Beer Battered Fish Tacos

Here I am again, with yet another recipe inspired by The Defined Dish. You can check out her healthier version of this recipe here.

Fish or shrimp are by far my favorite rendition of a taco. My go to at any taco establishment is usually seafood related – Tempura Shrimp Tacos at Fuzzy’s, Fish & Chips taco at Velvet Taco, and the Baja Shrimp Taco at Rusty Taco. Hashtag YUM!

Alex with The Defined Dish never fails me, so when I saw her post her recipe I knew I had to try. All hail my non-paleo, non-healthy version of her Paleo Battered Fish Tacos, below!

RECIPE

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Serves 5 people

Ingredients

Fish & Shrimp

4 tbsp Avocado oil (vegetable oil is fine, too.)
1 lb skinned Cod, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail off

Batter

1 cup beer (I used Heineken)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

Slaw

4 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp hot sauce (I use Valentina)
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups shredded purple cabbage

For Serving

12 tortillas
Pico de gallo
Cilantro

Instructions

Start by making the batter for frying the fish and shrimp. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beer, flour, baking soda, salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Whisk well and set aside for a bit to let it thicken. (The batter should be similar to pancake batter – not runny, but not thick.)
For the slaw, in a separate bowl combine the mayo, lime juice, garlic cloves, hot sauce and salt. Set aside – we will add the cabbage to the mixture later.
To cook the fish, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Take about 1/2 of the fish and place in the bowl containing the batter. Gently toss to coat. Using tongs or a fork, one by one, carefully place each strip of coated fish into the hot oil. Try not to overcrowd the pan – none of the fish should be touching. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on a place on a paper towel lined plate or cutting board, and dust with a little salt and pepper. Repeat this step until all of the fish has been cooked.
Heat the tortillas one at a time on a dry or very lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds per side.
Now, add the cabbage to the slaw mixture.
Assemble by adding slaw, then fish, then pico de gallo and fresh cilantro to each tortilla.

Tips

Don’t have any pico de gallo on hand? You just need one tomato, 1/2 red or white onion, 1 jalapeno, a squeeze of lime juice, a bit of fresh cilantro, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Remove seeds from tomato and jalapeno, and finely chop them along with the onion. Add to a small mixing bowl, along with cliantro, lime juice and seasonings. Gently stir to combine.