Homage to the Taco Chronicles - The Series - Tacos de Pescado
The sun begins to rise casting long shadows over the Sierra de Juarez mountains. A coastal mist is still thick in the air as fishermen and surfers alike cling to the edges of the Pacific Ocean waiting for their time with what she has to offer them. Nets are being sorted and sown, chum is being prepared and boards are being waxed.
Street vendors are beginning to open their stands; food prep is in full swing. Fresh masa is being mixed for tortillas, lard is being heated and the freshest of seafood is awaiting its bath in the rich beer batter also being prepared. Beer is being iced down. Vendors are beginning to sell their wares of fresh shrimp, snapper, mahi mahi, and grouper.
All is coming together for another day of the consumption of my favorite type of taco, Tacos de Pescado, or seafood tacos!! Unlike anything else in Mexico, these tacos are a direct result of centuries of eating seafood, the most available food source in an otherwise mountainous and desert region of the country, wrapped in a tortilla.
Welcome then to Ensenada, Mexico in Baja California. Most would agree (although there are purists who don’t) that the fish taco originated in this town. Although seafood has probably been consumed here for centuries, it’s said that the way it’s currently and most popularly being prepared is another example of cuisine blending. It’s said that about 80 years or so ago Japanese fisherman brought the cooking of fish and shellfish in the tempura style to the Baja. Delicately fried in a light batter, it gave a warm and crunchy bite to their tacos.
Tacos de Pescado then is best described as delicately fried fish, topped with a salad and some type of sauce all wrapped in a tortilla. Healthier than most others found around Mexico and one of my all-time favorites. If you’re a lover of seafood, combine these lightly battered delicacies with the crunch of your favorite fresh toppings, to your next taco. Crack open a cold beer, fill your gut while watching the sunset over the Pacific, and hope you’ll never awaken from this dreamlike state.
Tacos de Pescado
Course. Lunch or Dinner. Main Dish. Fresh Seafood.
Cuisine. Mexican
Makes. 4 to 6 servings
Takes. 30-45 minutes prep and 1 hour cooking time
Ingredients – Seafood & Beer Batter
2 pounds 13-15 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 pounds firm fish (cod, tilapia, mahi-mahi, sand shark), cut into large chunks
3 cups AP flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/8 cup yellow mustard
1 egg beaten
1-2 bottles beer
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Tony C’s or seafood seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
Lard or oil for frying
10-12 corn tortillas
4-5 cups Pico de Gallo
3-4 cups shredded raw cabbage
Wedges of fresh lime
Troutman’s seafood taco sauce*
Ingredients – Troutman’s Seafood Taco Sauce*
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 chipotle peppers plus 1 teaspoon of the canned adobo sauce
1 teaspoon Tony C’s or seafood seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Juice from one lime
Directions
1. In a 5-quart CI pot or deep fryer pre-heat the lard or oil to 350*. Combine the AP flour and remaining ingredients. Add the beer last beginning with one full bottle. Stir into a firm batter, avoid letting it get too wet. If too thick, add however much beer it takes to achieve the desired batter consistency. The batter should be thick enough to coat as well as cling to the seafood.
2. Fry the battered seafood in small batches to keep the oil at a consistent temperature. Place on a draining rack and keep warm.
3. Combine the ingredients for Troutman’s Seafood Taco sauce in a blender and blend to a smooth and thick consistency.
Build your tacos and enjoy!!
Next up is one I’ve been contemplating for some time, Tacos al Pastor!! Trout is out!!
"This is what defines Mexico….a good taco!!!"
Street vendors are beginning to open their stands; food prep is in full swing. Fresh masa is being mixed for tortillas, lard is being heated and the freshest of seafood is awaiting its bath in the rich beer batter also being prepared. Beer is being iced down. Vendors are beginning to sell their wares of fresh shrimp, snapper, mahi mahi, and grouper.
All is coming together for another day of the consumption of my favorite type of taco, Tacos de Pescado, or seafood tacos!! Unlike anything else in Mexico, these tacos are a direct result of centuries of eating seafood, the most available food source in an otherwise mountainous and desert region of the country, wrapped in a tortilla.
Welcome then to Ensenada, Mexico in Baja California. Most would agree (although there are purists who don’t) that the fish taco originated in this town. Although seafood has probably been consumed here for centuries, it’s said that the way it’s currently and most popularly being prepared is another example of cuisine blending. It’s said that about 80 years or so ago Japanese fisherman brought the cooking of fish and shellfish in the tempura style to the Baja. Delicately fried in a light batter, it gave a warm and crunchy bite to their tacos.
Tacos de Pescado then is best described as delicately fried fish, topped with a salad and some type of sauce all wrapped in a tortilla. Healthier than most others found around Mexico and one of my all-time favorites. If you’re a lover of seafood, combine these lightly battered delicacies with the crunch of your favorite fresh toppings, to your next taco. Crack open a cold beer, fill your gut while watching the sunset over the Pacific, and hope you’ll never awaken from this dreamlike state.
Tacos de Pescado
Course. Lunch or Dinner. Main Dish. Fresh Seafood.
Cuisine. Mexican
Makes. 4 to 6 servings
Takes. 30-45 minutes prep and 1 hour cooking time
Ingredients – Seafood & Beer Batter
2 pounds 13-15 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 pounds firm fish (cod, tilapia, mahi-mahi, sand shark), cut into large chunks
3 cups AP flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/8 cup yellow mustard
1 egg beaten
1-2 bottles beer
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Tony C’s or seafood seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
Lard or oil for frying
10-12 corn tortillas
4-5 cups Pico de Gallo
3-4 cups shredded raw cabbage
Wedges of fresh lime
Troutman’s seafood taco sauce*
Ingredients – Troutman’s Seafood Taco Sauce*
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 chipotle peppers plus 1 teaspoon of the canned adobo sauce
1 teaspoon Tony C’s or seafood seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Juice from one lime
Directions
1. In a 5-quart CI pot or deep fryer pre-heat the lard or oil to 350*. Combine the AP flour and remaining ingredients. Add the beer last beginning with one full bottle. Stir into a firm batter, avoid letting it get too wet. If too thick, add however much beer it takes to achieve the desired batter consistency. The batter should be thick enough to coat as well as cling to the seafood.
2. Fry the battered seafood in small batches to keep the oil at a consistent temperature. Place on a draining rack and keep warm.
3. Combine the ingredients for Troutman’s Seafood Taco sauce in a blender and blend to a smooth and thick consistency.
Build your tacos and enjoy!!
Next up is one I’ve been contemplating for some time, Tacos al Pastor!! Trout is out!!
"This is what defines Mexico….a good taco!!!"
Comment