These Baja-inspired crispy fish tacos are the perfect balance of flavours and textures. They’re loaded with crispy beer-battered fish, a zingy cabbage slaw, sweet and sour pickled chillies, and a smoky chipotle crema. Whether it’s a weeknight dinner or a laid-back weekend meal, this recipe definitely delivers on the flavour front.
Table of Contents
- Ingredient Breakdown
- The Key to Perfect Crispy Fish Tacos: Building Layers of Flavour
- Frying Fish Like a Pro
- Assembling the Crispy Fish Tacos
- Final Thoughts on these Crispy Fish Tacos
- Want More Fish Recipes?
Ingredient Breakdown
- White cabbage: Crisp, fresh, and the perfect base for the zingy lime slaw.
- Red onion: Adds a bit of sharpness to balance the richness of the fish.
- Jalapeño: Optional, but great if you want a little extra heat!
- Coriander: Fresh, herby goodness that livens up the slaw.
- Limes: The juice brings all the slaw ingredients together, making it nice and zingy to cut through the richness of the chipotle crema.
- Red chillies: Pickled for a hit of sweet and sour that cuts through the richness.
- Mayonnaise: The base for the creamy chipotle sauce – regular or vegan, your choice.
- Chipotle paste: Smoky and a little bit spicy, this adds depth to the crema.
- Garlic: Adds extra flavour in the sauce.
- Cod loin: Meaty, flaky, and perfect for frying in that light beer batter.
- Plain flour and cornflour: Together, they give the batter a crispy finish.
- Beer: Ice-cold for a batter that’s light and bubbly.
- Taco shells: Soft and lightly toasted, ready to hold all the goodness.
The Key to Perfect Crispy Fish Tacos: Building Layers of Flavour
What makes these crispy fish tacos SO good is the way each element brings something different to the table. The cod, fried in a light beer batter, is the main event—but what really makes this recipe shine is everything around it.
The Beer-Battered Fish
Cod is perfect here. It’s firm but still flaky, which means it holds up well in the batter but practically melts in your mouth. The beer in the batter keeps it light and crisp, while the addition of chilli powder gives just a hint of warmth. You’ll want the oil at the right temperature—180°C is ideal—to get that golden brown finish in four minutes. Don’t overcrowd the pan; fry in batches so the fish stays crispy.
Zingy Cabbage Slaw
Slaw is non-negotiable for fish tacos, but it doesn’t need to be complicated. This one’s straightforward but packed with flavour: thinly sliced white cabbage, red onion, fresh coriander, and a generous squeeze of lime. Letting it sit for a bit in the fridge is key, as the lime juice helps soften the cabbage slightly while intensifying the flavours. By the time you’re ready to assemble the crispy fish tacos, the slaw will have just the right balance of freshness and acidity.
Pickled Chillies
These quick-pickled chillies are a must. The white wine vinegar and sugar combo is classic—it cuts through the richness of the fish and gives each taco a sweet-sour kick. They’re ready in the time it takes to make everything else, and you can even save the leftovers to top off other dishes during the week.
Chipotle Crema
The smoky chipotle crema is the finishing touch. It’s creamy, a bit tangy from the lime juice, and has that unmistakable smoky heat from the chipotle paste. The garlic rounds it out nicely, adding just the right amount of punch. Feel free to adjust the chipotle depending on how much heat you like, but don’t skip this sauce—it ties everything together.
Frying Fish Like a Pro
When it comes to frying fish, technique matters. Make sure your batter is cold and your oil is hot—these are the two main factors in getting that irresistible crispy coating. After slicing the cod into strips, dust it lightly with flour before dipping it into the batter. This step helps the batter stick better and fry up evenly.
Fry the fish in small batches, and don’t be tempted to overcrowd the pan. Once the fish turns a perfect golden brown (about 4 minutes), transfer it to a wire rack to keep that crispiness intact. No soggy fish here!
Assembling the Crispy Fish Tacos
Assembly is where it all comes together. Start by warming your taco shells—just 20 seconds per side in a hot pan will do the trick. Then, layer in the components: a spoonful of slaw for crunch, a strip of crispy fish, a drizzle of chipotle crema, and a few pickled chillies for that sweet-sour kick. These tacos are best enjoyed right away while the fish is still hot and crispy.
Final Thoughts on these Crispy Fish Tacos
These crispy fish tacos are all about balance. The rich, fried fish pairs perfectly with the fresh slaw and tangy pickles. The chipotle crema adds a layer of smoky heat, and the soft taco shells pull everything together. It’s a simple but satisfying recipe that’s sure to become a favourite in your weekly rotation. Once you’ve had a bite, you’ll understand why this Baja classic is a go-to for taco lovers everywhere.
Want More Fish Recipes?
I love fish, so much so that I have a series dedicated to it on Instagram and TikTok (it’s called Fantastic Fish and it’s pretty great, if I do say so myself!). If you’re looking for more fish recipe inspo, give me a follow and check out some of these other fish recipes below.
- Coconut-Crusted Thai Curry Sea Bass: If you’re a fan of Thai flavours, you’re going to love this one. The fish is marinated in Thai red curry paste, before being encased in a coconut crust and fried to golden perfection.
- Salt and Pepper Fish Nuggets: Chicken nuggets are great, but have you ever had fish nuggets? They’re just as delicious and satisfying, but they feel lighter.
- Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice: This recipe combines crispy sushi rice cakes with homemade spicy tuna and avocado. The contrast of textures between the crispy rice and tuna is delightful and all the flavours work so well together.
- Monkfish Curry: Monkfish is simmered in a rich, flavour-packed sauce, perfumed with curry leaves, coconut milk, tomatoes and warm spices.
- Roasted Salmon with Curry Leaf Butter: Roasted salmon, topped with a delicious 3-ingredient curry leaf butter.
Crispy Fish Tacos
These Baja-inspired fish tacos are the perfect balance of flavours and textures. They’re loaded with crispy beer-battered fish, a zingy cabbage slaw, sweet and sour pickled chillies and a chipotle crema.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 tacos 1x
Ingredients
For the cabbage slaw:
- ½ white cabbage, thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
- 20g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 2 limes, juice only
For the quick-pickled chillies:
- 100ml white wine vinegar
- 30g caster sugar
- 2 large red chillies, thinly sliced
For the chipotle crema:
- 100g mayonnaise (vegan or regular)
- 1 tsp chipotle paste (or more for added heat)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ lime, juice only
For the fish:
- 750ml vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying
- 2 x 250g cod loin or fillet
- 3 tbsp plain flour
For the batter:
- 130g plain flour, plus 2 tbsp for dusting the fish
- 30g cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp Mexican chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 250ml cold beer
To serve:
- 12 soft taco shells
Instructions
- Place the cabbage, onion, coriander and lime juice in a large mixing bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper, toss to coat and let sit in the fridge while you prepare the other components – the flavour will develop as it sits.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chipotle paste, garlic and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, mix to combine and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Place the white wine vinegar and caster sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over a high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Add the chillies, remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to cool while you move onto the fish.
- Pour the vegetable oil in a large saucepan, ensuring it’s no more than half full. Heat over medium-high heat to 180°C. If you don’t have a food thermometer, place the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil: the oil will bubble rapidly around it when it’s ready for frying.
- Pat the cod dry with kitchen towel. Slice each loin into 6 strips and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the plain flour, cornflour, baking powder, Mexican chilli powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the ice-cold beer and whisk until just combined.
- Dip each cod strip into the batter to fully coat, then gently shake off the excess. Fry in batches for 4 minutes per batch, then transfer to a wire rack to drain.
- Set a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Toast your soft taco shells for 20 seconds-ish per side then transfer to a clean tea towel and cover.
- Assembly time, finally! Top each taco shell with a tablespoon or two of slaw and a piece of fish. Drizzle the chipotle crema over the top, which you can loosen with a tablespoon or two of water if needed, then finish with some drained pickled chillies – enjoy.
Wow! This recipe is a keeper. I made it exactly like the instructions and my sons loved it!
I’m so glad they loved it!
These were INSANELY DELICIOUS! Our 9yr old son even had them for breakfast the next day. Thank you Zena!
I’m so happy to hear it! It’s my absolute pleasure 🙂