Crispy beer-battered rockfish topped with tangy cilantro lime slaw, juicy pineapple, and crisp radishes tucked in a warm corn tortilla and topped with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. It can't get much better than that. Give these delicious rockfish tacos a try today!
Recipe Highlights
Crispy, Flaky Fish: This beer-battered fish is the perfect coating for rockfish. The outside gets crispy and golden brown, while the fish inside stays moist, flaky, and tender. For a similar method, try these beer-battered halibut sandwiches!
Full of Flavor: The beer batter gets a flavor boost from chili powder and cumin. The cabbage slaw is packed with zesty lime flavor and adds layers of flavor to these tacos. Juicy, sweet pineapple and crunchy radishes balance out all the flavors for the best fish tacos with rockfish! For a lighter fish taco, try these grilled halibut tacos.
Customizable: The toppings are just suggestions here. You can do as little or as much as you'd like! I like to use this cilantro lime slaw for multiple taco recipes because it packs a lot of flavor into your tacos without overloading them with toppings. You can also use this recipe with any white-fleshed fish you have access to.
Ingredients
- Rockfish: This recipe uses black rockfish filets, but you can use any species of rockfish. You can also use other flaky white fish like halibut, cod, mahi mahi, black cod, etc. Have an abundance of rockfish? Try this smoked rockfish recipe!
- Green Cabbage: You can use Savoy cabbage or red cabbage in place of green cabbage.
- Corn Tortillas: You can use flour tortillas or hard taco shells in place of corn tortillas.
- Peanut Oil: Peanut oil works great for frying, but you can use other oils like safflower oil, corn oil, canola oil, etc.
- Beer: A light beer like a lager works well for beer-battered fish because it adds a light beer flavor without weighing it down. Any light, non-hoppy beer will work.
- Spices: You can add or remove spices from the batter to your liking. Cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder are all great additions to the simple chili powder and cumin blend used in this beer batter.
- Toppings: You don't have to use the suggested toppings. You can customize your tacos however you'd like! Mango salsa, avocado slices, fresh pico de gallo, pickled red onions, and pickled jalapenos are all excellent choices!
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Cilantro Lime Slaw
This cilantro lime slaw makes the best taco topping! One of my favorite things about it is that it combines several taco toppings into one, so you don't overload your taco.
The combination of crunchy cabbage with zesty lime, earthy cilantro, and a creamy sauce complements the rich fried fish so well. For a similar slaw recipe but with the addition of apples, check out this venison shank taco recipe.
- Step 1: Gather dressing ingredients: lime zest, lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, sour cream, and mayo.
- Step 2: Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Step 3: Remove the core from the cabbage and slice it thinly using a mandolin slicer or sharp knife.
- Step 4: Add shredded cabbage, chopped cilantro, and chopped green onions to a large bowl.
- Step 5: Pour the slaw dressing over the cabbage.
- Step 6: Toss to combine and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Pro Tip
Use gloved hands to coat the cabbage with the dressing. It's a very effective and clean method to mix coleslaw!
How To Make Beer-Battered Rockfish
You only need a few ingredients to make the crispiest beer-battered fish for rockfish tacos. Follow the simple steps below!
- Step 7: Use a sharp filet knife to remove the skin from the rockfish filets.
- Step 8: Remove bones with tweezers if needed.
- Step 9: Cut fish filets into ¾" strips.
- Step 10: Place the strips into a paper towel-lined bowl. Season fish with salt 30 minutes before cooking.
- Step 11: Add flour, chili powder, cumin, salt, and baking powder to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Step 12: Whisk in cold beer. The batter should be the consistency of a thin pancake batter.
- Step 13: Heat oil over medium-high heat in a deep skillet until the oil reaches 375 degrees F. Gently pat fish pieces dry with a paper towel and dip them into the beer batter. Let the excess batter drip off.
- Step 14: Gently lower the battered fish into the hot oil in a single layer.
- Step 15: Cook until crispy and golden-brown, about 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Step 16: Place on a wire rack on a sheet pan to let the excess oil drip off. The wire rack also keeps them from getting soggy.
Pro Tip
The beer batter will puff up quite a bit when it fries, so err on the side of thinner pieces of fish. Otherwise, your pieces might not fit into your tacos!
Assemble the Rockfish Tacos
Once you have your cilantro lime slaw and crispy, flaky rockfish, it's time to assemble your rockfish fish tacos! I like to fry up my corn tortillas in a little oil, but you can just warm them in a hot skillet as well.
Add a piece of cooked fish to your tortilla. Top it with the cilantro lime slaw. You can add other toppings like pineapple and radishes, or just keep it simple with the slaw. Don't forget to serve lime wedges on the side! Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
What is the best fish for tacos?
White flaky fish makes the best fish tacos. Rockfish, halibut, cod, mahi mahi, and black cod are all great choices. These fish all have a mild flavor and go well with many traditional taco toppings.
Rockfish can be eaten like any other white-fleshed fish. It can be grilled, pan-fried, baked, fried, you name it! It makes an excellent base for this beer-battered rockfish tacos recipe. Or, make blackened rockfish tacos for a slightly lighter option.
Rockfish is typically a mild-tasting fish. The meat can be on the sweeter side and has a meaty but flaky texture. It complements many flavors well and can be prepared in a variety of ways.
Did you try this recipe?
Let us know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Thank you!
Annie
📖 Recipe
Beer-Battered Rockfish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw
Ingredients
Beer-Battered Fish:
- 1 ½ lb rockfish filets
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon cold lager beer (or other light-colored beer)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- salt, to taste
- peanut oil
Cilantro Lime Slaw:
- 6 cups shredded green cabbage
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (about 1 bunch)
- ½ cup green onions, finely chopped (6-8 medium green onions)
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice (from 2-3 limes)
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Other Ingredients:
- 24 corn tortillas
- 1 ½ cup fresh pineapple, ¼" diced (optional)
- ½ cup radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
- lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Slaw:
- Combine cabbage, cilantro, and green onions in a medium bowl. Combine dressing ingredients (sour cream through salt and pepper) in a medium bowl. Toss with cabbage mixture until well-coated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Beer-Battered Fish:
- Remove skin and bones from rockfish filets, if needed.
- Cut fish into ¾" strips. Place the strips into a paper towel-lined bowl. Season fish with salt 30 minutes before cooking.
- Combine flour, seafood seasoning, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Slowly add beer to the batter and stir with a whisk. The batter should be the consistency of a thin pancake batter. It needs to be thin enough to coat the fish well but not so thin that it doesn't stick.
- Add enough peanut oil to a deep skillet to make it about 1" deep. Heat over medium-high heat to 350-375°F.
- Lightly pat fish pieces with paper towel if moisture has accumulated on the surface.
- Dip fish pieces in batter and let excess drip off. Add to pan of oil and cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway, until internal temperature reaches 145°F and breading is golden brown and crispy.
- If cooking larger batches, preheat oven to 200°F. Place a wire rack on a sheet pan. Once one batch of fish is finished cooking, place it on the wire rack in the oven to keep it warm.
Assembly:
- You can warm your tortillas in a hot skillet or dip them in the hot oil leftover from cooking the fish for 30 seconds.
- Add 1 or 2 pieces of fish to your tortilla (depending on the size of the pieces), top with cilantro lime slaw, diced pineapple, and sliced radishes (or toppings of your choice) and squeeze a fresh lime wedge over the top. Enjoy!
Reheating Instructions:
- This beer-battered fish reheats really well in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place a wire rack on a sheet pan. Place halibut pieces on wire rack. Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway, or until breading is crispy and fish is heated through.
Notes
-
- A mandolin slicer works great for getting thin slices of cabbage and radishes. But, you can use a sharp knife if you don't have a mandolin available.
- A deep pan is necessary for frying to keep the oil from bubbling over the edge. Select a pan that is at least 3-4" deep since you will be using 1" of oil.
- A high-temperature thermometer or candy thermometer is necessary to make sure your oil is at the proper temperature. If it's too cold, the breading will become soggy. If the oil is too hot, the filets will burn.
- You can cut fish filets with several types of knives, but a filet knife works best due to its unique shape.
- This recipe uses black rockfish filets but you can use any species of rockfish. You can also use other flaky white fish like halibut, cod, mahi mahi, black cod, etc.
-
- You can use savoy cabbage or red cabbage in place of green cabbage. A mandolin slicer is helpful for shredding the cabbage but you can also use a sharp knife or food processor.
-
- You can use flour tortillas or hard taco shells in place of corn tortillas.
-
- Peanut oil works great for frying, but you can use other oils like safflower oil, corn oil, canola oil, etc.
-
- A light beer like a lager works well for beer-battered fish because it adds a light beer flavor without weighing it down. Any light, non-hoppy beer will work.
-
- You can add or remove spices from the batter to your liking. Cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder are all great additions to the simple chili powder and cumin blend used in this beer batter.
-
- You can customize your taco toppings how you'd like. Mango salsa, avocado slices, fresh pico de gallo, pickled red onion, and pickled jalapenos are all excellent choices.
Comments
No Comments