night dinner but flavorful and beautiful enough for company. Our fried Baja fish taco recipe is a basic all cooks need to have ready and at hand.
You can make the cabbage slaw for the fish tacos, the white sauce and the guacamole ahead of time.
If you are serving a large crowd then you can fry the fish ahead of time and warm in a chafing dish or in a very low oven, about 200 degrees and covered with foil. The fried fish is better when it’s fresh from the oil, but sometimes you need to cut corners so you can join your guests at the party.
I’ve even served the fish at room temperature. Personally, I like it that way.
How To Make Our Fried Baja Fish Taco Recipe
Make the jalapeno tartar sauce and set aside. If making more than an hour ahead of time then cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving with the Baja fish tacos.
Make the tangy slaw for the fish tacos at least an hour ahead of time to let the flavors meld. You can even make the slaw the day prior.
Make the guacamole or use store bought. Homemade guacamole is superior but there’s no shame in using a store-bought brand if you are tight on time. If making the guacamole ahead of time, be sure to place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to keep it from browning. If the guacamole does brown just scoop off the very top brown layer and you’ll have a bright green delicious guac underneath.
Pour ¼” oil in a heavy pan, cast iron is great, and heat over medium heat. It will probably take about 10 minutes to get the oil just where you want it to be, about 360 degrees.
Make the fish taco breading by blending the panko crumbs, flour, salt and cornstarch in a pie plate or shallow bowl.
Make egg wash with egg, mustard and milk in another pie plate or shallow dish.
Cut the tilapia into roughly 1” X 4” strips, dip in egg wash, roll in bread crumb mixture and fry in a skillet. About 2- 4 minutes a side, depending on the thickness of the fish. Adjust your temperature if the timing is significantly different.
Line the cutting board with the fish, then the pie pans with the breading and egg wash next to the hot oil pan. This will keep the mess down and give you a streamlined process.
When frying the fish don’t overcrowd the pan. Then the oil temperature will lower too much, and you’ll end up with oily fish.
Remove the fried fish from the oil when just lightly brown. Place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess oil or place the fish on a wire rack to drain. Cut open the first piece or two to make sure that it is white on the inside and fully cooked. This can be your snack as you cook the other pieces of fish.
Serve with jalapeno tartar sauce, tangy slaw, pickled jalapenos and guacamole. Yum!
How To Make Baja Fish Taco Recipe In 20 Minutes
Don’t have 40 minutes to make dinner? Then use some short cuts
Completely homemade Baja fish taco: Make the breading up to several days ahead, make the tartar sauce and slaw up to a day ahead.
Use Store-Bought Condiments: Buy store-bought guacamole, tartar sauce and slaw from the deli.
How To Know If Oil Is Hot Enough For Frying
If you don’t have a thermometer to measure the oil, then use this old trick.
Drop a 1” cube of bread in the oil, it should take one minute to lightly brown. That will give you oil around 360 to 375 degrees. I’m pretty sure this technique came from Joy of Cooking but I’m not sure. You’ll see this tip all over the internet and is what I use all the time.
You can also drop a little of your batter into the oil, you want to see a few bubbles. If there aren’t any bubbles, or very few then the oil isn’t hot enough. If the bubbles go crazy and you see a little smoke, then the oil is too hot. Take your time to get the right temperature.
Taqeria Del Sol’s Fish Tacos Original Recipe
Taqueria del Sol’s
Fish Tacos
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Makes: 8 tacos
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup maseca (instant corn masa flour)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole mustard
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 pounds tilapia, cut into 1 1/2-inch wide strips
8 6-inch flour tortillas
1/2 cup Poblano Tartar Sauce (see recipe)
Pickled jalapenos, sliced, for garnish
Taqueria del Sol’s Poblano Tartar Sauce
Hands on: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 1/2 cups
1/4 cup diced poblano pepper
1 small jalapeno, stem removed
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt
Sides For Our Baja Fish Taco Recipe
Serve chips, salsa and guacamole as an appetizer before or as a side.
Cole slaw, whether tangy or creamy, makes a great, refreshing side.
Simple white or brown rice.
All of these sides can be put directly on the Baja fish tacos or served as a side. That’s what’s so great about tacos is that the diners are in control and the chef doesn’t have to assemble the meal.
Best Fish For Baja Fish Tacos
True Baja fish tacos take advantage of the locale, meaning wild caught local fish from the ocean. Mahi mahi, grouper, snapper, halibut or cod are often used.
You just need a firm, white fish.
I use Tilapia which is a sustainable choice, inexpensive and readily available.
Baja Fish Taco Recipe With Tilapia
Baja fish tacos are a great weeknight meal, a little more effort than some dinners but oh so worth it! Baja fish tacos can double as a beautiful, delicious entree for guests too. Don't let the number of ingredients scare you off, it's really more mixing ingredients together rather than chopping and cooking, meaning it's easier that it looks! Or if you don't have time to cook then head on over to your local Taqueria del Sol!
Ingredients
Fish Tacos
- 1 pound Tilapia or other firm, white fish
- 1/4 inch canola or peanut oil
- 1 pinch kosher salt per fish filet
Taco Breading
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
Egg Wash
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Tartar Sauce (or buy store bought tartar sauce)
- 1 cup mayonaisse
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 jalapeno diced fresh or 3 Tablespoons jarred
- 2 Tablespoons red onion diced
Fish Taco Slaw (or buy store bought slaw)
- 4 cups bagged shredded cabbage buy the colorful kind if possible
- 1/4 cup red onion diced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Guacamole, Homemade or Store bought
- 1 cup store-bought guacamole, optional or make homemade, see our recipe
- 2 extra limes, quartered for serving with tacos
- 8 six inch flour or corn tortillas
Instructions
-
Use a heavy bottomed skillet, cast iron is perfect. Pour 1/4″ oil in the pan and heat over medium heat.
-
Sprinkle fish with kosher salt and slice into 1″ X 4″ pieces.
Make Fish Taco Slaw
-
In a small bowl add 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice, , 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and mix.
Dice red onion. Keep 2 Tablespoons for the tartar sauce and use 1/4 cup for the slaw.
Salt and pepper 4 cups shredded bagged cabbage or coleslaw mix, stir in the olive oil mix and add cilantro. Set aside.
Slaw can be made up to a day ahead.
Tartar Sauce
-
Mix 1 cup mayonnaise with 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice and diced jalapenos and set aside.
Go ahead and slice all of the limes. You’ll need one or two for the juice in the slaw and the tartar sauce. The other slices can be served with the finished fish tacos.
Breading for Fish Tacos
-
MIx the panko bread crumbs, flour, cornstarch and kosher salt in a shallow bowl. I like to use pie pans.
Egg Wash
-
Mix milk, egg and Dijon mustard in a pie pan or shallow bowl
Finally, making the Baja Fish Taco Recipe!
-
Line the egg wash pan, then the breading pan next to the frying pan. Test the oil for 360-370 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer see notes.
-
Dip the fish slices in the egg wash using tongs and drop into the breading pan. Use fresh tongs to cover the fish with breading, shake to get rid of excess breading and place in hot oil.
Fry until light golden brown, about 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. When the breading looks right remove to a towel lined plate. Cut open your first piece of fish to make sure that it’s cooked through.
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead Items: The slaw and tartar sauce can be made up to a day ahead of time. The breading can be made several days ahead. If you have these things prepared beforehand you can have this dinner on the table in 20 minutes!
Under 30 Minutes: If you follow the directions in order and multi-task it’s possible to make this meal in under 30 minutes from start to end.
Or use Store-Bought Condiments: Buy store-bought guacamole, tartar sauce and slaw from the deli. You’ll have dinner on the table in 20 minutes. Most groceries only offer a cream based slaw as opposed to vinegar. That’s fine, it just changes the taste from a tangy vinegar to a cooler mayo based slaw.
Tips: Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying the fish or the oil temperature will drop suddenly, the fish will take longer to cook and end up oily and mushy
If you make homemade guacamole, it can be made up to a day ahead of time. Make sure to cover the bowl with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole. This prevents oxygen from turning the guac brown. You may still get a brown color, just scrape off the very top layer and you’ll see great tasting bright green guacamole underneath.
Don’t have a thermometer? Drop a 1” cube of bread in the oil, it should take one minute to lightly brown. That will give you an oil temperature around 360 to 375 degrees. Adjust heat accordingly.
Don’t have time to cook? Head on over to your local Taqueria Del Sol for takeout. Or if you don’t have a Taqueria del Sol near you try your best local Mexican joint. It’s great to support our valued restaurants, especially in these times!
Check the post for more tips!
OTGB Recipe
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