Tap, Tap.
Is this thing on?
Can you hear me?
Yeah, you in the back.
You can hear me?
Good because this is important and you don’t want to miss it.
First, I’m sorry to say I may not ever feature another Fish Taco recipe on my blog.
Second, if you like Southwest, Tex-Mex flavor profiles you have to visit Jan at
Right NOW.
Ok, well, not right now but right after you finish reading this post.
I found her blog about a month or so ago and I’ve been in love ever since. So much so I actually asked her if she would adopt Mr. Foodie and myself. Seeing as how she already has grown kids I then followed up and asked if I could move in next door. She tells me there’s a vacancy on her street and I have half a mind to pack up and move just so I can be near her cooking. One afternoon I grabbed my little lap top and camped out on the couch and went through every single one of her blog posts. I pinned about half her blog to my Pinterest account and am slowly making my way through her recipes. I already did her Flamethrowers a few weeks ago and Saturday did an adapted version of her Baja Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa (minus the salsa.)
They DID NOT disappoint and are the reason I may never feature another Fish Taco recipe because we may have found the end-all, be-all in our little household.
Jan’s Beer Batter is dang near perfect. It cooks up light and fluffy with a nice golden color and has great flavor…although I did add a hefty pinch of salt to it. And my adaptation of her Baja Sauce was the finishing touch. Because I didn’t have Penzey’s Arizona Dreaming seasoning blend I went to their website and based off the ingredients made my own version and it was delicious. And because Mr. Foodie prefers straight cabbage with his fish tacos that’s the way we rolled.
Here is my version of Jan’s Fish Tacos that we are calling
Bodacious Baja Fish Tacos
(I would guess this would easily serve 4…we had sides of french fries and fresh corn on the cob and had enough leftover fish for lunch the next day)
For the Baja Sauce:
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1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
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1/4 Cup Sour Cream
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1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
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1/8 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
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1/8 Teaspoon Onion Powder
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1/8 Teaspoon Cumin
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1/8 Teaspoon Ancho Chile Powder
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1/8 Teaspoon Smoked Spanish Paprika
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1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne
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1/8 Teaspoon Aleppo Pepper
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1/8 Teaspoon Mexican Oregano
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1/8 Teaspoon Salt
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1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
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1/4 Cup Cilantro
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Juice of 1 Lime (mine was pretty small so I used the whole thing)
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1 Jalapeno, seeded (I removed the seeds but left the ribs in place for some heat)
For the fish:
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1 1/2 pounds fish (I used Tilapia on this night)
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1 12 ounce Bottle of Beer, divided
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3/4 Cup Flour
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Approximately 1 Teaspoon Salt, divided
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Several grinds Black Pepper
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Oil for frying
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Tortilla’s (ours were the large ones and we got by on a total of four)
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1 Cup Cabbage, thinly sliced
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Extra Lime Wedges for squeezing over the top
***Let me start by saying that aside from the Cayenne and the jalapeno, virtually nothing in this sauce is “hot”. All the spices I used lean towards the “earthy and/or smoky” spectrum. I would feel completely safe serving this to children or people who are sensitive to spicy hot foods, especially if the seeds and ribs are removed from the jalapeno.***
Start the Baja Sauce as early in the day as you can, even the day before if possible. The longer it sits, the better it gets. I know this because on Sunday I ate two small pieces of fish for lunch, straight from the fridge, and used it as a dipping sauce. Also, one adaptation I did was to add a small amount of sugar. I made this up in the morning and kept taste-testing it throughout the day. I found the sauce had a pronounced sour note presumably from the Greek Yogurt. I decided to add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. This totally removed the sour taste but did not bring any hint of sweetness to the sauce and it brightened the lime giving the sauce a much “lighter” feel on the tongue.
Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise and sour cream in a small bowl.
Make your spice blend by combining all the spices.
Finely dice the jalapeno and finely chop cilantro.
Add everything to the bowl and squeeze in lime.
Stir well to combine then place in fridge until service.
***About 1 hour before service start working on the fish. I took our small filets and sliced them in half, lenthwise, so they would better fit in the tortilla. I also used 1 1/2 pounds as opposed to Jan’s 1 pound and found this was the perfect amount for the amount of batter. We had almost zero batter waste and every piece of fish was coated perfectly.***
Place fish in a shallow dish and sprinkle filets with approximately 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside 3/4 cup of beer for use in the batter and use the remaining portion of beer to pour over fish until just barely covered. If your beer is cold feel free to drink whatever remains in the bottle. 
Place fish in fridge and let sit 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
After fish has rested in refrigerator remove from dish, rinse under clean water and pat dry.
To prepare batter combine flour, 3/4 cup of reserved beer, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Whisk to combine. Batter should be very thick like a heavy pancake batter. Sorry for the lousy shot, I was trying to whisk, focus and snap all at the same time. A skill I’m still working on.
Jan pan fried hers but we used our Fry Daddy deep fryer. Fill Fry Daddy according to directions and bring up to temperature. While oil is heating drop all the pieces of fish in batter and toss to coat evenly. When oil is hot add one piece of fish at a time making sure to not overcrowd or overfill the vessel. Cook, flipping occassionally, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. I don’t have any pictures of the frying. Mr. Foodie was doing this outside while I was inside pulling together the rest of the meal.
We were under another stormy day so I couldn’t quite capture the light I was hoping for but…
Take a look at this.
And this…
It’s all here.
Light, Flaky, Golden, Beer Battered Fish.
Cool, Creamy, Just A Little Spicy, Just A Little Limey, Baja Sauce.
Cold, Crunchy Cabbage.
All Wrapped in Softness.
This is Bodacious.
Totally, Dude.
I know she and I are both happily married but would it be wrong to ask Jan to marry me?
I’m just sayin’. 
Okay, first I’ve been sitting here studying that picture – it really was speaking to me if you know what I mean. Then I had to study the recipe, then I had to decide how long it would take for me to get down there & if you’d have any left. I may not make it for lunch today, but I could probably be there tomorrow? I’ve never tried frying fish but you’ve changed my mind with this one.
Now if you move over to Jan’s neighborhood, would you be leaving your freezer (and food)? After seeing your post with what you have on hand I’m just thinking ahead in case I need a place to go if we get into the Hunger Games situation.
These look so good, I don’t know if I can wait to try them! The combo of spices, and flavors, and fish, and beer, and fried, and – well, it just goes on and on now doesn’t it?!?!?!?! Somebody STOP me!!! LOL!
LOL! I know, right?
Oh my, this fish dish looks amazing! And I see you use Penzeys Spices. I LOVE Penzeys. We have one close to our house, and it’s one of my favorite places to shop. Even my little guy loves going there. He loves smelling all the spices. :0)
Jan loves Penzey’s as well and also has a store near her! You guys are so lucky!!
You outdid me my friend! Awesome pictures, I love it and you got the spice just right. I wish I could have been there to have a bite, looks delish!
Thanks, Jan!! Another terrific recipe. I can’t wait to try more!
Thanks for this recipe and all your carefully detailed notes. I’m gonna pass this on to my sister and see if we can do this next time her husband catches some fish!
I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
hehe…well, I’d prefer housecleaning fairies, but I suppose I’d settle for wife! (really a hubby who doesn’t mind cleaning up after I cook)
Lol! I know what you mean!