Fish Tacos

Ingredients

For the fish:

• 1 ¼ pounds ling cod, cut into 1-inch fingers
• ½ cup flour seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 1 ¼ cups water
• 1 egg
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Coarse salt to taste

For the tacos:

• 16 6 1/2-inch corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 cups medium tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup chopped onions
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• Crema or sour cream

For Ensenada-style fish tacos:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup guacamole

For the garnish:

• Salsa and lime wedges

8 tacos

Preparation

1. Dust fish pieces with seasoned flour. Mix together flour, water, egg and baking soda. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. A few lumps are okay.
2. Heat oil to a depth of two inches in a deep pot to 375 degrees. Dip fish into batter and lower into oil, a few pieces at a time, and fry until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
3. Steam tortillas (see potato tacos). Use two tortillas for each taco, laying one tortilla on another (to insure sturdiness), and fill with 1 to 2 pieces of fish, cabbage, tomato, onion, cilantro and crema or sour cream. For Ensenada-style taco, thin the mayonnaise with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water and spread on tortillas. Fill as above and top with guacamole. Serve both taco varieties with lime wedges and salsa.

10 minutes