I am always fascinated
with the many cuisines of the world and are game to try them. Ask my family and
my boys will tell you that I don’t stick to one particular favorite cuisine at
any time. On a regular week, I would enjoy various cuisines from all over the
world happily simply because sticking to one cuisine is boring for me.
I was first introduced
to Mexican food when I went abroad to study in the States. Even then, I was a
bit hesitant about this cuisine, maybe because I wasn’t a fan of brown beans and
green mush. Eating my words later after trying them with much persuasion from
my sister, I have now grown to love Mexican food so much that I am quite
frustrated that this cuisine is not as easily available in Malaysia as I would
have loved.
Those days of visiting a
little Mexican grocery store near my house where the owners barely speak any
English was a priceless experience. I pointed out to what others are having and
after the explosion of flavours, I have fallen deeply in love with green mush
of Guacamole and creamy brown beans in my tacos and burritos. I have even tried
making tacos at home, eager to replicate those longing of my favorite Mexican
grocery stall. Usually I make pork or beef taco but then I was craving for fish
tacos the other day.
Fish taco is not common
here but it’s very popular in US. Originating from Baja in Mexico, the US
version took off by storm and I had one of the best Baja Style Fish Tacos in
San Diego. It’s simply a treat of bombastic flavours when it comes to this
taco. Crispy fish, coleslaw, spicy crema sauce and corn tortilla was a genius
creation if you asked me. So I set out to try and make this home one weekend.
Though many uses flour
tortilla as they are more easily available here, there are some grocery stores
like Village Grover who carries corn tortilla. I love corn tortilla more
because I like the rustic corn flavour but you can just use flour tortilla if
you can’t find corn. Buy a nice white firm fish for the crispy fish to get
better flavours like halibut, lemon sole, cod, tilapia and more. I don’t
recommend using Dory as it can taste frozen and watery unless you can find
imported John Dory, which is Not the same as our regular Dory.
And since its also
harder to Chipotle chili, I used my all-time-favorite LINGHAM’s Chili sauce for the sauce. LINGHAM’s Sriracha Sauce is perfect for this as it is pungent and
piquant, boosting the crema or sour cream to new spicy notes. I also added some
LINGHAM’s Original Chili Sauce in
the taco for extra sweet and spicy flavours. Coleslaw is added to balance up
the taco to a lighter note. I also added avocado because it is a classic in
many Mexican dish.
The result is certainly
very tasty and satisfying! Even my boys who are not a fan of Mexican food (cos
I have yet to convert them to love this cuisine) enjoyed this with me. The
crispy fish with crunchy and tangy slaw with corn tortilla and spicy robust
sauce was a joy to eat.
Taco is quite a flexible
dish so simply adjust the ingredients to your liking and to also what’s available
in store for you. Try this for a party and let your guest assemble their own
taco too. Make this and let me try to convince you to love tacos just as much
as I do…
Baja
Style Fish Tacos with LINGHAM’s Sriracha Crema
Cabbage Slaw
300gm Red or White Cabbage (finely shredded)
50gm Carrot
(finely shredded)
½ Onion (finely
shredded)
5 tbsp Apple
Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
Pinch of
Salt
Spicy Sauce
2 tbsp LINGHAM’s
Sriracha Sauce
4 tbsp Mayonnaise
4 tbsp Sour
Cream
½ Lime (squeeze
for juice)
Crispy Fish
400gm White Fish (Snapper, Lemon Sole, Tilapia
– cut into thick long strips)
1 cup Plain
Flour
1 tbsp Wheat
Starch (optional)
1 tbsp Baking
Powder
1 cup Cold
Water
1 tsp Salt
Extra Plain
Flour to lightly dust fish
Pepper to
season
Oil for deep
fry
Fish Taco
8 pcs Flour
or Corn Tortilla
1 box Cherry
Tomatoes (cut into small quarters)
1 Avocado
(optional)
some Cilantro
leaves
1 Red Chili
(optional)
LINGHAM’s
Chili Sauce
Method
Mix all the Cabbage Slaw
ingredients, season to your taste and chill in fridge.
Mix all the Spicy Sauce
ingredients and chill in fridge till ready to use.
Mix plain flour, wheat
starch, baking powder, salt and cold water to a smooth batter.
Season fish strips with
pepper and lightly dust with extra plain flour.
Heat up oil in a deep
pot till fairly hot to ensure that the fish fries well.
Dip the fish strips into
the batter and deep fry the fish till cooked, crispy and golden brown.
Season the hot crispy
fish strips with a little salt while it’s still hot.
On a grill pan, lightly
toast and warm up the tortilla and keep them covered in a kitchen towel
together.
When ready to eat, top
the tortilla with coleslaw, crispy fish strips, spicy sauce, LINGHAM’s Chili
sauce, chopped cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado, cilantro leaves, red chili and
lime wedge.
Serves 4
Extra
Notes and Tips
- Substitute white fish with Salmon or prawns or squid
- Double fry the fish for extra crispiness and keep in warmed oven
- Any cabbage will do but I use purple for colors
- Add more LINGHAM’s Sriracha sauce if you like it spicier
- Make your own Salsa or Pico de Gallo and Guacamole to add to the tacos for extra flavours
