Give The People What They Want: Baja Fish Taco with White Sauce
30Fish Taco White Sauce. That is the number two most frequent search term that gets people to Shut Up & Cook is? Tragically it is not “witty, smart, brilliant, and good looking home cooks”. Nor is it “the next Rachael Ray”. And while I’m sure it’s bound to happen at some point, I have yet to see Google searches for “next food blogger who is going to make it big” top the list.
And do you want to know what # 3 is?!?
- white sauce for fish tacos
Baja Fish Tacos with White Sauce
How not sexy is that? Alas, I’ve had to come to the reality that what people really want…what they truly desire is fish tacos. And how can you blame them? They are amazing.
Back in November of 2009 (hard to believe that was 2+ years ago) I did a post about Shockingly Good Baja Fish Tacos. Since then I have eaten many more fish tacos (some good, some great, some bad), but I hadn’t made them again until this past weekend when overcome by a craving I couldn’t ignore, I simply had to have them. And to prove to my Mom that fish tacos could be delicious (“Honey…I have to say…I just don’t get it….fish tacos? Really?”)
They were just as good as last time, if not even better thanks to the delightful company of our friend’s CJ, Nadia, and Harrison and the amusing conversation that ranged from politics, to commerce, travel, to relationships, and a very entertaining, wine-coming-out-my-nose, attempt to explain to my mother what the term “punks” meant. Needless to say CJ’s attempt at providing a Sid Vicious reference did nothing.
These are a little messy to make, and yes your house will be a little smelly for a few hours, but you should do it. Because hey…if nothing else, fish tacos make an excellent white sauce delivery system.
Baja Fish Tacos with Fish Taco White Sauce
Step 1 – Fish Taco White Sauce:
- Fresh lime juice to taste (I like about 2 TB)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 TB Sriracha hot sauce (or something similar)
- ½ teaspoon – crushed oregano
- ½ teaspoon – ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon – dried, crushed dill
- ½ teaspoon – ground cayenne chile
- ground white pepper to taste
Combine the first three ingredients, aiming for a slightly runny consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
The making of the coveted white sauce.
Step 2 – Toppings Bar:
So pretty.
- 1/2 bundle cilantro
- 2 cups red cabbage
- 1 cup queso fresco
- 2 limes
Coarsely chop cilantro and set aside in small bowl for toppings. Dice queso fresco and set aside in separate bowl. Cut up the cabbage. Slice as thinly as possible so the strands still stay together. Set aside in bowl. Quarter the limes and serve one wedge with each plate and extras in a bowl.
Toppings Bar (which I personally try to incorporate into as many meals as possible).
Step 3 – The Fish:
Cod works well, although you can use whatever white fish you prefer. Since it’s going to be battered and fried this is a great opportunity to take advantage of whatever is on sale.
2 LB White Fish washed, patted dry, and cut into 1 inch strips
Batter:
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 can beer, not dark
Combine flour and salt, then add beer. It should be relatively thick, which was nice since the batter actually stayed on the fish when we fried it.
Fill large saucepan with vegetable oil or lard. You want enough that the fish can be submerged in it. Get it nice and hot and cook the fish in batches, being certain not to crowd the pan as you want the oil to stay hot.
Turn the fish after about a minute. Look for the color to decide when to remove. As soon as it’s golden, you’re good to go. Remove and place on a plate with a paper towel to drain.
Serve immediately with tortillas, white sauce, and toppings. Enjoy.
Category Cheap Eats, Comfort Foods, Entertaining, Seafood, Uncategorized | Tags: baja fish tacos, fish taco white sauce, google searches, home cooks, sid vicious, white sauce, white sauce for fish tacos
Erina, these fish tacos look sooo divine! And they ARE an excellent delivery system for white sauce (bring on the fat!). Thanks for another yummy and entertaining post. Now I must make some fish tacos!
Hooray! Definitely make them and then be sure to report back please! They are almost **too** good…I could eat them every night.
Back home in Ipswich and dreaming (literally………dreaming)
of your fantastic fish tacos and roaringly fun dinners.
Thank you for idulging your readers from ALL OVER THE WORLD
(Bravo!) with this recipe.
Dreaming of fish tacos?!? That’s my kind of dream. All of the world indeed…this week we’ve had readers from the Netherlands, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Turkey and more!
Rachel and Madeline here (and Andy in spirit) – we made your fish tacos last night and they were absolutely AMAZING. SERIOUSLY LIFE CHANGING AMAZING. YUM!
So glad you enjoyed them…and even more glad at the thought of the three of you together whipping up a storm in the kitchen.
Erina,
I’m Laura Wittman’s (Skidmore) fiancé, and we just made our second batch of these, and they are the best! Love the site and love the food. Glad Laura told me about your blog.
Hi Keenan,
Lovely to virtually meet you…and CONGRATS on the upcoming nuptials. So very exciting.
Thrilled to hear that you are enjoying Shut Up & Cook and the fish tacos to boot. I’ve got to get cooking (and writing) again, so stay tuned for lots more yummy summer eats.
I’ve done about an hour of Googling for the best Baja fish taco recipe and this is it.
Holy cow, that sauce is so good! I had to get out some potato chips and dip in because dinner is still a few hours away and I can’t wait!
Thanks Jessica! Potato chips are a great addition to any meal as far as I’m concerned!
This looks delicious!!
Quick question…1/2 a what of mayonnaise?
Hi Stephanie…sorry about that. A 1/2 a cup of mayonnaise! Enjoy, these really are quite good.
Thank you!! Making this tonight for my “mother-in-law” : )
Outstanding! Excited to hear what you think!
A “fish taco white sauce” Google search brought me here. Am I the first?
Haha…nice try! I’m glad it brought you here though so I could discover your blog in turn!
Yum, Yum, Yum, I have been looking for a great recipe! From California, now in Texas- hard to find a great Fish Taco here—-thanks to you, have made this several times and converted many a Texans…LOL. MUCH THANKS!!
Yes!!! So glad you’ve enjoyed and extra thanks for sharing with your friends. Glad to have you stop by!
These Fish Tacos are the BOMB! We eat them at least once a week!
Gita…that is so awesome to hear…thank you!!!
[…] used this recipe for the “white sauce”. It’s not the typical white sauce that most places use […]
Can’t wait to try these tacos. I’m using grilled shrimp for half of this recipe. The white sauce recipe brought me here!
Oooh, love the idea of shrimp. Thanks for the inspiration!
Making these for my grandma, mother and husband for mothers day this weekend!
🙂
Oh fabulous! How did they turn out? Love this recipe.
I made these fish tacos and they where amazing. I use the White sauce for all my taco recipes. It’s the best sauce ever. I don’t always
It posted before I could finish. I don’t always use dill.
So glad you made these and they were a hit! Absolutely love hearing that.
When I was stationed in San Diego, this taco was one of the treats of the SoCal. I love Rubio’s and all of the eateries that featured this lovely food. I made it with Argentine Red Shrimp, and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for bringing me back to the good old Marine Corps days!
You have a new found fan and I will be stopping by regularly!
Dave