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26 Dinner

Crispy Fish Taco Recipe + The Best Fish Taco in San Diego

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You guys are in for a treat today!  Two treats really.

Crispy Fish Tacos

A few months ago, Jorge and I went on a hunt for the best battered fish taco in San Diego.  Given the massive amount of fish taco options available, we decided to start our search by polling friends, family and fellow foodies about their favorite spots for fish tacos.  This poll resulted in these top 3 restaurants/trucks (also vetted on Yelp): Mariscos Alex, TJ Oyster Bar and Oscar’s Mexican Seafood.  After we found a favorite fish taco, I then made my own Crispy Fish Taco recipe paired with a spicy Chipotle Crema.  This week, I’m sharing my pick for the best fish taco in SD plus my fish taco recipe over on Salt & Wind, a food and travel blog by Aida Mollenkamp.  Continue reading for photos from the hunt plus links to the winner and recipe.

Let me start by saying that this was one of the tastiest “assignments” I’ve ever been on.  I love crispy fish tacos, and all three spots did not disappoint.  Here’s the criteria I had in mind when tasting each taco (more details here):

  • Authenticity
  • Flavor
  • Fish-to-Batter Ratio
  • Texture
  • Blow Out Factor
  • Fillings-to-Tortilla Ratio
  • Sauce selection

Our first stop was Mariscos Alex in City Heights:

Mariscos Alex Food Truck

Mariscos Alex Food Truck Fish Tacos

Next we went to TJ Oyster Bar in Bonita:

TJ Oyster Bar

TJ Oyster Bar Fish Tacos

Finally, Oscar’s Mexican Seafood in Hillcrest:

Oscars Hillcrest Fish Tacos

Oscars Hillcrest Fish Taco

 

For full details on each restaurant plus my final pick for best crispy fish taco in San Diego, visit Salt & Wind here.

 

Now, on to my fish taco recipe.  This recipe starts with strips of cornstarch-dusted, air-dried tilapia dipped in beer batter and fried to puffy, golden perfection.  The crispy fish is then placed in a warm corn tortilla and topped with crunchy cabbage, bright cilantro and a healthy squeeze of smoky crema infused with chipotle in adobo and lime juice.  If you love fish tacos as much as I do, then you will absolutely love this recipe.  I should mention it also gets a Mexican seal of approval (provided by my Mexican boyfriend) :)!

Crispy Fish Tacos
5 from 1 vote
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Crispy Fish Tacos with Chipotle Crema

Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword baja fish tacos, fish taco recipe, fried fish tacos
Servings 4 servings
Author Brandon Matzek

Ingredients

For the fish:

  • 2 pounds tilapia fillets
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder, divided
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup beer, preferably Mexican
  • For the chipotle crema:
  • 2/3 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste
  • Kosher salt

For the tacos:

  • Vegetable, canola or peanut oil, for frying
  • Corn tortillas, warmed in a skillet
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage
  • Lime wedges, for serving
  • Cilantro leaves, for serving

Instructions

  1. Cut each tilapia fillet in half lengthwise. Keep the shorter half of the fillet whole, but cut the longer half in half again widthwise. To a large bowl, add 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 2 teaspoons kosher salt, whisking to combine. Add the strips of tilapia, and toss until evenly coated. Transfer the fish to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes or overnight. Meanwhile, make the crema.

  2. Combine the Mexican crema, mayo, chipotles, lime juice and a pinch of salt in a small food processor or blender, and process until smooth. The crema should be fairly thin. Season to taste with additional kosher salt and lime juice. Flavors should be bright and bold.

  3. When ready to fry, whisk together 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 cup flour and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large bowl. Add beer, and whisk until smooth. To test the consistency, dip a whisk into the batter, then pull up. If the batter runs off the whisk in a steady, thin stream, it’s perfect. If it doesn’t hold to the whisk, it’s too thin. Whisk in a little flour and test again. If the batter runs off the whisk in a slower, thicker stream, it’s too thick, whisk in a little beer and test again. Set batter aside for 15 minutes before using.

  4. Meanwhile, fill a large cast-iron pot with enough oil to reach a depth of 2-inches, and preheat oil to 350°Working in batches, dip the fillets in the beer batter one at a time, making sure the fish is fully coated. Let excess batter drip off, then carefully lower the fish in the oil. Don’t overcrowd the batches as this will cause the temperature of the oil to drop quickly. Fry the fish until golden brown and cooked through (4 to 5 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack and immediately sprinkle with salt.

  5. To make the fish tacos, place 1 or 2 pieces of fried fish in a warm tortilla with shredded cabbage. Squeeze a lime over the fish and cabbage, then drizzle with chipotle crema. Finish with a few cilantro leaves. The fish tacos are best enjoyed immediately!

Crispy Fish Tacos

Looking for the best fish taco in San Diego??  Click this link.

Now it’s your turn to share!  Do you have a favorite battered fish taco spot in San Diego?  If so, please share below.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats says

    I’m going to have to make a stop at Mariscos Alex, out go-to spot is Oscar’s – just because the one in Hillcrest is sooo close to where we live!

    I love chipotle crema (and the creamy green sauce at Oscar’s) but generally am not a sour cream fan so I never buy it. Is there an appreciable difference between Mexican sour cream and regular ol’ American sour cream for making this sauce recipe?

    Reply

    • Brandon Matzek says

      Yes!!! Definitely check it out. I do notice a slight different between crema and sour cream. You could certainly use sour cream here though. The chipotle and lime outshine any nuanced flavors in the cream 😛

      Reply

  2. Averie @ Averie Cooks says

    I loved this post and read your reviews on Aida’s site. I run by Oscars every day (or night) and no matter the time of day or night, that place is ALWAYS packed. Always. So I figured they must be doing something right. I should venture over to City Heights for Mariscos. Sounds like it’s worth it! Your fish tacos look awesome! Beer batter can’t ever hurt anything 🙂

    Reply

  3. Leanne says

    I love a good fish taco, and I haven’t been to any of those spots yet… this must be corrected immediately! The nice thing is, even with a mediocre taco shop fish taco, it’s still usually a pretty decent fish taco!

    Reply

    • Brandon Matzek says

      I agree! I was definitely splitting hairs here when judging the best. Check this spots out for sure!

      Reply

  7. Laurie Wessely says

    5 stars
    I’m really jealous of your San Diego location for good Mexican food. For some years now I’ve been in search of a recreation or a recipe for a really delicious chile relleno taco. I had one once at a little taco stand in (of all places) Hoboken, NJ, but the next time I went there, the place was gone. Do you have any insights? I’m currently living in the furthest western exurbs of Northern Virginia (through no choice of my own).

    Reply

    • Brandon Matzek says

      That is a great question that I don’t have a good answer for! Chow.com has a good recipe for chile rellenos. Perhaps you could start with that and pair with a spicy red salsa?

      Reply

  8. Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

    Really enjoyed your reviews over at Salt & Wind. I’m just bummed that our family was just in San Diego a few months ago and we somehow missed all three!! We’ll be going back again though and look forward to sampling each one. Your recipe looks great and lovely photos!

    Reply

    • Brandon Matzek says

      Thanks Kimberly! You will just have to come back again 🙂 Did you have fish tacos while you were here?

      Reply

  13. cristina says

    We’re so fortunate to live in Sun Diego for the best fish tacos. Going to try your list of best places for one of our favorite dishes. The Brigantine’s Oyster Bar serves a really delicious fish taco too! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to trying these places. 😉

    Reply

  15. Lorena says

    Yummm!! I will definitely get some Tilapia next time I go to Costco! Haven’t had fish tacos in like forever! This looks like a fantastic recipe to have fish tacos again 🙂

    Reply

  16. Amber | Caleigh's Kitchen says

    Unfortunately, I’ve never been to San Diego though my sister lived there for a while. I so desperately want to try some fish tacos out there. Your recipe sounds perfect though, I am pinning for later and going to have to try it out!
    I’d love it if you would come and share on Try A Bite Tuesday Link Party that’s happening over at Caleigh’s Kitchen!

    Reply

  20. Jennifer Stewart says

    Corn starch is the secret weapon! I love that for chicken wings but never thought to use it on my fish! Awesome recipe and I can’t wait to try all the fish joints listed when I finally get to go to San Diego!

    Reply

  21. Julia says

    Fish tacos are the best. I love that they are crispy too, that makes me happy. I haven’t been to San Diego but I need to go it sounds like. 🙂

    Reply

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