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Baja Fish Tacos with Radish Pico de Gallo

November 3, 2022 by Kate Ramos 6 Comments

Crunchy Baja Fish Tacos are beer-battered fish tacos that are light and crispy and topped with a crunchy radish pico de gallo, avocado slices, and a squeeze of lime. Dairy-free!

Recipe first posted in April 2016. Last updated November 3, 2022.

Close up of crispy fish tacos on a blue platter.

I’m going to keep this brief: make these tacos!!

Not only do they offer all the crunch and chew and fluffiness that you want in a stellar fried fish taco but they also offer a spring twist on the classic summertime salsa, Pico de Gallo, by using radishes in place of tomatoes.

I was so in love with this salsa that initially I was just going to post the recipe by itself but then came across a lovely looking fresh fillet of cod and knew I had just met a match destined for each other.

That being said, any flakey white fish would work here; mahi mahi, catfish, even halibut if you fancy. I know frying can be a little bit of a pain in the butt, so maybe this isn’t an I’m-exhaused-what’s-for-dinner-recipe. Try it this weekend when you’re a bit more relaxed.

Close up of radish pico de Gallo next to tacos on a blue platter.

The beer batter only uses half of a beer so you can drink the rest while you’re cooking—see I’ve got you covered. By the way, I usually use Negro Modelo because I like it’s malty flavor in the batter and to drink but you could use whatever kind you like. I also sometimes go for something lighter like Stella, just remember a really light beer is not going to lend a ton of beer flavor, it’s up to you.

These truly are some of the best fish tacos around. Enjoy!

More To Explore
Shredded Beef for Tacos {Carne Deshebrada}
Classic Grilled Steak Fajitas
Grilled Fish Tacos with Sweet Corn Salsa

Ingredients To Make Baja Fish Tacos

For the Pico de Gallo

Radishes
Jalapeño
Cilantro
Red onion
Lime
Kosher salt

For the Tacos

Vegetable oil or grapeseed oil
Cod or other white fish
All purpose flour
Baking powder
Ground cumin, you can also add chili powder if you’d like
Beer
Corn tortillas
Avocado, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving
Crema, for serving (or leave out for dairy-free)

How To Make Baja Fish Tacos

step one

Make the pico de gallo. Chop the radishes, jalapeño pepper, cilantro, and onion into very small dice.

All the ingredients to make radish pico de Gallo sitting in glass bowls on a white counter. Including minced radishes and more.

step two

Mix. Add all the pico ingredients to a large bowl, squeeze lime juice over the top and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Stir then taste and add more lime or salt as needed. Set aside. This would also be a good time to warm the tortillas. Keep warm in a tortilla warmer or clean kitchen towel.

A hand holding a teaspoon of salt over a bowl of radish pico de Gallo sitting on a white countertop with a salt bowl behind it.

step three

Prep fish. Cut fish into strips about 2-inches thick and 2-inches long. Place in a mixing bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Season well with salt and pepper.

A glass bowl with pieces of fish in it coated in flour, salt and pepper, sitting on a white counter top.

step four

Prepare batter. Combine remaining flour, baking powder, and cumin in a large bowl. Season flour mixture with salt and pepper, then slowly add beer while whisking until a smooth batter forms. It will be thin.

A glass bowl on a white countertop with beer batter in it and a small wire whisk sitting in the batter.

step five

Heat oil. Pour oil into a large, deep frying pan and place over medium-high heat. If you have a deep-fry thermometer, attach it to the side of the pan and bring the oil temperature to 350°F. If not, test the oil to see if it is ready by sticking a wood chopstick or skewer into the oil. It should immediately be covered in bubbles. It takes about 4-5 minutes for the oil to get hot enough. Keep checking until it is ready.

A copper pan sitting on the stove with oil being poured into it from a glass Pyrex measuring cup.

step six

Batter fish. Before beginning, line a baking sheet with paper towels and set near the stove. Dip the fish strips one at a time into the batter, turning to coat.

A glass bowl with beer batter in it and a piece of fish sitting in the batter with another glass bowl behind it filled with more fish.

step seven

Fry fish. Place in the hot oil. Do in batches, adding only 2-3 pieces at a time. Let cook, undisturbed for a minute or so. If they stick to the bottom, gently nudge with a pair of tongs until they loosen. Turn and cook until they are golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove to the baking sheet and repeat with remaining fish.

A frying pan filled with hot oil with three pieces of battered fish in it floating in the hot oil with bubbles surrounding them.

step eight

Serve. Place fish inside warm tortillas and top with radish pico de gallo, avocado (or guacamole), and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

One more thing, a cabbage slaw is pretty typical with Baja-style tacos like these. Here’s a good recipe if you’d like to give it a try: Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw. A creamy Baja sauce is also traditional, try this recipe with chipotles and adobo sauce.

Fish tacos on a blue platter with radish pico de Gallo.

More Taco Recipes You’ll Love

Three Beer-battered fish tacos with radish salsa on a blue platter.

Or Try These Popular Recipes From Our Sister Site, Kate’s Best Recipes:

Take a Trip To Baja California

Without leaving your kitchen—these crispy beer-battered fish tacos will transport you there. Let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Baja Fish Tacos with Radish Pico de Gallo

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Beer-battered crispy fish tacos topped with a crunchy radish pico de gallo, avocado slices, and a squeeze of lime. Dairy free!

Ingredients

For the Pico de Gallo:

1 bunch radishes (about 6 ounces), scrubbed, stemmed, and diced
1 jalapeño, stemmed and diced (seeds removed if you'd like it less spicy)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/3 cup chopped red onion (about 1/4 of an onion)
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Tacos:

4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
1 pound cod, cut into 1-inch thick strips
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
6 ounces pale ale or lager-style beer, such as Negro Modelo or Stella
8-10 warm corn tortillas
ripe avocado slices, for serving
lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

For the Pico de Gallo:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste and add more salt and lime juice as needed.

For the Tacos:

Toss fish in 2 tablespoons of flour and season with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl combine remaining 1/2 cup of flour, baking powder, and cumin. Season mixture with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a generous grinding of black pepper.
Make a well in the center and add beer. Whisk beer into flour mixture until a smooth batter forms.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. It is best to attach a deep fry thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature. You want it to stay at around 350°F so raise or lower the heat as you are frying accordingly. If you don't have a thermometer you'll know when the oil is ready when a piece of bread browns in 30 seconds.
Line a baking sheet with paper towelsand set near the stove.
When oil is ready, dip a few pieces of fish into the batter then carefully slide into oil. Leave undisturbed for a couple minutes then gently nudge any that have stuck to the bottom of the pan with a pair of tongs. Let cook until golden and crispy on all sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Remove to the baking sheet and try to fish out any floating pieces of batter with a bamboo skimmer.
Repeat with remaining pieces of fish.
To serve place fish in warm tortillas, top with pico de gallo and a few avocado slices.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

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Authentic Mexican Chilaquiles with Scrambled Eggs

May 2, 2022 by Kate Ramos 7 Comments

A simple recipe for authentic Mexican Chilaquiles Rojos- a flavorful Mexican breakfast with salsa-soaked tortilla chips and scrambled eggs that can be made in under an hour. Vegan-Adaptable.

Recipe first posted on May 28, 2011. Last updated, May 2, 2022.

A brown plate with chilaquiles on it and lime slices topped with crumbled white cheese sitting on a white tablecloth.

Much has been said about the so called “family meals” served in some of the country’s famed restaurants.

The many articles and cookbooks dedicated to this subject paint an idyllic picture of a group of jovial wait staff and cooks all sitting down and sharing a lovingly prepared meal together.

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I would argue that a more realistic scenario includes whatever is in the walk-in on its last leg, combined with whatever else needs to be used up, thrown together, heated up and splayed out in hotel pans for anyone who wants to eat while they finish setting tables or prepping for dinner.

In my years as a restaurant chef, I have had everything from boiled chicken (and I mean just that, chicken, boiled in water, and nothing else) to frozen corn dogs and fries.

There are however, exceptions to the rule. I once worked with a tenacious woman who thought of little else than what she was going to prepare for family meal. And they were good: Finger-sized taquitos stuffed with chicken, fried rice with bits of smokey bacon and sweet English peas. Occasionally she would hem and haw about having to make food for everyone all the time and someone else would offer to pitch in.

She would then spend the entire meal constructively criticizing the offerings. “Did you forget to wash the lettuce?” She would say flicking flecks of black pepper off each leaf as if it were dirt.

And then there was Javier (who was better known by his birthplace: Oaxaca). Javier was a tireless ball of energy who even after flipping sauté pans at a breakneck speed all night would inevitably start filling the grill with peppers and the fry baskets with fresh-cut wedges of corn tortillas once service started slowing down.

A brown plate filled with chilaquiles topped with sour cream and crumbled cheese with a bite taken out of it.

Before meeting Javier, I had never had Chilaquiles Mexicanos.

Depending on his mood sometimes they were burn-your-mouth-off hot and other times smokey and packed with grilled chicken.

I always thought of this mélange of freshly-fried tortilla chips bathed in dried chile and charred tomato sauce as dinner food, topped with chopped sweet onion and dollops of sour cream.

But it turns out this is a Mexican dish more typically eaten at breakfast with a scrambled egg or two added to the mix. I’ve included scrambled eggs in the recipe below, but if you want to leave those out and add shredded chicken instead, or leave both off to make this a vegan-friendly recipe, let your belly be your guide.

Ingredients for This Chilaquiles Recipe

Serrano chiles, brown eggs in a cardboard carrier, a bottle of vegetable oil, and several other ingredients to make Chilaquiles set out on a table.

Dried ancho chiles or guajillo chiles
Ripe tomatoes
White onion
Jalapeños
Cilantro
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
Corn tortillas
Large eggs
Lime
Minced white onion, chopped cilantro, sour cream, crumbled queso fresco, lime wedges, for garnish

how to make chilaquiles

A baking sheet filled with freshly-fried tortilla chips on a wood table with a white cloth next to them.

For starters, you can fry your own tortilla chips or use store bought tortilla chips and the same goes for the red sauce. If you want to use your favorite store bought enchilada sauce, that totally works. Here’s the play-by-play: