Beach Day Special: Masa-Battered Tacos de Pescado

Plate of fish taco topped with cabbage, pico de gallo, and crema
March 28, 2024

What says lazy beach days more than a fish taco?

A perfect Baja-style fish taco is deceptively simple, requiring not much more than very fresh, lightly battered and fried white fish, crunchy slaw, a creamy element such as chipotle mayonnaise or crema, perhaps a squeeze of lime, and of course, a great corn tortilla.

People have been consuming the fish taco in coastal regions of Mexico for a long time. Although many versions of the dish are served along the Gulf Coast, Baja California, Mexico (particularly Ensenada) is thought to be the fish taco's point of origin, thanks to the availability of fresh seafood and stone-ground corn tortillas. Many versions of the dish feature grilled fish. Rumor has it that the battered method came by way of Japanese fishermen immigrants, who coated the fish in a batter similiar to tempura, using ingredients they had on hand.

In the book Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple, Chef Alex Stupak shared his masa tempura batter (key to Empellón's popular fish taco). We've riffed on that recipe for a light, shatteringly crisp batter with an extra boost of corn flavor.

La Familia Masa Harina Bundle
Masa-Battered Tacos de Pescado

Masa-Battered Tacos de Pescado

Ingredients

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    • 2-3 oz of fish per taco such as sea bass, cod, or halibut

    • 1 to 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

    • 2 cups sparkling water

    • 1 cup masa harina, plus an additional cup for dredging

    • ½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning

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    • ½ cup mayonnaise

    • 1 tbsp salsa macha

    • Corn tortillas

    • Finely shredded cabbage

    • Pico de gallo

    • Crema

    Directions

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      1. In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of sparkling water with 1 cup of masa harina and ½ tsp fine sea salt. Mix until smooth to create batter. Refrigerate until cold.

      2. Slice the fish into pieces approximately ¾ inches wide and 3-4 inches long.

      3. Heat 1 to 2 quarts of vegetable oil in a deep fryer or a large pot until it reaches 350°F. (Another way to check, if you don’t have a thermometer: stick the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If many bubbles form around the wood and start to float up, your oil is ready for frying. If it is bubbling hard, the oil is too hot; let it cool a bit and check the temperature again.)

      4. Prepare a shallow bowl with about a cup of masa harina and dredge each piece of fish on all sides. Next, dip the masa-coated pieces into the refrigerated masa batter.

      5. Carefully place the battered fish into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.

      6. Once fried, remove the fish from the oil and place them on a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess oil. Season with additional salt to taste.

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      1. Mix mayonnaise with salsa macha and spread about a tablespoon of mixture onto a fresh tortilla. Add 1 to 2 pieces of fish to each taco and top with pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, and crema.

      3 comments

      PETER VAN HARDENBERG |

      I suspect the commenter above may have reversed the ratio of water and masa. I made this recipe and it turned out great! I did somewhat adjust the final ratio to get the coating I wanted but it was close to 2:1.

      MASIENDA |

      Hi Mike! Thank you so much for your feedback! It sounds like you’re having trouble with the consistency of the masa batter for dredging the fish. One suggestion is to adjust the ratio of masa to liquid to make the batter thinner and more suitable for coating the fish evenly to your preference. You can also experiment with a binding agent or seasonings to improve adherence. Feel free to reach out if you have any additional feedback/questions! :)

      MIKE BOUTTÉ |

      This doesn’t work at all. This just creates a dough that is not at all friendly for dredging fish.

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