Baja fish tacos
Serves: 4
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Ant Duncan
Baja fish tacos
These originated in Baja California, Mexico, and consist of crisp-fried fish, salsa, a tangy but creamy dressing and crunchy greens, all wrapped up in soft corn tortillas
Serves: 4
Prep time: 40 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
658Kcal
Fat
27gr
Saturates
8gr
Carbs
74gr
Sugars
8gr
Fibre
6gr
Protein
27gr
Salt
1.8gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 x 360g pack frozen basa fillets
- 125g plain flour, plus 3 tbsp to coat
- ½ tbsp Cajun seasoning (or 1 tsp ground cumin plus a pinch each of chilli
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- vegetable oil to shallow fry
For the salsa and crema
- 100g frozen diced avocado
- 40g frozen chopped onion (or ½ fresh, diced)
- 3 large vine tomatoes
- 1 tsp frozen chopped chilli (or ½ fresh chilli)
- 2 tbsp frozen chopped coriander (or fresh)
- zest and juice of 1 lime (or 2 tbsp bottled lime juice), plus wedges to serve
- 150ml soured cream
- 4 tbsp light mayonnaise
To serve
- 125g finely shredded sweetheart cabbage or crisp lettuce
- 12 small white corn tortillas
Step by step
- Remove the basa fillets from the freezer, plus the diced avocado and onion for the salsa. Spread the avo and onion out on a plate to defrost (about 20-30 minutes). Put the basa fillets in a bowl of cold water and leave to stand for 10-15 minutes. Drain and pat dry then use a serrated knife to carefully slice each semi-frozen basa fillet into 3 roughly equal strips. Set aside on a plate. Put the extra 3 tablespoons of flour on another plate.
- For the salsa, core and dice the tomatoes (discard excess juice). Mix with the avocado, onion, chilli, coriander and half each of the lime zest and juice. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining lime zest and juice with the soured cream and mayo. Season to taste and set aside for the flavours to develop.
- Combine the flour, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in 175ml cold water until you have a thick, smooth batter.
- Pour oil into a large frying pan to roughly 1cm in depth; place on a medium-high heat. Roll the strips of fish in flour (it’s fine if they aren’t completely defrosted yet) before adding them to the bowl of batter to coat well. When the oil is shimmering, carefully add the battered fish, a few pieces at a time. If necessary, cook in 2 batches (keeping the first batch hot in a low oven). Fry for 10-12 minutes, turning once or twice, until crisp and golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare the cabbage or lettuce, warm the tortillas and assemble everything on a board or tray.
- Briefly drain the battered fish on kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little salt. Serve up, for everyone to assemble their own fish tacos.
