Fish tacos

Fish tacos is one of the top favorite meals served here at my company, and with good reason. Basa fish is coated in a seasoned flour and coated in a beer batter, resulting in a crispy, flaky fish. Topped with fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and shredded cabbage, these tacos are sure to please. 

Fish tacos

Cooking time:20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings ( 2 tacos per serving)

Ingredients

1 lb basa fish

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

12 oz can beer such as tecate

2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp old bay seasoning

2 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp powdered onion

1 tsp celery salt

8 corn tortillas

2 cups thinly shredded green cabbage

pico de gallo

guacamole

shredded Monterey Jack cheese, optional

sour cream, optional

Directions

1. Heat oil for frying to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine 1 cup flour with the beer. Whisk together and set aside. Combine the other 1 cup flour with salt - celery salt and set aside. 
3. Cut the fish into 1 inch long portions. Coat the flour with the seasoned flour mixture, shaking off the excess flour. Dip the coated fish in the beer batter, making sure to cover the entire piece evenly. Carefully drop the fish into the heated frying oil and fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, heat the corn tortillas on a heated griddle.
5. To make the tacos, lay one or two fish pieces, depending on their size per tortilla. Top with 1/4 cup cabbage, 1 tbsp guacamole and 1 tbsp salsa. Serve with cheese and sour cream on the side. 

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving (2 tacos, 2 tbsp guacamole, 2 tbsp salsa, 1/2 cup cabbage) : 478.6 calories, 19.3g fat (2.8g saturated, 9.0g polyunsaturated, 5.7g monounsaturated), 52.9g carbohydrates, 6.8g fiber, 24.7g protein

Pico De Gallo

Prep time: 20 minutes

Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients

3 large tomatoes, small dice

1/2 onion, small dice

3 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together all of the ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper. Let sit for at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutritional Analysis:
per tablespoon: 4 calories, 0.5g fat (0g saturated, 0g polyunsaturated, 0g monounsaturated), 0.9g carbohydrates, 0.2g fiber, 0.2g protein

Guacamole

Prep time: 20 minutes

Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and mashed
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
1 small tomato, small dice

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

3 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados with the lime juice, salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and stir together. Let sit for at least one hour refrigerated or serve immediately. 

Nutritional Analysis:
per tablespoon: 18.6 calories, 1.6g fat (0.2g saturated, 0.2g polyunsaturated, 1.1g monounsaturated), 1.2g carbohydrates, 0.8g fiber, 0.3g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Basa is a type of catfish from Vietnam and Thailand. You can substitute the fish in this recipe for any other white fish such as tilapia, snapper, or even halibut. When you are cutting your fish into portions, remember that once you fry it, the size of the piece will become larger because it is coated in beer batter. 

To prevent your fingers from getting clumpy and dirty from the flour and beer batter, use one hand to dredge the fish in the seasoned flour and the other hand for dipping it in the beer batter. 

If you don't have a griddle there are several other ways to heat up your tortillas. You can either heat them on a pan over low medium or you can warm them up in the microwave in a Ziploc bag. 

For the salsa and guacamole, try to let it sit for at least one hour to let the flavors meld together. 

I've made other versions of fish tacos, but this recipe is one that I always go back to. The combination of all the seasonings in flour mixture flavor the fish so well without overpowering it and the beer in the beer batter allow it to stay crispy. I've used the beer batter for onion rings as well and they stayed crispy even hours after they were fried! Serve the fish tacos with tortilla chips, beans, or even corn on the cob and enjoy a great summer meal!