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A basket containing two Baja-style tempura fish tacos and some pickled vegetables, with a bottle of Pacifico on the side.
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5 / 3 votes

Baja-Style Tempura Fish Tacos

These Baja-style tempura fish tacos are as authentic as they come. White fish is dunked in a quick chile-lime marinade and then battered and pan-fried until crisp before being tucked in soft tortillas and topped with slaw and banana mango salsa.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Tex Mex
Servings: 10 tacos
Calories: 222

Equipment

  • Deep-fry or candy or instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

For the chile-lime marinade

  • 1 1/2 cups cold water
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, (from 4 to 6 limes)
  • 10 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 2 serrano chiles, stemmed and sliced
  • 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, ground (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
  • 2 pounds firm white fish fillets, such as red snapper, halibut, tilapia, cod, or mahi mahi, cut into 4-by 3/4-inch (10-by 1.8-cm) strips

For the Baja tempura batter

  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard, (optional)
  • 1 cup bleached all-purpose flour
  • Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For assembling the tacos

  • Ten (5 1/2-inch) soft corn tortillas, warm, (or if you want to be authentic, do as they do in Southern Cali and double the number of tortillas so each taco has a double thickness)
  • Colelsaw
  • Mango-Banana Salsa
  • Lime wedge
  • Pickled jalapeño rings

Instructions

Make the chile-lime marinade

  • In a large bowl, combine the cold water, lime juice, garlic, chiles, oregano (if using) and salt. Add the fish and set aside at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Make the Baja tempura batter

  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the ice water and mustard. Gently stir in the flour, being careful not to overmix the batter; a few small lumps are okay. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Fry the fish

  • Drain the fish and pat the pieces dry with a paper towel. Have a plate lined with paper towels or a cut-open brown paper bag at the ready.
  • In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat at least 2 to 3 inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 360°F (182°C) on a deep-fry or candy or instant-read thermometer.
  • Remove the tempura batter from the refrigerator and stir to recombine.
  • Dredge a few pieces of fish at a time in the batter, turning to coat them evenly. Gently lower a couple pieces of fish into the oil, adding a couple more pieces every 30 seconds. Fry no more than 4 pieces at a time. Fry the fish, turning as needed, until the pieces are crisp, light golden brown, and floating on the surface of the oil, about 2 1/2 minutes. Monitor the temperature of the oil throughout frying, letting the oil return to proper temperature between batches; to ensure crispness, it must remain a constant 360°F to 380°F (182°C to 193°C).
  • Using a fine-mesh skimmer, transfer the fried fish to the paper towel-lined plate or brown paper bag to drain. Repeat with the remaining fish and batter, being sure to remove any flecks of floating fried batter in between batches.

Assemble the fish tacos

  • Place the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping, on a platter. (If using extra tortillas, simply double them up.) Divvy the slaw and fish equally among the tortillas. Top with salsa and desired garnishes or allow guests to do so themselves. Grab, fold, and eat right away.

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 776mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g