Beer Battered Fish Tacos

I think everyone can pretty much agree that fish tacos are fabulous. Surprisingly, there are a lot of restaurants out there that do. fish. tacos. wrong. I think we can all attest to that! We had some friends in town this weekend so we decided to try out some new spots in Virginia Beach, one of them being Gringo's (known for being the 'best fish taco place at the beach'). It certainly hit the spot and inspired me to try out beer battering some fish for myself. My favorite part about this recipe is that they don't taste fried. They are so light and airy, which compliments the light flaky white cod really well.

I must say, this was a winner. And it was too easy! I don't know why I haven't tried it before - I guess it is just one of those cooking 'things' you hear about, eat and talk about but never really try for yourself.

Side note: If you are from the area or are visiting in the near future I recommend trying A) Gringo's for the fish tacos B) Back Bay Brewing Company for their decor and C) Young Veterans Brewing Company for their beer. All will be frequent stops when we visit the other side of the bridge.

Now let's get to cooking...

Beer Battered Fish Tacos

1 cup of Flour

1 cup of Dark Beer (I used Fat Tire)

1 teaspoon of Salt

1 pound of Cod 

1-2 cups of vegetable oil (depending on how large your pan is - needs to be about a half inch high)

Pour your vegetable oil in a pan and heat to medium. Mix the flour, beer and salt in a bowl until it becomes a thick milky consistency to make the batter for the cod. Next, cut your cod into long thick strips.

To begin the cooking process, dip each piece of cod into the batter and place into the heated vegetable oil one-by-one until they are a light brown color and flip. Once they are done, remove and lay on a paper towel to dry.

Now it's time to assemble your tacos! For mine, I chose to place my cod pieces on a flour tortilla, top with salsa, cilantro, and sriracha slaw. DELISH.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

One thing I can not stand about cooking things like fish is that all-too-well known 'buy it on Sunday, ya don't eat it by Wednesday, and...TRASH.'  Working around that I started to buy frozen fish.  The only one that I personally like to buy frozen, rather than fresh, is tilapia.  It is a white, flaky fish that can pretty much be cooked any way you like.  Whether blackened, fried, crusted, or plain with a little seasoning.  One way I found to 'wow' a generally known to be bland fish, is to crust it! So throw those puppies into the microwave, defrost, and let's get started.

This recipe is super simple and requires close to no clean-up.  That is my kinda weekday night recipe!

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia:

4-6 pieces of frozen Tilapia (defrosted)

1 bag of Kraft Fresh Take Italian Parmesan Recipe Blend (cheese section)

1/2 cup of Mayonnaise 

A couple squirts of lemon juice (I chose to buy lemon juice as opposed to plan out buying a lemon each and every time I want to use a little!)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  After thawing the tilapia in the microwave, or however you'd like to do so, prepare your baking pan.  By prepare I mean, line it with tin-foil to provide for easy clean-up! Lay each of your pieces of tilapia on your baking sheet an inch or two apart.

Next, top the tilapia pieces with a thin layer of mayonnaise.  The mayonnaise is not for flavor, so by thin I mean THIN.  It is simply a sticking mechanism for the crust. Top the now covered in mayonnaise tilapia pieces with the mixture of bread crumbs and parmesan to create a nice crust layer.

Then, squeeze a tiny bit of lemon juice on top of each piece for some minimal citrus flavoring.  Lastly, you may have noticed that I didn't call for a little melted butter in the bread topping as a thickening crust agent.  Well, that is because I try to steer clear from butter whenever possible! My tip that provides for the same outcome is to spray the top of the crusted pieces with butter-flavored cooking spray.  How perfect is that?

Place your baking sheet in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until a little browned on the tops and you are set! Whether you are wow-ing a whole dinner party or just cooking for a special someone, this recipe is a super simple way to incorporate a lot of flavor and a beautifully presented fish dish all in one!

Spicy Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Pico De Gallo

My two ultimate favorite versions of Shrimp tacos have to be either Pelon's (Norfolk, VA) or Plaza Azteca (Hampton Roads, VA). You'd think this would be a dish that no one could royally screw up, but from experience, I can tell you people SURE have! I think with some fresh ingredients and passion for good tacos, you can create the perfect ensemble! Don't let the amount of ingredients deter you from making these. You can always incorporate store bought Pico De Gallo with these delicious spicy shrimp!

Pico De Gallo

1 small yellow onion

1 jalapeno pepper, quartered and seeded

2 garlic cloves, peeled (or garlic salt)

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped (the more the merrier)

 

Shrimp

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

A pinch of cayenne pepper

1-1/2 pounds large or extra large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

*I recommend making them as spicy as you like, these are not strict measurements

 

For Assembling

8 - 10 six-inch corn or flour tortillas

Approximately 2 cups chopped red cabbage, for garnish (I buy it pre-chopped in a bag)

2 limes, cut into wedges, for garnish

Approximately 1 cup sour cream, for garnish

To make the pico de gallo, dice all of the veggies finely. Add all of the ingredients into a medium sized bowl and stir lightly (not too rough because you want the avocado to be in tact). If you’re not going to use the mixture right away, place a piece of saran wrap inside the bowl and directly over salsa to prevent discoloration and refrigerate.



Now it is time for the shrimp. Heat the grill to medium. Meanwhile, mix the olive oil, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper and shrimp in a large bowl. Stir until shrimp are evenly coated with seasoning. Add the shrimp to skewers and place them on the grill. Cooking the shrimp only takes about 1-1/2 - 2 minutes per side until they are just opaque. Cover to keep shrimp warm.



Spoon avocado salsa generously over tortillas (heated if you want), then top with 3 (or 10) shrimp, red cabbage and dollops of sour cream. Serve tacos with lime wedges on the side or more importantly, drizzle some Sriracha Hot Sauce on them for some extra heat :)


Tip: Adding fajita or taco seasoning to the sour cream turns a simple ingredient into a zesty condiment. Take my word for it, it is deeeeeeeelicious!