Crispy Fish Tacos

When Kerry and I first met, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t stuff into a tortilla and call it dinner. Flour tortillas are by far one of my favorite vehicles to get food into my mouth. Years have gone by, and now my tastes are a little more refined. The contents of that little flat bread should be unique, discernible, and packed with flavor.

I love fish tacos, but they are not all created equally. There are so many different ways to prepare the fish: grilled, deep fried, baked, even ground. Yeah, I had ground fish tacos once and they were horrible. Take my advice and don’t try them! For this recipe I used cornstarch to coat the fish. That allowed the nuggets to get crisp and golden, without feeling completely battered and fried. This fish taco recipe is my favorite way to serve it up in a tortilla.

I’ve also come up with a technique for making the tortilla stretchy and pliable, similar to our local burrito chains. Check it out in the “Tip Time” section below.

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Ingredients

2 Medium Orange Roughy Fillets (Any white fish will do)
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Package Flour Tortillas
3 tablespoons Corn Starch
2 tablespoons Chopped Cilantro

Beans

1 can Black Beans
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Slaw

5 leaves Nappa Cabbage (Regular Cabbage will work too)
1/3 cup Mayonaise
1/2 Juice of Lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions

Beans
Step 1
Drain the black beans (to get rid of some of that fart juice) and combine with the diced tomatoes in a medium-sized pot.
Step 2
Stir in cumin, salt, onion powder, and granulated garlic. Heat to a boil. Reduce to medium-low to simmer while you do everything else.
Step 3
Pat the fillets dry with a towel.
Step 4
Cut fillets into nugget-sized chunks. Season liberally with kosher salt and black pepper.
Step 5
Dump the cornstarch in a pie pan. Shake it back and forth to coat the entire surface.
Step 6
Add half of the fish. Toss to coat. Repeat this step once the first batch is in the skillet.
Step 7
Heat a skillet to medium-high. Add enough vegetable oil to coat the pan.
Step 8
Once the oil is hot add a layer of fish to the pan. Cook for about three minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom.
Step 9
Flip each piece individually with tongs. Cook this side until brown, about two minutes, then set on a plate to cool. Cook the remaining fish the same way.
Now for the Slaw
Step 10
Finely chop the Nappa Cabbage.
Step 11
In a bowl combine mayonaise, 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and lime juice. Whisk to a creamy sauce.
Step 12
Right before serving the tacos toss the cabbage in the sauce.
Tip Time
Step 13
One of the things I love about the local burrito chains is their elastic tortillas. They accomplish this with steam that heats & moistens them up a bit. You can achieve a similar result at home. Put 2 tablespoons of water into the fish pan once the fish is done and put an oven-safe plate on top.
Step 14
Add your stack of tortillas, then cover with a lid. In just a few minutes your tortillas will be nice, stretchy, and ready to serve. If you add too much water it will bubble over and the bottom tortillas will be wet and slimy.
It
Step 15
This is the order we put our tacos together: beans, fish, slaw, cilantro. Feel free to add the items in any order you want. I went a little light on this taco, but my second one was stuffed to the gills!
Step 16
Any way you want to throw these components together they are going to taste great!

Crispy Fish Tacos