Fried Fish Tacos with Avocado Salsa and Chipotle Tartar Sauce

It’s been a minute since we had some tacos. Since we had these tacos from Cravings and these delicious tacos, we’ve been trying to find the next iteration of fried fish tacos. I think we found them.

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These tacos are back to basics. When it comes to tacos, I love toppings. However, when you add in sauces, I think simpler is better. We kept it simple and dialed up the flavors with a chipotle tartar sauce for the fish and an avocado salsa. We used the same fried fish batter from Cravings because it’s a perfectly light batter. Why change a good thing?

Do you have kids? Have you heard of Dragons Love Tacos and Dragons Love Tacos 2? No, they have nothing to do with House of the Dragon. They are super fun books for preschoolers. The books are about dragons and their love for tacos. I get so into character and we have a lot of fun reading these books. I hope there’s a third coming. After the fifth time reading these books, I want tacos. It was a week of reading these books and then I said, “So, we’re having tacos.”

Making the Fried Fish Tacos

We often use cod for our fish tacos. I think it’s one of the sturdier flaky fish to fry. Cod is really hard to dry out and it still gets flaky after frying. White fish doesn’t have much flavor, so I don’t feel back about frying it and drenching it in flavorful sauces. Which is why white fish makes a great fish to use when making tacos.

These tacos have just a little prep work:

1. Do this first: Make the chipotle tartar sauce and blend the avocado salsa
2. Shred the cabbage
3. Batter and fry the fish
4. Put together your tacos

When you build the tacos, this is the order I suggest:

1. Lay the tortilla flat
2. Add shredded cabbage
3. Drizzle with avocado salsa (I like it a little heavy; not quite like drenched like a salad dressing, but just before that)
4. Fried cod
5. Slather the cod with tartar sauce
6. Drizzle a few drops of avocado salsa over the taco
7. Fold up and eat!

Print Recipe

Fried Fish Tacos with Chipotle Tartar Sauce and Avocado Salsa

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Dinner – Mexican

By Lilies and Loafers – Serves: 10

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 10 minutes – Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• Chipotle Tartar Sauce
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 tbsp white onion, minced
• 1 tbsp dill pickle, minced
• 1 tsp dill pickle juice
• Avocado Salsa
• 1/2 avocado
• Cilantro, small bunch (washed)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 jalapeños
• 4 tbsp lime juice (~2 limes)
• 2 scallions
• Baking & Spices
• 1 cup sour cream
• Up to a 1/4 cup water
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• Tacos
• 1.5lb cod filet, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1/2 red cabbage, shredded
• Tortillas (soft or hard, your choice)
• Frying & Batter
• Vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup cold selzer water
• 1/4 cup cold vodka
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• Kosher salt
• Pepper

Instructions

Chipotle Tartar Sauce

1

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.

2

Move to a container and refrigerate until it's taco time.

Avocado Salsa

3

Put everything EXCEPT the water in a food processor (or something like it, i.e. a blender).

4

Blend.

5

While it's blending, slowly add water until it's easier to mix. You most likely will not use all the water. The consistency you're looking for is like a loose sour cream. Not thick and not watery.

6

Add more salt and pepper to taste.

7

Remove from the food processor and into a container. Refrigerate until it's taco time.

Frying the Fish

8

In a big pot, heat 3-4 inches of vegetable oil until it reaches 375 degrees F.

9

Gently whisk the seltzer, vodka, and egg in a bowl.

10

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and 1.5 tsp of salt.

11

Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet. Stir until they're combined.

12

Once the oil is ready and heated to 375 degrees F, dip the chunks of fish into the batter, and carefully lower them into the oil. Work in 3-4 pieces of fish at a time.

13

Fry until they're golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes.

14

Remove from the oil and drain the fish on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper while they're still hot.

15

Set aside until taco time!

Building the Tacos

16

Lay 1-2 tortillas flat on a plate.

17

Add a few spoonfuls of shredded cabbage on top of the tortilla.

18

Drizzle the cabbage with avocado salsa.

19

Lay a piece of fried cod on top of the cabbage.

20

Slather the cod with chipotle tartar sauce.

21

Drizzle a few drops of avocado salsa over the fish.

22

Fold up and eat!

Notes

This recipe seems involved, but so worth it. If you can, make the tartar sauce and salsa ahead of time. The salsa is more involved than the tartar sauce.