Before we get too far away from beer-battered halibut, I would just like to point out that one of the best thing you can do with beer-battered fish is to use it to make tacos. Practically any kind of white fish will make great fried fish tacos, and halibut is one of the best. Here are a trio of very nice-looking fish tacos as illustration.
An axiom of the modern world is that for any given edible object, there is someone, somewhere willing to deep-fry it. But fish tacos are the pride of Baja California, not simply some cheap fair food. As you can see in the picture above, these tacos are made with fresh tortillas. This is how they are served in Mexico, of course, using corn tortillas made on the spot. When I have visited Mexico, the only times I ever encountered processed tortillas were in hotel restaurants. Freshly-made tortillas are noticeably better, but I’d advise you to use store-bought whenever you make any tortilla dish for the first time.
The other components may include shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, salsa blanca, and of course the fish. The tacos are often served ala carte, but you can serve them with beans and Mexican rice to make a larger meal. Condiments are a Mexican-style chile sauce, either red or green, and slices of fresh lime.
Green cabbage, sliced as thinly as possible, is much preferred over any sort of lettuce for fish tacos, because of its crunch. Also, it stands as a simplified cole slaw (often served with American fish and chips), providing a familiar element. Sliced romaine is the best substitution.
Pico de gallo is a the ubiquitous Mexican salsa fresca, a fresh tomato salsa. Mexicans prefer Roma tomatoes because they are firmer and produce less juice. Pico de gallo is a sort of play on words; it means beak of the rooster, but pico is similar to picante, which, like piquant, means sharp-tasting…and the beak of the rooster is also sharp.
Pico de Gallo
4 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1-3 serrano chiles, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp salt
Salsa Blanca, white sauce, is used as a sort of simplified tartar sauce here. Its creaminess offers a contrast to the clean, sharp pico de gallo.
Salsa Blanca
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Finally, the fish itself. A very good way to prepare the fish is to beer-batter it, exactly as described in a previous post here. However, a simple tempura batter (made from ice water and flour, slightly thinner than pancake batter) works well also. You can also marinate and grill the fish if you like. The important thing is to cut the fish into strips you can fit in the tacos. Make sure you have everything else prepared before you cook the fish. Wrap the tortillas in foil and heat them in a 300ºF oven until soft, or place them in a plastic bag and microwave until soft.
- Derrick Snyder