Baja Fish Taco Bowl Recipe

Name: Baja Fish Taco Bowl Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Latin American, Mexican
Ingredients: 3 cups thinly sliced cabbage; ½ cup thinly sliced red onion; ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro; Juice of 1 lime; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 cup Mexican crema or heavy whipping cream; ½ cup canned chipotles in adobo; Juice of ½ lime; 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying; 1 cup flour; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon onion powder; 1 ¼ cups lager; 1 ½ pounds cod or other whitefish, sliced into 2-ounce pieces; optional: 3 cups cooked rice, for serving

By A.J. ForgetApril 28, 2024 4:00 pm EST

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

If you are looking for a new take on taco night, these Baja fish taco bowls are a perfect dinner choice. Crispy beer-battered cod rests atop a bed of fluffy rice and crunchy, tangy cabbage slaw. A drizzle of creamy, smoky, chipotle crema finishes the dish. These taco bowls are light yet hearty, boasting delicious fish (cod or any other whitefish), plenty of veggies, and a full spectrum of wonderful flavors. Everything you want from taco night and more.

For a lighter meal, feel free to skip the rice and simply serve the fried fish with just the slaw as an accompaniment. Or if you want a portable meal that is ready to eat when you're on the go, grab a flour tortilla and wrap it all up as a burrito. However you choose to serve these Baja fish taco bowls, this recipe is sure to be a hit with the whole family or a group of your friends.

Gather the Baja fish taco bowl ingredients

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

For the slaw you will need cabbage, cilantro, red onion, lime, olive oil, and salt. The crema is made with chipotles in adobo, Mexican crema (or heavy whipping cream), and lime. The fried fish requires cod (or other whitefish) fillets, as well as flour, lager, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and vegetable oil to fry in.

Step 1: Make the slaw

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

Make the slaw: Add all of the slaw ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir. Set aside.

Step 2: Make the crema

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

Make the chipotle crema: Puree all the crema ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a squeeze bottle or small bowl.

Step 3: Heat the oil

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

Add the vegetable oil to a deep saucepan over high heat and bring to 350 F.

Step 4: Mix the batter

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

While the oil is heating, stir together the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and lager in a medium mixing bowl to make a batter.

Step 5: Batter and fry the fish

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

Using chopsticks, pick up a piece of fish, dip it in batter, and gently place in the pot of oil.

Step 6: Batch-fry the fish

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

Fry the fish in batches, being careful not to crowd the pot, for around 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Remove when golden brown and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Step 7: Fry the rest of the fish

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

Allow the oil to return to 350 F, and repeat with remaining fish.

Step 8: Assemble the bowls

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

Assemble the bowls with rice on the bottom (if desired), slaw, and fried fish. Top with chipotle crema and serve hot.

What is a Baja fish taco?

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

Baja fish tacos refer to the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. This peninsula extends southward from the U.S. state of California for close to 800 miles and is divided into two Mexican states, Baja California and Baja California Sur. At the southern tip of this peninsula lies the famous resort towns in Los Cabos. Aside from the larger cities at the northern and southern ends of the peninsula, Baja California is largely secluded, boasting many sparsely populated beaches as well as world-class fishing grounds.

The Baja fish taco is a testament to the quality of seafood caught off this peninsula. The taco is a simple preparation which works with any of the various whitefish from the region and allows the flavor of the fish to shine. It's typically beer-battered and served on a corn tortilla with sliced cabbage or slaw, sometimes pico de gallo, and any of a variety of salsas and hot sauces. Make this avocado-corn salsa for a fresh topping.

What is the best temperature to fry beer battered fish?

A.J. Forget/Chowhound

Choosing the correct oil temperature for frying can be a conundrum in the kitchen. If the oil is too cold, the batter will absorb oil, leading to a greasy meal. Too hot, and the outside will burn before the inside is cooked through. But there is a perfect oil temperature for everything, including this beer battered fish, so grab your thermometer.

In general, 325 F to 375 F is the ideal range for deep frying. Foods which take a long time to cook through are ideally fried at the lower end of the spectrum, while quicker-cooking foods can be fried at the top end. For this recipe, we're going to go right in the middle. Fish cooks through relatively quickly, so 350 F is our perfect temperature for beer-battered fish. At 350 F, the outside will be golden brown and crisp, and the inside flaky and moist. Just be sure to allow the oil to get back up to 350 F between batches to ensure that all the fish is cooked perfectly.