The best Baja Fish Tacos you’ll ever eat! They’re filled with crispy beer-battered fish, smoky chipotle mayo and a creamy cabbage slaw!
I’m not exaggerating when I say that these Baja Fish Tacos are in my personal top 5 recipes that I’ve ever made! I know it’s a big statement, but I’m confident that once you make this recipe it’ll be in your top 5, too.
From the chipotle-lime mayo to the beer-battered fish and the creamy slaw, every single component of this recipe is packed with a ton of flavor. And best of all? Everything is easy to make! While it may seem like there’s a lot of steps, don’t let that intimidate you. If you can pour and mix ingredients in a bowl, you can make these tacos. Promise!
How to Make Baja Fish Tacos
The slaw: I kept it super easy by using 8 ounces of store-bought pre-shredded cabbage slaw. Just dump that in a bowl along with some chopped cilantro, mayo, lime juice and salt. Mix it all up, give it a taste and add a little more salt or mayo if you prefer. Then cover it and place it in the fridge until it’s time to eat.
The chipotle mayo: This is also an easy one. Simply place some mayo, lime zest and juice, a chipotle chile in adobo sauce and garlic powder in a blender. Then pulse until smooth. If you don’t want the sauce to be too spicy, I recommend starting with 1/2 a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, then adding more if you prefer. Cover this and place it in the fridge until it’s time to eat.
The fish: I used Alaskan Cod, but you can use any firm, mild-flavored fish like halibut or even mahi-mahi. To get it ready for frying, cut the fish into strips that are about 1-inch wide and 4 inches long. That’s about the length of my index finger.
The frying oil: At this point, I recommend preparing your frying oil and heating it up. You want to oil to be around 350ºF to 360ºF which you can check with a kitchen thermometer. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend you get one! I use my in-oven thermometer all the time and it’s so worth it. Not only can you get the perfect frying oil temperature when you need it, but no more undercooking meats! It’s a life saver.
The batter: Make the batter by whisking together all the dry ingredients first, and then whisking in the beer. This helps ensure that all the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
Now all that’s left to do is dip the fish into the batter, shake off any excess, and fry those babies up until nice and golden brown. Continue cooking your fish in batches of 4-6 strips depending on the size of your pan.
If your fish seems to be browning too quickly or if it’s not golden brown after 1 1/2 or 2 minutes, adjust the temperature until you find that sweet spot.
All that’s left to do is assemble the tacos and eat! I like layering the components like this: chipotle mayo on the bottom, fish in the middle, and slaw on top. But some people like the mayo and slaw on the bottom and the fish at the very top. Whichever way you decide to layer the ingredients, I promise it’s all going to be delicious!
Tips and tricks for making Baja Fish Tacos
- Prepare the beer batter right before you fry the fish. I find that the batter is much lighter and airy this way because the beer is still bubbly and carbonated. The longer the batter sits, the flatter and denser the batter will get.
- Use a firm, mild-flavored fish like cod, halibut, or even mahi-mahi. If using frozen fish, make sure to thaw it completely and pat it as dry as you can with some paper towels.
- Heat corn tortillas in a skillet or a griddle. I highly recommend heating them in a skillet or a flat griddle over medium-high heat until they develop some toasted brown spots on both sides. Not only does this warm them up, but it also firms them up and helps to prevent them from ripping or falling apart.
- You can reheat leftover beer-battered fish. To reheat, place the fish on a baking sheet and heat in a 400ºF oven until hot and crispy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Cheers to good homemade Mexican food!
More Recipes To Try
Ingredients
For the slaw
- 8 ounces pre-shredded cabbage slaw
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- fine salt, to taste
For the chipotle mayo
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For the beer batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup Mexican-style beer
For the tacos
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 ½ pounds skinless cod, mahi mahi or halibut, cut into 1×4-inch long strips
- corn or flour tortillas, warmed
- lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Make the slaw: Add pre-shredded cabbage slaw, cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice and salt in a medium bowl. Toss together until fully mixed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make the chipotle mayo: Add mayonnaise, lime zest and juice, chipotle chile in adobe sauce and garlic powder in a small blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prepare the frying oil: In a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat, add enough oil to reach a depth of 3/4-inch. Heat the oil until a thermometer reaches 350ºF.
- Make the beer batter while the frying oil is heating up: Add flour, garlic powder, baking powder, chili powder, salt, cumin and black pepper in a large bowl. Whisk together to combine. Add beer and whisk together until the batter is smooth. Set aside.
- Batter and fry the fish: Working in batches using tongs, dip the strips of fish in the beer batter and coat on both sides. Lightly shake off any excess batter and carefully place in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet with a rack to drain.
- Assemble the tacos: Place a dollop of chipotle mayo on each tortilla, followed by a piece or two of fish, then top with cabbage slaw. Serve with lime wedges.
Video
Isabel’s Tips:
- To store, place leftover fish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, place leftover fish on a baking sheet and heat in a 400ºF oven until hot and crispy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Made these last night and they were a hit! The fish didn’t look pretty but it was so good. My only issue is some of the batter fell off as it cooked. What did I do wrong?
Hi Isabel,
What kind can I use besides the beer?
Hi Janice! If you want to use something besides beer, you can use chicken broth, ginger ale, or white wine. Just keep in mind it’ll have a slightly different taste but they should still turn out well.
Sounds really good. Quick question before tackling this. What is adobo sauce and what is lime zest and juice?
Hi Mark! Adobo sauce is a dark red chile sauce made from ground dried chiles, dried herbs and vinegar. The chipotles come seasoned with it in the can. Lime zest are the small shavings of the lime peel that give more flavor, and the juice from the lime also give a great limey flavor!
Oh, Isabel, these fish tacos were awesome! We loved everything about them – most especially the chipotle mayo. I used Gorton’s Wild caught beer battered fish because that is what I had. We had those tacos twice this week! Thanks so much for the recipe – it is a keeper and will go into my weekly rotation.
Hi Mary! Thank you so much, we are glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Dear Isabel, I used on-hand frozen, beer-battered fish fillets (that I seasoned with a little chili powder, granulated garlic and cumin before baking, per your recipe). The marvelous slaw and the fantastic chipotle mayo made this an incredible meal! (I enjoyed it with an ice cold Pacifico beer 🍺 ☺️)
Muchas gracias!! 🤗❤️
These were so delicious! I used tilapia since that’s what I had and they turned out well. The chipotle mayo was especially delicious and would be great to top many other things. Will definitely be making these again!
THIS WAS AMAZING! Wow! I’d eat this once a week. I never had fish tacos before and I loved them.
We used cod because it’s all the store had and I think it fit well.
I have a gluten intolerance so I had to make some modifications. I used 1 to 1 gf flour and the michelob amber max as my beer. I had to use a bit extra beer as gf flour works differently.
I also added extra chipotles because I liked the spice but other than that everything was made exactly as it says and it was perfection!
Hey Isabel! Do you think tilapia is a good fish for these or will it fall apart?
Looking to try this weekend ! 🤞🏼
You can, but tilapia is often very thin and doesn’t always hold up as well as mahi mahi, cod, or halibut does. It might turn out a little messy, but I’m sure it would be delicious!
These turned out great from the recipe. Taste pretty authentic but from very simple ingredients. I used swordfish, ready made slaw and put siracha in the mayo.
All common ingredients in my meager pantry that I always have on hand, plus you get to drink a beer while you cook.
SO GOOD! I didn’t have Mexican beer but had an extra Guinness, still very yummy! Felt professional for a minute!
My partner and I made these for dinner last night and they were fantastic! Super easy to prepare and the result was restaurant-quality. We will definitely be making these again.
Wow! These look and sound incredible! Fish tacos are yummy, but yours look perfect!!!
Hi! Tried this recipe for Father’s Day and the first batch of fish came out perfect. All the batches after that did not, they did not get brown and most of the batter fell off. Any clues as to why that might have happened? Don’t get me wrong, we ate all of it and it was delicious!
It sounds like your oil dropped in temperature after the first batch which is why it wasn’t really browning. You may also try giving the batter a quick whisk before dipping each piece of fish into it to make sure everything is combined. I hope that helps!
I made this tonight with a pre-made asian slaw blend from Whole Foods and Halibut. It was great but I had to add more beer to the batter as it was too thick. I also added extra paprika and kept the salt levels pretty low. Made fresh corn masa tortillas too and it took around 3 hours total for everything with the masa rest, but came out great. Will be doing this again!
SO GOOD!! Me and my boyfriend made this recipe and it was so delicious! 5 star for sure everything was perfect. Invited my mom and brother over for dinner and they loved it also for sure adding to my recipes so I can make in the future! Thank you so much!
Yay! I’m so happy you and everyone loved it! Thank you so much for your feedback and your support of my site!
This was amazing! Followed recipe exactly. Then I was like Eureka! Tempura batter! I also fried shrimp in the same batter for sweet and sour shrimp! Also amazing!
What fish do you end up using for this recipe?
I used Alaskan Cod.
Followed the recipe as written and it turned out great. Husband said these were as good as any restaurant ones. A keeper and will be making again
These look amazing and a great idea for Lent! What kind of oil do you use and does this really only take 4 minutes to cook? Thanks, don’t want to poison anyone, lol.
I use canola oil for frying. And yes, that’s all it should take! The fish is thin and tender enough that 2 minutes of frying per side is enough.
These look amazing! Is there a substitute for the beer? Sadly I’m allergic. :/ Thank you!
Hi Jaki. Thank you! I’ve only ever used beer so I can’t for certain, but you should be able to use pretty much any carbonated drink. Try a plain seltzer water. The flavor profile of the batter will be a bit different but it should work!
my husband is going to be OBSESSED with these!!! love, love, loving that slaw! xx
Ahh, thanks Jess! I hope you guys love them!