Bday Dinner

So part of my birthday present for Stud was dinner.  And the boy loves fish tacos and I have never made fried fish, so I get two for one.  Stud gets a meal he loves (assuming all goes according to plan) and I get to try out a new recipe.  For this recipe, I basically went to Food Network and chose the fish taco recipe with the highest rating.  And I had the concept for fish tacos, I just needed a batter, so I just used that part from Marcela Valadollid's recipe.  I also used talapia and I got two filets which in retrospect, was too much for just Stud and me.  It made about eight pieces and although we ate all the leftovers, nothing fried is as good leftover as it is coming out of the oil.

Beer Batter

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 c. dark Mexican beer (I used a Negra Modelo so then I could drink the rest)

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and then slowly pour in the beer whisking though out the addition.  When it is all well combined, let sit for about fifteen minutes before using.

To fry the filets, heat about an inch depth of oil in a large skillet to about 350 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of the fish and then dredge in some flour before dunking in the batter.  When both sides are well coated in batter, drop in the oil and cook until golden brown, about five minutes total.  I had to flip mine half way through to make sure both sides were good and crunchy.  Let drain on a paper towel.

The rest of the tacos just required assembly.  I used a Mexican sour cream salad dressing as a spicy sauce (I'll get more on that later) that I stole from my parents fridge and some slaw mix from the grocery to add a little crunch.  I served them with corn tortillas because I think they have way more flavor than flour and seemed more appropriate here.

Overall, the fish was really good.  Next time, I might add a little chili powder or cayenne to the batter to give the fish a little more flavor on their own.  But the beer batter formed a good crust and if my oil had been a little hotter (Stud was hovering and impatient) I think I would have gotten a much better crust on them.  These will be made again - perhaps some homemade fish sandwiches are in my future.