Crispy Fish Taco

Chef Notes

Ingredients

Steps

Crispy Fish Taco

Chef notes

My ongoing partnership with Spice Tribe has definitely helped bulk out my spice cabinet
and to be completely honest, their blends and single origin spices have been put into
heavy rotation since I started using them. Their turmeric and smoked paprika are both
favorites that I use often, so I wanted to use them in this recipe I decided to whip up
when I found some beautiful red snapper at my local grocery store.

The Spice Tribe Java Turmeric gives a great color and flavor to the crunchy almost beer-battered fish and the Spice Tribe Smoked Spanish Paprika gives some extra depth and body to the garlic aioli used to dress the tacos. For a little brightness, a quick cilantro lime slaw ties everything together for some acid and crunch. I have a recipe for the cilantro lime slaw available in my self- titled e-book, but if you don’t have that already, you can definitely use pickled jalapeños or a simple slaw recipe to your liking. Note that the recipe is broken up into sections for easy prep and assembly since frying fish is very quick. Let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

Prep time: 5 Mins
Cook time: 35 Mins
Total time: 40 Mins
Serves: 4

Crispy Fish Tacos
1 lb red snapper filets, cut into thick strips
Large pinch kosher salt
Large pinch cracked black pepper
Large pinch granulated garlic
Cilantro lime slaw (full recipe can be found in self-titled e-book)
Corn tortillas, warmed for serving
1 medium ripe hass avocado, thinly sliced
Lime wedges, for serving
Smoky Garlic Aioli
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp white distilled vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp garlic paste
Large pinch Adobo spice blend
.5 tbsp Spice Tribe Java Turmeric
.5 tbsp Spice Tribe Pimentón de la Vera - Smoked Spanish Paprika
Spiced Batter
.75 cup self-rising all-purpose flour
.5 cup cornstarch
.5 tbsp Adobo spice blend
.5 tbsp Spice Tribe Java Turmeric
.75 cup club soda, cold
Neutral vegetable oil, for frying

Java Turmeric

$10

Add to Cart

Pimentón De La Vera – Smoked Spanish Paprika

$10

Add to Cart

Steps

Step 1 - Crispy Fish Tacos

Season the fish with the kosher salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic and toss together, making sure that all of the fish is coated and seasoned. Set the fish aside to marinate while working on the cilantro lime slaw, smoky garlic aioli, and the fish batter.

Step 2 - Smoky Garlic Aioli

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined. Pro tip: you can place everything in a pint-sized deli container or mason jar and cover with a lid to shake everything together. Then, carefully pour into a small squeeze bottle and keep in the fridge until the tacos are finished. If you don’t have a squeeze bottle, you can easily spoon the sauce over the tacos as needed.

Step 3 - Spiced Batter

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then, slowly whisk in the cold club soda into the dry ingredients to make a slightly loose batter. Then, gently toss the fish into the batter.

Step 4 -

Preheat a deep frying pan or pot with enough oil to fry the fish over medium heat.

Step 5 -

To test out the oil, take a drop or two of the batter and place in the oil to see if it sizzles. If it doesn’t sizzle quickly, the oil isn’t hot enough. When ready to fry, wave the battered fish piece around in the oil for a seconds before letting go (this ensures a nice coating on the fish).

Step 6 -

Fry the fish without crowding the pan until golden brown all over, roughly 5-8 minutes, turning as needed. Set aside and then assemble the tacos with the warmed tortillas (I like getting them nice and charred over the open stove burner), sliced avocado, cilantro lime slaw, and smoky garlic aioli.

Step 7 -

Preheat a deep frying pan or pot with enough oil to fry the fish over medium heat.