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Beer-Battered Fish Tacos
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5 from 5 votes

Beer-Battered Fish Tacos

These Rubio's knock-off Beer Battered Fish Tacos are tender and crunchy and worth every speck of oil! The pickled onions! The coleslaw! The crispy fish!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time9 minutes
Total Time19 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 452kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

For the pickled onions:

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice fresh, 1 lime
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced

For the coleslaw:

  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice fresh, 1 lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 small cabbage about 1 pound green cabbage, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 1 jalapeño seeded and chopped or sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup cilantro chopped

For the fish:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 1 cup beer such as Corona, Tecate or another lighter beer
  • Canola oil for frying
  • 1 pound tilapia fillets* cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick strips
  • 8 corn tortillas flour works too
  • avocado to garnish
  • limes to squeeze

Instructions

  • Squeeze 2 tablespoons of lime juice into a small bowl. Stir in the salt and pepper, then add the sliced onions and stir to coat. Set aside. Toss it every now and then as you prepare everything else.
  • Combine the sour cream and 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice in a large bowl. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add the sliced cabbage, jalapeño, ad cilantro. Toss and set aside.
  • Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, chili powder, baking powder, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of this mixture to a large plate. Whisk the egg and beer into the remaining flour mixture until smooth.
  • Add a 1/2 inch canola oil to a cast iron or deep skillet. Turn the heat to medium and wait about 5 minutes. It should get to about 350 F. You will know it is hot when a small sprinkle of water jumps. Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and set it next to the heated oil.
  • Work in batches to coat each piece of fish with the dry flour mixture, shaking off the excess flour. Dip each piece in the beer batter. Let the excess drip off, then carefully add each piece to the hot oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the batter is golden brown, then use metal tongs to flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. The fish should be opaque throughout. Remove to the prepared cooling rack.
  • If you have leftover oil, use it to fry the tortillas for about 30 seconds per side, setting them on paper towels to cool. If you want to skip this step, just warm the tortillas covered in the microwave.
  • To assemble the tacos, add fish, slaw, pickled onions, and avocado to a tortilla. Squeeze some lime juice over the top, and some sour cream or Mexican crema. This would be fabulous served with some Horchata!

Notes

I used frozen tilapia filets that I had thawed out. I used 4 filets and it was just about a pound.
To reheat leftovers, bake at 400 F for 5- 10 minutes until crispy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Potassium: 800mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1042IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 4mg