Beer Battered Fried Fish Tacos
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 4 fish tacos
- Total: 5 hr 5 min
- Active: 1 hr 5 min
Ingredients
Beer Batter:
16 ounces light beer, or more as needed
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
Black Beans:
1 pound dried black beans
1 onion, halved leaving root attached, and peeled
1 plum tomato
2 tablespoons ground toasted cumin
1 tablespoon ground toasted coriander
Salt
Miso Aioli:
1/4 cup black bean miso
1/4 cup red miso
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 bunch scallions
2 limes, juiced
1 egg
1 cup canola oil
Charred Jalapeno and Cucumber Salsa:
1 jalapeno
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus some whole leaves, for garnish
1 hothouse cucumber, seeds removed, small dice
1 shallot, minced
3 tablespoons (store-bought) sesame soy vinaigrette
Salt or lime juice, as needed
Tacos:
Rice bran oil, for frying
4 flour tortillas
8 ounces ling cod or similar fish
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt
1 avocado, halved and pitted
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Japanese furikake seasoning, for sprinkling
Directions
Special equipment:
a deep-fryer- For the beer batter: In large bowl add half the beer. Add yeast, then stir to dissolve. With a whisk, slowly add the flour. Add more beer as needed to make a thin batter. Add salt. Place bowl in a warm spot. It will get foamy and rise in volume. Let rest and rise for about 2 hours.
- Remove and discard top skin if one forms. Batter is now ready to use.
- For the black beans: In large pot, add black beans, onion, tomato and water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Remove tomato from pot. Once cool enough to handle, remove skin and discard. Rough chop tomato and add back to beans.
- Allow beans to simmer until tender, about 2 hours. Remove onion and discard. Season with cumin, coriander and salt to taste. Keep beans hot until ready to serve.
- For the miso aioli: In a food processor add miso pastes, hot sauce, soy sauce, scallions, lime juice and egg. Blend until smooth. With machine running, slowly drizzle oil in until all is incorporated.
- For the charred jalapeno and cucumber salsa: Place jalapeno on a hot grill and cook, turning occasionally, until skin is charred and black. Remove from heat. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel and remove seeds. Dice finely.
- Combine jalapeno, cilantro, cucumber and shallots in a bowl. Add vinaigrette, then mix. Taste and add salt or lime juice if needed. Set aside.
- For the tacos: Fill up a fryer or very large pot with rice bran oil and heat to 350 degrees F.
- Warm tortillas over the burners on the stovetop. Set aside.
- Place fish in the flour and toss to coat. Remove excess flour.
- Add floured fish to beer batter using tongs. Remove from batter, allowing excess to drip off.
- Using tongs, carefully place battered fish into hot oil. Wait a couple seconds before releasing fish into oil to prevent it from sinking and sticking to bottom.
- Fry until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from oil and set on a paper towel-lined plate or tray. Season with salt.
- On warm tortillas, spoon 2 tablespoons hot black beans. Place cooked fish on beans. Place 1 slice avocado on top. Spoon 1 tablespoon aioli on fish and avocado. Add 1 tablespoon salsa.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves and a sprinkle of furikake.
Cook’s Note
Start this recipe by making the beer batter, because all of the other prep can be done while it is setting up for the 2-hour period.