Beer Batter Fish Tacos

Fish

2 lbs white fish (like cod or tilapia)

1 cup flour or 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour blend or 1 cup of your favorite GF  

   flour blend + ½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour contains already)

1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp salt (regular or your favorite seasoned blend)

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 1/3 cups beer or 1 1/3 cups GF beer (a 12 oz bottle = 1 ½ cups)

Canola oil for frying

Cut fish into small bite-size chunks. Pat dry with paper towel. Season with a little salt & pepper.

Whisk together flour, xanthan gum (if using), garlic powder (if using), paprika & salt.

Stir in slightly beaten egg.

Whisk in beer until batter forms & there are no lumps.

Add oil to medium heavy pan or deep fryer, enough to be 2-3 inches deep. Heat to 375°.

Dip 2 or 3 pieces of fish in batter, then place in hot oil. You want there to be some space between the pieces.

Drop in oil right away. you don’t want too much of the batter to drain off.

Keep an eye on the temperature of your oil.

Cook for 2-4 minutes until nicely golden brown.

Drain on wire rack over paper towels.

Tacos

            GF Corn tortillas

            Suggested toppings (See notes):

                        Shredded cabbage

                        Crumbled, grated, shredded cheese (I like a nice white Mexican cheese like cotija)

                        Cilantro

                        Fresh limes

                        Chopped onions (I like to use red onions)

                        Chopped tomatoes

                        Avocado

                        Tomatoes

                        Guacamole

                        Salsa

                        Hot sauce (like sriracha)

                        Homemade sauce (equal parts sour cream & Greek yogurt, a little fresh squeezed lime juice, a little seasoned salt, a little garlic powder, & maybe some sriracha sauce)

Notes:

I like to heat the tortillas on a comale - which is basically a flat cast iron pan. A cast iron skillet would work too! You don’t need any oil or spray & the tortillas heat up really nicely! Then keep them warm in a tortilla warmer or wrap in a cloth napkin or dish towel.

The toppings are just suggestions! Everyone has their favorites, so make them your own! When I make these for a crowd, I usually put out several of the options & let everyone choose their own. The same goes for how spicy people like them, so I serve the sriracha sauce on the side – just in case!

This batter will work on larger pieces of fish – for fish & chips. Or even on shrimp, if you like it deep fried.

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of making the beer batter fish, you can just grill or bake the white fish with your favorite seasoning. Then pull apart into bite size pieces to use in the tacos.