Few recipes have more variations here in the US than Ensenada Fish Tacos. But in actuality the authentic recipe calls for battered and then fried fish. End of story. I understand people that, for health reasons skip on the batter. Fish that is grilled or oven-baked is also delicious; nothing is truly as good as the original Ensenada Fish Tacos, though.
I had these (3 or 10, memory fails, lol!) emblematic tacos for the first time in Ensenada, from a street vendor. My taste buds, which have an excellent memory, still can recall how delicious they were.
The street vendor was really busy that day. Located smack dab in downtown Ensenada. You would not give a second glance to the place. It was scrupulously clean which gave me peace of mind. Several ladies were busy, working their magic really fast!
You can usually order shrimp tacos there, also dunked in the batter and fried, just like the fish. However, the fish tacos are way better tasting.
Legend has it that in the sixties, a guy set shop near Ensenada’s Mercado Negro (literally Black Market) that illegally sold seafood. He started making his tacos with angelito, a type of shark. Competition soon started and another guy started making the tacos with fish fillets. These broke easily when frying, so guy number 2 came up with a genius idea. He started dunking the fillets in a batter mixture his mom used to make.
Competition is a good thing. Instant hit. A star is born! The recipe took off, not only in the Baja peninsula but nationwide and tourists, expats and wave-chasing surfers took care of the rest, making it worldwide famous.
It is not only the batter and the fish deep-fried! What about the deliciously pickled cabbage and the glorious salsa crowning it all? And so easy to make!
You can always use your favorite salsa. I just gave you this option that pairs awesomely well with these scrumptious Ensenada Fish Tacos.
Ensenada Fish Tacos
Ingredients
- For the fish fillets:
- 6 fish fillets cut in 1.5 – 2 inch strips, going against the grain use your favorite fish
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 pinch dried oregano
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 1 12 oz. can dark beer your favorite brand
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to taste or
- 1 tbsp granulated shrimp or chicken broth or bouillon (such as Knorr)
- 2 cups peanut oil preferably; best for deep frying
- For garnish:
- 1/2 small green cabbage, washed, finely sliced/shredded
- 3 small tomatoes, seeded, julienned
- 1 small bunch radishes, washed, trimmed, finely sliced
- 1 pinch dried oregano
- 1 pinch dried marjoram (optional)
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 lemon, the juice , or:
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapeno juice instead of the lemon juice and the vinegar
- 1 pinch salt and pepper, to taste
- For the Creamy Cilantro-Jalapeno Sauce:
- 2 jalapenos, seeded, deveined and coarsely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp white onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup light mayo
- 1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped/snipped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 30 soft, corn tortillas
Instructions
- Make the Creamy Cilantro-Jalapeno Sauce by putting in a blender jalapenos, garlic cloves, onion, lemon juice, water, mayo, cilantro and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days.
- Make the cabbage garnish by mixing in a bowl cabbage, tomatoes, radishes, vinegar and lemon juice (or pickled jalapeno juice) and salt and pepper. Have all your ingredients chopped/sliced/shredded in advance so by the time you are ready to serve the tacos you just dump garnish ingredients into a bowl and mix.
- Salt and pepper the fillets. If necessary, cut them in half crosswise to fit the size of a 6" tortilla. In a big bowl, using a mixer, whisk on low the flour, baking powder, oregano, mustard, dark beer, egg and salt and pepper or granulated broth. Whisk until there are no lumps left. The batter should not be too runny or too dense; it should be similar to the consistence of pancake batter. Set aside and let it rest while oil is heating.
- Pour oil in a deep frying pan or skillet and heat over medium-high heat. You can also use your deep fryer. In that case, pour enough oil and heat until oil shimmers. It is important to achieve an even brown batter and keep an eye on the fillets so that they don't burn, just brown.
- Dip each piece of fish into the batter and cover thoroughly. Once the oil is very hot fry each strip until evenly browned. Set a paper kitchen towel on a large plate to absorb grease. Keep warm.
- To assemble the tacos: Warm up the tortillas, place a strip of fried fish on the tortilla and top with garnish and sauce.
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