CNY Chef: Baja Fish Tacos by Ray Heng of Pebbles' Courtyard

You be the cook this Spring Festival with CNY Chef! Follow a new recipe each day of the holiday courtesy of one of the capital's top chefs.

Prior to the pandemic, Ray Heng of Pebbles’ Courtyard would always find himself in Mexico around Chinese New Year, eating tacos out of a street taco stand by the plaza in Mexico somewhere, enjoying the smell of grilling meat on the plancha, the aroma from a squeeze of lime and drinking agua frescas made by the guy next to the taco stand.

Since many of us -- including Ray -- can’t leave for warmer places this winter, he’s provided a warm weather recipe to try at home -- Baja Fish Tacos.

Serve them with a nice cold beer and imagine yourself on the beach somewhere, maybe someplace like Baja California!

The original Baja Fish Tacos Ray had in Baja California were actually quite simple.

They were just a slice of deep-fried fish fillet placed on top of a flour tortilla, anything else you see on top is considered either a garnish or topping on the side. And in this recipe, we will be making some of my favorite toppings to go along with.

But if you want to make it simple, you can skip things like pico de gallo (just cut up some onion and cilantro) and Chipotle mayo and instead just top it with some hot sauce or mayonnaise and call it a day. The toppings are entirely up to you; you can do as much or as little as you want.

Ingredients

1 Pack flour tortillas (six inch tortillas are best)
1 Fish fillet of any kind (preferably cod – seabass and tilapia also work)
1 Small cabbage (western round cabbage, not the Chinese da bai cai)
1-2 Cups regular vegetable oil (depending on the size of the pot)

Chipotle mayo:
1 can (200g) Chipotle en adobo (La Costena)
600g Mayonnaise
100g Ketchup

Pico de gallo:
1 Small onion
2 Roma tomatoes
2 Green bell peppers (or any type of fresh chilies)
1 Bunch of cilantro (a small handful)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

Beer batter:
140g All-purpose flour
50g Corn starch
1tsp Baking powder
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Bottle of corona (just buy a few bottles, the rest can be drunk after)

Method

For the pico de gallo

1. Dice the onion, tomato (cored) and green bell pepper/fresh chilies.

2. Chop the cilantro.

3. Juice the lime.

4. Combine all ingredients together and season with about 1/4tsp of salt in a mixing bowl (add more if needed).

5. Refrigerate it for at least an hour to let the flavors combine. You can also eat it with chips and salsa.

*Shelf life: Three days (if kept refrigerated)
*While pico de gallo is in the fridge, pour oil into the pan, on a medium low heat.

For the Chipotle mayonnaise

1. Combine the chipotle, mayonnaise and ketchup in a blender and blitz until smooth (it should be pinkish in color).

*Shelf life: If kept in in a tight-fitting jar in the fridge and it can be kept for a very long time (3-4 weeks). This is a very versatile sauce and can be used for fries, burgers, hot dogs etc.

For the fish and beer batter

1. Cut the fish fillet into 1 inch thick strips about 4-5 inches in length.

2. Place them on top of a paper towel to dry off the excess water (usually there is a lot if they’re defrosted frozen fillets). 

3.Combine all dry ingredients from the batter’s list in a bowl and stir until well mixed.

4. Crack the egg and add it to the dry ingredients.

5. Gradually add the beer into the mixture, stirring with a fork, until there’s no more lumps. The batter should have a sticky consistency which can coat the fish easily.

*This batter is for shallow frying, therefore it should be slightly thicker than the batter you would make for deep-frying.

Fry the fish

1. Heat the oil to between 170-190°C use a meat thermometer to check the temperature or look for light ripples on the surface of the oil. (You can also test fry some fish trimmings dipped in batter -- if the oil is bubbling it’s ready)

2. Once the oil is ready start dunking your fillets into the batter one at a time and drop them into the pot/pan slowly, fry them for about two minutes on each side, they should be golden-brown in color.

3. Remove the fish from the pan using tongs and cut it with a knife to check if it’s cooked through (there should be no transparent parts.)

4. When done frying, place the fried fillets on a sheet tray covered with paper towels to drain the excess oil.

Assemble the tacos

1. Shred/cut the cabbage, cut lime wedges and remove chipotle mayo and pico de gallo from the fridge.

2. Warm up the tortillas in a frying pan until both sides are warm (no oil is needed).

3. Assemble as you like it!

*Have extra hot sauce ready if you like it spicy (plenty to choose from in any of the Jenny Lou’s or Jenny Wang’s!).

READ: CNY Chef: Master Hulu's Perfect Chef's Salad

Images courtesy of Ray Heng