Crisp Fried Fish Taco
Seafood tacos are great fun. You can fill the wrap with any number of things and any amount of flavour combinations. There is something about the proportion of filling to wrap that makes it more satisfying than its heavier counterpart, the sandwich. Use fried oysters, prawns, crumbed or battered fish, freshly picked crab or lobster. A few tips for success are: think fresh flavours like limes and lemons, pickles and crunchy textures. Add a good hit of heat and you will be on the right track to make any number of tacos. Warm the tortilla and don’t overstuff it. You have to be able to wrap it, then pick it up and eat comfortably.
Crisp-fried fish taco
with pickles & chopped salsa verde
Gurnard, cod, pollack, monkfish, mackerel, prawns – literally any fish will work in this taco. If you don’t want to deep-fry the fish, simply grill it, barbecue it or pan-fry it.
MAKES 4 TACOS
8 finger-sized pieces of skinless fish fillet
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 egg, beaten
a handful of fine dry breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for deep-frying
4 flour tortillas
a small handful of finely
shredded Little Gem
4 tablespoons chopped salsa verde
chilli sauce or mayo to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper
The Method
Dry the pieces of fish with kitchen paper. Dip the fish in flour, then egg and then breadcrumbs to coat evenly all over. Set aside ready for frying.
Heat a deep pan of oil to 170°C. (If you don’t have a thermometer or deep-fat fryer, heat the oil in a deep pan – it is hot enough to fry the fish when a small piece of bread dropped in quickly fizzles and crisps.) Meanwhile, warm the tortillas under the grill or in a hot dry pan (I sometimes like to blister them on the gas ring).
Deep-fry the fish for about 4 minutes or until crisp, then season. Put each tortilla on a plate and heap on the lettuce, then the salsa verde. Place the fish on top. A blob of chilli sauce or plain mayo can work nicely on top. Wrap and enjoy.
Pickled veg
I like to pickle my own veg at home but the restaurants are so busy that we look out for the best commercial pickles and serve those. Fish and pickles are a match made in heaven and in all cuisines you will find something interesting. Here are a few of the things we like to serve alongside fish: malt vinegar onions; dill pickles; cornichons; caper berries; pickled jalapeños; balsamic onions; pickled guindillas – the sweet-sour Spanish chillies; pickled fennel
Chopped salsa verde / Serves 4
The idea is crunch, freshness and mixed textures. To get the best out of this, slice or chop everything nice and fine.
a bunch of spring onions, sliced on the bias
½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 green pepper, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon chopped gherkin
1 tablespoon finely sliced green olives
1 tablespoon chopped mixed herbs (tarragon, mint, parsley and chives)
75ml olive oil
lemon juice
agrodolce or muscatel vinegar
salt
Method
Combine the spring onion, cucumber, green pepper, capers, gherkin, olives and herbs in a bowl, and mix loosely with the olive oil. Balance the flavour with lemon juice, agrodolce or Moscatel vinegar and salt.
Seafood tacos are great fun. You can fill the wrap with any number of things and any amount of flavour combinations. There is something about the proportion of filling to wrap that makes it more satisfying than its heavier counterpart, the sandwich. Use fried oysters, prawns, crumbed or battered fish, freshly picked crab or lobster. A few tips for success are: think fresh flavours like limes and lemons, pickles and crunchy textures. Add a good hit of heat and you will be on the right track to make any number of tacos. Warm the tortilla and don’t overstuff it. You have to be able to wrap it, then pick it up and eat comfortably.
Crisp-fried fish taco
with pickles & chopped salsa verde
Gurnard, cod, pollack, monkfish, mackerel, prawns – literally any fish will work in this taco. If you don’t want to deep-fry the fish, simply grill it, barbecue it or pan-fry it.
MAKES 4 TACOS
8 finger-sized pieces of skinless fish fillet
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 egg, beaten
a handful of fine dry breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for deep-frying
4 flour tortillas
a small handful of finely
shredded Little Gem
4 tablespoons chopped salsa verde
chilli sauce or mayo to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper
The Method
Dry the pieces of fish with kitchen paper. Dip the fish in flour, then egg and then breadcrumbs to coat evenly all over. Set aside ready for frying.
Heat a deep pan of oil to 170°C. (If you don’t have a thermometer or deep-fat fryer, heat the oil in a deep pan – it is hot enough to fry the fish when a small piece of bread dropped in quickly fizzles and crisps.) Meanwhile, warm the tortillas under the grill or in a hot dry pan (I sometimes like to blister them on the gas ring).
Deep-fry the fish for about 4 minutes or until crisp, then season. Put each tortilla on a plate and heap on the lettuce, then the salsa verde. Place the fish on top. A blob of chilli sauce or plain mayo can work nicely on top. Wrap and enjoy.
Pickled veg
I like to pickle my own veg at home but the restaurants are so busy that we look out for the best commercial pickles and serve those. Fish and pickles are a match made in heaven and in all cuisines you will find something interesting. Here are a few of the things we like to serve alongside fish: malt vinegar onions; dill pickles; cornichons; caper berries; pickled jalapeños; balsamic onions; pickled guindillas – the sweet-sour Spanish chillies; pickled fennel
Chopped salsa verde / Serves 4
The idea is crunch, freshness and mixed textures. To get the best out of this, slice or chop everything nice and fine.
a bunch of spring onions, sliced on the bias
½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 green pepper, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon chopped gherkin
1 tablespoon finely sliced green olives
1 tablespoon chopped mixed herbs (tarragon, mint, parsley and chives)
75ml olive oil
lemon juice
agrodolce or muscatel vinegar
salt
Method
Combine the spring onion, cucumber, green pepper, capers, gherkin, olives and herbs in a bowl, and mix loosely with the olive oil. Balance the flavour with lemon juice, agrodolce or Moscatel vinegar and salt.
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