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Recipe Detail Page


Fish Tacos
Autumn 2023
Tacos—or, more specifically, tacos that look and taste like they do in Mexico—have followed the Mexican diaspora to Ontario. They’ve become mainstays on restaurant menus, and lots of grocery stores, even outside of Toronto, carry real-deal corn tortillas now. Ask a stranger about cochinita or suadero tacos, and you’ll likely get a blank stare. Baja-style fish tacos, on the other hand, are everyone’s lunch language, probably because they involve crispy, beer-battered fish not at all unlike the kind found beside chips and a bottle of malt vinegar. If you want to cut to the chase here, you can purchase a good-quality pico de gallo salsa and skip making the (very untraditional but totally delicious) briny shrimp salsa.
Serves 4 to 6
SMOKY MAYOCREAM
2/3 cup (150 mL) sour cream
3 tbsp (45 mL) mayonnaise
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground chipotle
1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) water
Salt
SHRIMP SALSA
3 medium-size ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 to 3 tbsp (10 to 15 mL) finely chopped pickled jalapeño
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 oz (85 g) cooked shrimp, chopped
1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped cilantro
1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) pickled jalapeño brine
Salt and pepper
2 lbs (905 g) cod or halibut fillets
Canola oil for frying
12 small corn or flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) granulated garlic
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground chipotle
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
3/4 cup (175 mL) ice-cold lager
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups (500 mL) finely shredded white or purple cabbage
Limes wedges, for serving
1. For the Smoky Mayocream, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle and lime juice. Add water a little at a time until cream can be drizzled. Season with salt and set aside.
2. To make the Shrimp Salsa, combine all but the salt and pepper in a small non-reactive bowl; season to taste and set aside.
3. Cut the fish into 12 equal-sized fingers.
4. Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in a medium-size pot. Bring to 350°F (177°C).
5. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a dry skillet and wrap in a kitchen towel.
6. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together flour, salt, garlic, chipotle and cumin. Divide flour mixture in half by removing 3/4 cup (175 mL) to a second bowl. Whisk beer and egg into one half of flour mixture.
7. Working in batches, coat fish in batter, then roll in dry flour mixture. Gently slide into oil. Cook 4 minutes total, turning halfway through, until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a rack set over a paper towel–lined baking sheet.
8. To serve, place a piece of fish in each tortilla, followed by a generous pinch of cabbage. Spoon salsa overtop. Drizzle with mayocream and serve straight away with a wedge of lime.
Serves 4 to 6