Fish Tempura Tacos from ‘Tacos’

This week, we’re spotlighting recipes from Tacos: Recipes and Provocations by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman (Clarkson Potter). Stupak is the owner of Empellón Cocina, Empellón Taqueria, and Empellón al Pastor in New York City. Try making the recipes at home and let us know what you think!

Photograph: Evan Sung

By Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman

Fish Tempura Tacos
Makes 12 tacos

I’ve heard legends about how crispy fish tacos became a religion in Baja: that Japanese fishermen docked in the region and married their tempura traditions to the available Mexican ingredients. But however it came to be that fried fish met crunchy cabbage and cool mayo on a tortilla doesn’t matter all that much to me—it’s just an awesome taco.

At the restaurants, we use dogfish, a small school shark known as cazón in Mexico. But the beauty of this taco is in its flexibility; just about any light-flavored, white-fleshed fish will perform well. It’s the batter that makes or breaks a good fried-fish taco, and this one is dialed in. The key is not to overwork it: mix the batter too much, and you’ll start developing the flour’s gluten, which will make for a chewy crust. And keep the batter cold, as you would a pie dough; store it in the refrigerator until the last possible moment, for the best results.

ADVANCED PREPARATION
Roasted Salsa Verde (see below), for serving

FOR THE FILLING
1 1⁄2 pounds boneless, skinless white fish fillet, such as bass, snapper, or cod
3 1⁄3 cups rice flour
1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
One 12-ounce bottle lager-style beer, cold
2 1⁄2 quarts (10 cups) vegetable oil, for frying
Kosher salt, as needed

TO ASSEMBLE THE TACOS
3⁄4 cup mayonnaise
1⁄4 head of green cabbage, shredded
4 radishes, sliced into thin rounds
1⁄2 medium white onion, minced
60 cilantro leaves (from about 15 sprigs), roughly chopped
2 limes, each cut into 6 wedges
1 recipe Corn or Flour Tortillas

PREPARE THE FISH AND BATTER: Portion the fish into 12 even pieces, each about 3 inches long. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a large bowl, mix 1 1/3 cups of the rice flour with the all-purpose flour and baking powder. Pour the beer into the bowl and whisk gently. Don’t overwork the batter; a few lumps are okay. Place the batter in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Place a 5 ½-quart Dutch oven fitted with a candy thermometer over medium heat and add the vegetable oil, leaving at least 3 inches of space between the surface of the oil and the lip of the pot. Heat until the thermometer registers 350°F.

Make one batch of tortillas and hold them warm.

FRY THE FISH: Line a plate with paper towels and sprinkle the remaining 2 cups rice flour on a separate plate. Remove the fish pieces from the refrigerator and season all over with salt.

Remove the tempura batter from the refrigerator. Dredge the fish in the rice flour and then dip the pieces into the batter, one by one. Carefully add each piece of fish to the hot oil. Work in small batches so as to not crowd the Dutch oven. Fry the fish until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared plate and season immediately with more salt.

ASSEMBLE THE TACOS: Lay out the warm tortillas on serving plates. Place 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on each tortilla and spread using the back of a spoon. Add a small mound of the cabbage, along with some radish slices, minced onion, chopped cilantro, and a spoonful of Roasted Salsa Verde. Place one piece of fried fish on each tortilla. Squeeze a couple of the lime wedges over the tacos and serve the rest on the side.

ROASTED SALSA VERDE
Makes about 1 cup

If I had to choose just one salsa verde to eat in perpetuity, it would be this one. In a sense, it splits the difference between its raw and boiled brethren: Roasting the ingredients takes the edge off a bit, but it also deepens the flavors in a remarkable way. Suddenly, those tomatillos are behaving like warm fruit they even release their own sweet caramel as the broiler heat draws their sugar to the surface. (Drag a spoon through this stuff and lick it; it tastes like Werther’s on a juice cleanse.)

3–4 medium tomatillos (about 5 ounces total), husked, rinsed, and patted dry
1 garlic clove, skin on
1⁄2 medium white onion, cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices
2 serrano chiles
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon honey
40 cilantro leaves (from about 10 sprigs), roughly chopped

EQUIPMENT: Molcajete*

*If you don’t have a molcajete, prep all of the ingredients as instructed and add them, minus the cilantro, all at once to the jar of a blender. Pulse to combine and then stir in the cilantro.

Preheat the broiler. Roast the tomatillos on a baking sheet under the broiler until blackened in spots, about 7 minutes. Turn them over and continue to blacken, another 7 minutes. Remove from the broiler and set aside to cool at room temperature.

Set a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, onion slices, and chiles and roast, turning them from time to time, until softened slightly and blackened in spots, about 6 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the vegetables from the skillet, and set aside to cool at room temperature. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the garlic clove and discard the skin. Remove and discard the stems of the chiles. Set aside.

Place the roasted garlic in the molcajete with 1 teaspoon salt and crush to a paste using the tejolote. Roughly chop the roasted onion, add to the molcajete, and continue crushing to a coarse texture.

Dice the roasted tomatillos, add to the molcajete, and continue working the salsa until pulpy. Season with salt and honey and stir with a spoon. Add the chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use. The finished salsa is best eaten the day it is made; if you want to work ahead, don’t add the cilantro to the salsa until the day you plan to serve it.

Reprinted with permission from Tacos: Recipes and Provocations by Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman (Clarkson Potter).

More Mexican recipes:

Stuffed Jalapeno Recipe from ‘The Best Mexican Recipes’

Braised Mexican Chicken from Goop

Mexican Salad from ‘More Mexican Everyday’