"No good fish goes without a porpoise!" - Lewis Carroll
I don't like fish! I am the first to admit it! I hate fish. First, it smells like fish! The texture is just like I would imagine fish would be like: mushy! And it tastes like fish! UNLESS, you eat fresh fish you caught yourself the day before. Now I LOVE fish! After my day out on the pond catching bluegill and large mouth bass, I have learned that I am a fish lover! Who knew? The key to being a fish lover is to eat FRESH fish, not just shipped in and been sitting in the freezer section of the grocery store fish, but fish you caught and cleaned yourself over the weekend. It is delicious!
So, let me share with you how I prepared this excellent fish. After a much heated debate, our group of fisherman decided on fish tacos!
When looking for a great fish taco recipe, the sauce is key! The sauce makes the taco. I searched the internet high and low for a great sounding fish taco sauce, and the one I went with is fantastic. This is a great fish taco that won't disappoint even your most critical taster.
So, after you have cleaned the fish, a task I have yet to master, you want to batter the fish. As with battering most anything, the key is to place the meat in a flour bath first. Flour will help the batter to stick to the meat better. After the flour bath, place the filets in the beer batter. When preparing your beer batter, first mix up your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. After that is mixed together, quickly blend in your one egg and cup of beer. I used our Pabst beer from the day before, but any lager or ale will work nicely. Dunk your filets, let the excess drip off, and drop your filet in the hot oil.
The oil should be preheated on the stove to 375F degrees. You can test your oil by placing a drop of batter into the oil and seeing if it starts to fry. If it takes too long to get started bubbling, your oil is too cold. If it fries to a dark blob immediately, your oil is too hot. When frying the filets, you want to make sure to place only a couple of pieces into the oil at a time. Putting more than three or four filets at a time will drop the temperature of your oil and this will result in the fish coming out gushy. We are looking for a crunchy and golden brown finished product. Let the fish fry for two to three minutes, rotating in the oil to make sure you get both sides. After you have reached a beautiful golden brown crust, let it dry on a paper towel.
As I said before, the key to a great fish taco is the sauce. This sauce is superb! You start with mixing your half a cup of mayonnaise and plain yogurt. You could also use a Greek yogurt if you are so inclined. I decided upon a plain yogurt because I like the texture the combination of mayonnaise and yogurt creates. Be sure your yogurt is plain, a flavored yogurt, such a vanilla, could make things taste pretty funny. After you have whisked together your base, you want to start adding the true flavors of the sauce. The spices are added first: oregano, cumin, dill and cayenne. After that is mixed together good add the lime juice, capers, and jalapenos. This sauce sounds super funny, with its mixing of Italian and Cajun seasonings, but it is fantastic!
Plating up your fish taco is simple. First, you want to fry up your tortilla. I went with guerrero tortillas. They are my all time favorite tortillas. I like them because they can get crunchy without completely breaking apart. When you fry up the tortillas you want to make sure to only let them go for a minute in the oil. I know! I know! The tendency is to let them get crispy brown and beautiful in the oil...but NO! Stop yourself! This will ruin your taco. You want it to just barely cook the tortilla but still allow for flexibility! Be VERY careful! After your tortilla is perfect, add your fish filet, a handful of shredded cabbage, a pinch of jicama, and a spoonful of your excellent sauce! It will be so GREAT! We made a side of black beans and white rice! Slice up a lime to squeeze all over and you will have yourself a perfect meal.
Beverage Pairing
No meal is complete without a perfect beverage pairing! Ordinarily I would have a wine and beer choice for a meal, but this meal requires only one! BEER! And a light coastal beer is what you are looking for. I went with the Land Shark. I find it to be perfect with this meal. It adds a freshness without taking away from any of the flavor from the tacos. You don't even want to have a beer glass! Straight from the bottle is what you are looking for with this meal! You could also do a Corona Light, if you are interested, but I would recommend you give the Land Shark a try! Perfect end to a day of fishing!
Happy Fishing my Friends!
Blue Gill Fish Tacos
Ingredients
- * 1 cup flour
- * 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- * 1 teaspoon baking powder
- * 1/2 teaspoon salt
- * 1 egg
- * 1 cup beer
- * 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- * 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- * 1 lime, juiced
- * 1 jalapeno, minced
- * 1 teaspoon capers, minced
- * 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- * 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- * 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- * 1/2 teaspoon dill
- * package of corn tortillas
- * shredded cabbage
- * shredded jicama
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pot, preferably a dutch oven or cast iron skillet, heat a high heat oil, such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil, to 350-375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together corn starch, baking powder, salt, egg, and beer. If you don't have beer seltzer water will work too.
- In a shallow dish, add the cup of flour.
- Dip the blue gill fish in flour first and the beer batter mixture second.
- Drop into hot oil and cook until batter turns a golden brown, a few minutes per side.
- Don't over crowd the pan or the oil temperature will drop and fish will not fry properly
- Mince jalapenos and capers
- Juice lime
- Mix together all ingredients