Tacos de Pescado or Fish Tacos is also known as Baja Fish Tacos is a Mexican recipe that originated in the Baja California area of Mexico. These crispy fried Fish Tacos are served in a warm corn tortilla garnished with crunchy cabbage, fresh pico de gallo, and creamy white sauce all finished with tangy lime.
Tacos de Pescado ~ Fish Tacos
Ingredients
Fish Tacos
- 1 ½ lbs. halibut mahi mahi or other firm white fish
- 15 small corn tortillas
- vegetable oil
Fish Taco Batter
- 24 ritz crackers crushed (3/4 of a sleeve)
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups sprite
Garnish
- shredded cabbage
- avocados
- salsa
- lime juice
- hot sauce
Pic de Gallo
- 4 roma tomatoes diced
- ½ large white onion diced
- 1 cup chopped parsley minced
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- salt to taste
White Sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
White Sauce
- Whisk the White Sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate.
Pico de Gallo
- Combine the Pico de Gallo ingredients together in a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate.
Tortillas (Microwave or Pan Fry)
- MICROWAVE: Heat tortillas in the microwave by placing 2 tortillas between two slightly dampened paper towels and microwaving for 40 seconds. Place warmed tortillas on a plate with a paper towel in between and cover with a towel. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- PAN FRY: Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a seasoned skillet over medium heat. Add tortilla and cook until its golden and starts to brown in spots, about 20 seconds, then flip and cook until other side is golden. The tortilla should still be soft and pliable, not crispy.
- Place warmed tortillas on a plate with a paper towel in between and cover with a towel. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, adding additional oil as needed after every couple tortillas.
Fish
- Mix all the batter ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Slice fish into strips approximately 3/4” wide x 4″ long (they don’t have to be exact – error on the side of thinner). Pat fish very dry and add all of the fish to the batter and gently stir to coat.
- Fill a 12-inch pan with about 1 inch deep oil and heat to 375 degrees F.
- Working in batches, fry fish until golden, flipping halfway through. Place on paper towels.
Assemble
- Add fish to tortillas (I use 2 strips per taco) and top with shredded cabbage, Pico de Gallo, freshly squeezed lime juice and White Sauce. Drizzle with hot sauce/salsa to taste and garnish with avocados if desired.
Did You Know?
Tacos de Pescado (“fish tacos”) originated in Baja California in Mexico, where they consist of grilled or fried fish, lettuce or cabbage, pico de gallo, and sour cream or citrus/mayonnaise sauce, all placed on top of a corn or flour tortilla. In the United States, they were first popularized by Rubio’s fast-food chain, and remain most popular in California, Colorado, and Washington. In California, they are often found at street vendors, and a regional variation is to serve them with cabbage and coleslaw dressing on top.
Recipe Roundup Weekly Newsletter
Signup to receive our new recipes every week. Every Monday we send out last week’s newly published recipes. Never miss a recipe from Hispanic Food Network.