Beer-battered shrimp and fish tacos

by Andrea Gámez

These beer-battered shrimp and fish tacos are one of my favorite tacos. These tacos are actually inspired by the typical ensenada style tacos, which are famous in Mexico. This type of taco is a classic one, but there are many variations of the same thing, and it changes a bit depending on who makes it and what you like to add to them.

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How to make a fish and shrimp tacos

The beer batter we use makes the fish and srhimp puffy, crispy and fluffy. It makes the tacos feel great and taste amazing. And don’t worry about the beer taste, as it goes away after frying the fish and shrimp pieces.

Beer battered fish and shrimp tacos

We put a lot of toppings on top of these tacos, we use purple cabbage, fresh tomato, caramelized onion, avocado salsa, chipotle dressing, sour cream and salsa verde. The result is a meal that is finger-licking good, literally. The flavors work very well together, the tacos are fresh, crispy, with a hint of spice from the chile, creamy, tangy and full of flavor. I assure you, you will absolutely love them!

These tacos are perfect mixing shrimp or shrimp and fish, but some people prefer fish only and some people prefer shrimp or shrimp only. You can use just one or mix both. Now, as for the type of fish to use I prefer to use dogfish or hake, but if you can’t find these, use any other type of white fish with soft flesh and flavor.

The normal thing to do when making these tacos is to use corn tortillas, but you can actually use wheat flour tortillas if you like them better, just the classic, and best tasting thing to do is to use corn tortillas.

If you like these tacos, then make sure to go check out our guacamole, the recipe made the way we love it.

Beer-battered shrimp and fish tacos

Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 24

Ingredients
  

For the chipotle dressing:

  • 2 pieces chipotle chile in adobo (the canned ones)
  • 1/2 C mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp cream
  • Salt, to taste

For the caramelized onion:

  • 1 white onion, big
  • 3 tbsp granulated white sugar
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • Salt, to taste
  • Vegetable oil (canola, corn, olive) for cooking

For the salsa cruda:

  • 2 tomatos, large
  • 1/2 white onion
  • Salt, to taste
  • Lemon or lime juice, to taste

For the avocado sauce:

  • 1 avocado, big
  • 1/3 tza cream
  • 3 tbsp water
  • Salt, to taste

For the other toppings:

  • 1/3 piece purple cabbage

For the shrimp and fish:

  • 17.60 oz (1/2 kg) shrimp, boiled and without shells
  • 17.69 oz (1/2 kg) white fish (hake
  • 1 C all purpose flour
  • 2/3 C all purpouse flour (extra)
  • 1/4 tsp bakking powder
  • 1/2 tsp dry oregano
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 11.10 oz (330 ml) (1 can) beer
  • 1 C vegetable oil, for frying (canola or corn)

To assemble the tacos:

  • 24 corn tortillas (aproximately)
  • Melting cheese, shredded (mozzarella, chihuahua, etc.) needed amount
  • Limes or lemons to garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

For the chipotle dressing:

  • Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to a thick dressing consistency. Set aside to eat with the tacos.

For the caramelized onion:

  • Preheat a small skillet on the stove with vegetable cooking oil. Meanwhile, slice the onion into long thin strips.
  • Add the butter to the pan and add the onion. Stir with a spatula and cook for about 3 minutes. Then add the sugar and salt, and continue cooking until the onion becomes transparent and soft. Save to add to the tacos.

For the salsa cruda:

  • Cut the onion and tomatoes into small cubes and place in a small bowl. Add the lime juice and salt and mix with a spoon or fork until well blended. Set aside to add to the tacos.

For the avocado sauce:

  • Cut open the avocado, remove the seed and skin and place in a blender or food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients until you get an avocado sauce, with a slightly runny consistency. You can also do this with a fork in a small bowl. Set aside to add to the tacos.

For the other toppings:

  • Cut the purple cabbage into thin strips and save for the tacos.

For the beer-battered shrimp and fish:

  • To make the batter mixture for the fish and shrimp, in a bowl mix the 1 cup of flour, baking powder, dried oregano, hot paprika, black pepper and salt. Then add in the beer and mix with a spoon or a hand whisk.
  • Preheat the vegetable oil in a deep pan to fry the fish and shrimp over medium heat. Put 2/3 of the flour on a plate, and prepare another plate with kitchen paper to put the fried fish and shrimp there.
  • Little by little, cover the pieces of fish and shrimp in the flat dish with flour. Then pass through the batter mixture, covering them completely, and then fry them in the oil. The oil is ready to use when a little of the batter mixture forms a lot of bubbles around it. Gradually fry the fish and shrimp (prawns) and place on a plate with kitchen paper to remove excess oil.

To assemble the tacos:

  • In a large skillet, heat the tortillas and place a little grated cheese in the center of each tortilla and fold in half to make quesadillas. Make as many quesadillas as needed and place them inside a kitchen towel to keep them warm.
  • To make the tacos, open the quesadillas and put 3 to 5 pieces of fish and shrimp in the middle and add all the toppings and sauces you want on top. Each person can use the toppings they want and make their own tacos.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Fish and shrimp tacos

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