Baja Fish Taco Bowls made with beer-battered cod, Cilantro Lime Rice, Mexican Pinto Beans, Mexican Slaw, crunchy veggies, avocado and Chipotle Mayo! A tasty flavorful dinner! Vegan-adaptable.
Have I ever told you how much my husband loves Fish and Chips? It’s usually an “out to eat” kind of thing and since we haven’t been doing that lately, I made him my own version, but instead of “chips”, I loaded the bowl up with healthy veggies, mexican pinto beans and cilantro lime rice, and gave it a Mexican twist. So by the end of it, it was nothing like Fish and Chips, whatsoever, well, except for the crispy battered fish, which turned out so yummy, I had to share.
If you want, of course, you can skip the beer batter and prepare the fish more healthfully, like we do in this fish taco recipe, so if watching oil or calories- feel free to do that. But if you want something a little more decadent, this is pretty tasty.
It starts with wild cod.
Recently I joined Sitka Salmon Shares which is like a CSA but with wild Alaskan Fish instead of veggies. Each month they deliver a box of high-quality wild caught fish. I’ve really been enjoying it!
Make the flavorful batter with flour, spices, salt and beer.
Then dip the fish in the batter.
Here I’ve made a base with the Cilantro Lime rice and Mexican Pinto Beans I posted a few days ago. I added the fresh crunchy Mexican Slaw, avocado, cucumbers, radishes and topped it with the crispy cod.
It was easy to put together after meal-prepping the cilantro lime rice and Mexican Pinto Beans a couple of days before. Just an idea I thought you’d like.
This would also very easy to adapt for vegans. You could substitute baked tofu or crispy tofu or even try beer battering the tofu- sounds good to me, but haven’t tried it yet though!
Baha Fish Taco Bowls made with beer-battered cod, cilantro lime rice, Mexican pinto beans, Mexican Slaw, avacodo and chipotle mayo! (Fish takes 20 minutes but sides take longer!)
- Author: Sylvia Fountaine
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: fish, bowls
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Baja Battered Fish (or shrimp or tofu!)
- 1 lb wild cod (or raw peeled shrimp, or cubed tofu)
- 1/2 cup AP flour, spooned and leveled (or GF flour blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 granulated garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 cup beer
- 1/4 cup oil for frying (high heat oil)
Baja Bowl Ingredients: ( pick out a few out, you don’t need to use all!)
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Mexican Pinto Beans
- Canned seasoned Black beans
- Mexican Slaw
- Chipotle Mayo or Creamy Avocado Sauce
- Pickled red onions
- Fresh veggies: sliced radishes, sliced cucumber, cilantro, green onions, grated carrots, sprouts or avocado, Limes!
- Crumbled Queso fresco cheese (optional)
- Hot sauce
Instructions
- Prepare any of the Baja Bowl Ingredients you want. (It is best to do this ahead)
- Cut fish into four 4-ounce pieces. Pat dry.
- Make the Batter: Pour 1/2 cup beer into a medium bowl. Whisk in the all spices and salt. Slowly whisk in the flour. If you’d like a looser or thinner batter, add a little more beer. Place the fish in the batter coating all sides.
- Fry: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, until very hot, smoking hot (350 F) or sizzles when you drop a little batter in. Carefully place the battered fish in the oil, watching out for splatter. Cook 3 minutes or until fish naturally releases from the pan (it will release when crispy and golden) then carefully turn it over. Lower heat to LOW. Cook until this side is golden, crispy and fish is cooked through, another 3-5 minutes. Place on a paper towel lined plate, to blot the oil while you plate up the bowls. (You could also keep these on a wire rack in a 300 F oven, until ready to serve, so they stay crispy.)
- Create the base of the bowls with warm beans or rice or both, add veggies, avocado and/or slaw. Top with fish. Serve with limes and chipotle Mayo or hot sauce.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Cooking times and nutrition info are for the fish only.
Feel free to serve in tacos instead, cutting fish into 1-inch thick strips.
