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These Baja fish tacos are some of the best tacos ever! They’re filled with tender and crispy beer-battered fish in warm and soft tortillas and are topped with chipotle mayonnaise and creamy cabbage slaw.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that these Baja fish tacos are in my personal top 5 recipes that I’ve ever made. I know it’s a big statement, but I’m confident that once you make this recipe, it’ll also be in your top 5.
(The rest of my top 5, in no particular order, include carne en su jugo, chile verde, tamales, and mole sauce.)
From the chipotle-lime mayo to the beer-battered fish and the creamy slaw, every single component of this recipe is packed with a ton of flavor.
And best of all? Everything is easy to make! While it may seem like there are a lot of steps, don’t let that intimidate you. If you can pour and mix ingredients in a bowl, you can make these tacos.
Ingredients in Baja Fish Tacos
- Fish: I used Alaskan Cod, but you can use any firm, mild-flavored fish like halibut or even mahi-mahi.
- Beer: Using a Mexican-style beer gives a rich flavor to the batter and helps with the runny texture. You could use a non-alcoholic beer if you prefer.
- Seasonings: All of my favorite Mexican seasonings are here to add flavor to the batter, like garlic, chili powder, cumin, and much more.
- Tortillas: Pick your favorite – corn tortillas or flour tortillas work great in this recipe!
- Chipotle Mayo: You’ll need mayonnaise, lime juice, a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, and garlic powder. It’s a mild-medium spice level, but you can add more or less depending on how spicy you want it.
- Cabbage Slaw: I used a bag of pre-shredded cabbage slaw to keep things easy, then mixed it with cilantro, a little mayo, lime juice, and salt. It pairs perfectly with the crispy fish.
How to Make Baja Fish Tacos
Make the slaw: I kept it super easy by using 8 ounces of store-bought pre-shredded cabbage slaw. Just dump that in a bowl along with some chopped cilantro, mayo, lime juice, and salt. Mix it all up, give it a taste, and add a little more salt or mayo if you prefer. Then cover it and place it in the fridge until it’s time to eat.
Make the chipotle mayo: Place some mayo, lime zest, lime juice, a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, and garlic powder in a blender. Pulse until smooth. If you don’t want the sauce to be too spicy, I recommend starting with 1/2 a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, then adding more if you prefer. Cover this and place it in the fridge until it’s time to eat.
Prepare the fish: To prepare for frying, cut the fish into strips about 1 inch wide and 4 inches long. If you don’t want a ruler in your kitchen, roughly the length of your index finger is a good rule of thumb.
Prepare the frying oil: At this point, I recommend preparing your frying oil and heating it up. You want the oil to be around 350ºF to 360ºF, which you can check with a kitchen thermometer. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend you get one! I use my Thermapen almost daily, and it’s so worth it. Not only can you get the perfect frying oil temperature when you need it, but no more undercooking meats! It’s a lifesaver.
Make the batter and fry: Make the batter by whisking together all the dry ingredients first and then whisking in the beer. Now dip the fish into the batter, shake off any excess, and fry until nice and golden brown. Continue cooking your fish in batches of 4-6 strips, depending on the size of your pan.
Serve: All that’s left to do is assemble the tacos and eat. I like layering the components like this: chipotle mayo on the bottom, fish in the middle, and slaw on top!
Recipe Tips
- Prepare the beer batter right before you fry the fish. The batter is much lighter and airy this way because the beer is still bubbly and carbonated. The longer the batter sits, the flatter and denser the batter will get.
- Pick the right fish. Use a firm, mild-flavored fish like cod, halibut, or even mahi-mahi. If using frozen fish, make sure to thaw it completely and pat it as dry as you can with some paper towels.
- Heat corn tortillas in a skillet or a griddle. I highly recommend heating them in a skillet or a flat griddle over medium-high heat until they develop some toasted brown spots on both sides. Not only does this warm them up, but it also firms them up and helps prevent them from ripping or falling apart.
Baked Method
With just a couple of tweaks, you can make a lighter, baked version of these delicious baja fish tacos:
- Omit the Mexican lager beer and replace the all-purpose flour with panko bread crumbs.
- Whisk 2 eggs in a bowl and dip the fish into the egg mixture.
- Mix the panko bread crumbs and seasonings together and coat both sides of the fish slices, pressing down to evenly coat the fish.
- Bake in the oven at 375ºF for 5-7 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF. You can also air fry at 390ºF for 5-7 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
Storing and Reheating
To store, place leftover fish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, place leftover fish on a baking sheet and heat in a 400ºF oven until hot and crispy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
More Mexican Recipes
Baja Fish Tacos
Ingredients
For the slaw
- 8 ounces pre-shredded cabbage slaw
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- Fine salt, to taste
For the chipotle mayo
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For the tacos
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup Mexican lager beer
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 ½ pounds skinless cod, mahi mahi, or halibut, cut into 1×4-inch long strips
- Corn or flour tortillas, warmed
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Make the slaw: Add the cabbage slaw, cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss together until thoroughly mixed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make the chipotle mayo: Add the mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice, chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, and garlic powder in a small blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make the tacos: In a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat, add enough oil to reach a depth of ¾-inch. Heat the oil until a thermometer reaches 350ºF.
- While the frying oil is heating up, make the batter by adding flour, garlic powder, baking powder, chili powder, salt, cumin, and black pepper in a large bowl. Whisk together to combine. Add beer and whisk together until the batter is smooth.
- Working in batches using tongs, dip the strips of fish in the beer batter and coat on both sides. Lightly shake off any excess batter and carefully place it in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet with a rack to drain.
- Assemble the tacos by placing a dollop of chipotle mayo on a warm tortilla, followed by a piece or two of fish, then top with cabbage slaw. Serve with lime wedges.
Video
Notes
- Beer. I prefer using a Mexican-style lager beer, but you can use any beer you have in the fridge, even a non-alcoholic beer.
- Prepare the beer batter right before you fry the fish. The batter is much lighter and airy this way because the beer is still bubbly and carbonated. The longer the batter sits, the flatter and denser the batter will get.
- Heat corn tortillas in a skillet or a griddle. I highly recommend heating them in a skillet or a flat griddle over medium-high heat until they develop some toasted brown spots on both sides. Not only does this warm them up, but it also firms them up and helps prevent them from ripping or falling apart.
- Pick the right fish. Use a firm, mild-flavored fish like cod, halibut, or even mahi-mahi. If using frozen fish, make sure to thaw it completely and pat it as dry as you can with some paper towels.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated with new photos and more helpful tips.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
Wow! These look and sound incredible! Fish tacos are yummy, but yours look perfect!!!
Hi! Tried this recipe for Father’s Day and the first batch of fish came out perfect. All the batches after that did not, they did not get brown and most of the batter fell off. Any clues as to why that might have happened? Don’t get me wrong, we ate all of it and it was delicious!
It sounds like your oil dropped in temperature after the first batch which is why it wasn’t really browning. You may also try giving the batter a quick whisk before dipping each piece of fish into it to make sure everything is combined. I hope that helps!
I made this tonight with a pre-made asian slaw blend from Whole Foods and Halibut. It was great but I had to add more beer to the batter as it was too thick. I also added extra paprika and kept the salt levels pretty low. Made fresh corn masa tortillas too and it took around 3 hours total for everything with the masa rest, but came out great. Will be doing this again!
SO GOOD!! Me and my boyfriend made this recipe and it was so delicious! 5 star for sure everything was perfect. Invited my mom and brother over for dinner and they loved it also for sure adding to my recipes so I can make in the future! Thank you so much!
Yay! I’m so happy you and everyone loved it! Thank you so much for your feedback and your support of my site!
This was amazing! Followed recipe exactly. Then I was like Eureka! Tempura batter! I also fried shrimp in the same batter for sweet and sour shrimp! Also amazing!
What fish do you end up using for this recipe?
I used Alaskan Cod.
Followed the recipe as written and it turned out great. Husband said these were as good as any restaurant ones. A keeper and will be making again
These look amazing and a great idea for Lent! What kind of oil do you use and does this really only take 4 minutes to cook? Thanks, don’t want to poison anyone, lol.
I use canola oil for frying. And yes, that’s all it should take! The fish is thin and tender enough that 2 minutes of frying per side is enough.
These look amazing! Is there a substitute for the beer? Sadly I’m allergic. :/ Thank you!
Hi Jaki. Thank you! I’ve only ever used beer so I can’t for certain, but you should be able to use pretty much any carbonated drink. Try a plain seltzer water. The flavor profile of the batter will be a bit different but it should work!
my husband is going to be OBSESSED with these!!! love, love, loving that slaw! xx
Ahh, thanks Jess! I hope you guys love them!