Beer-Battered Fish Tacos

When I lived in San Diego, there was a place at the end of the avenue leading to Ocean Beach called South Beach Bar & Grille that many people claim to have the best fish tacos north of the border. I remember my first taco there with perfectly fried, tender and juicy pollock filets, the crispy beer batter countered with a tangy/garlicky crema sauce and some pico de gallo and cilantro leaves.


Flash forward a few more years and I live on a large island surrounded by beautiful blue cod, snapper and tarakihi. The only things missing are some good handmade corn tortillas (where are the neighborhood abuelas when you need 'em?!) and Mexican crema, but I'm making due with some ready-made flour tortillas and fresh sour cream.

Fish and Batter Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs blue cod filets, picked over for bones
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp finely ground white pepper

1 cup tempura flour or (1 cup of AP flour with 1 tbsp cornstarch)
200ml of very cold cerveza or light beer
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp finely ground white pepper

Slaw Ingredients

1/4 head of thinly sliced red cabbage
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
zest of one lemon or lime
3 tbsp mayonnaise

Pico de Gallo Ingredients

1 finely chopped tomato
3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro stems and leaves
1/4 finely chopped white onion
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 finely minced chili pepper with seeds and membranes removed

Extras

Sour cream
1 finely chopped scallion
Extra cilantro leaves and stems

6-8 flour or corn tortillas

Directions

1. Wash and paper towel dry the fish filets. Cut into 1"x4" pieces. Salt and pepper the fish and set aside in fridge for 20 minutes.

2. Make the pico de gallo and slaw by combining all ingredients and putting in fridge to chill

3. When you are ready to cook the fish, pour about 4 inches of canola or sunflower seed oil into a deep-lipped frying pan and turn the heat on medium. Next, combine the batter ingredients, but do not overmix. It is perfectly fine to have lumps in the batter. When the oil reaches about 300F degrees, dip the fish pieces into the batter and evenly coat. Let the excess batter drip away before putting the fish piece into the oil. Do not fry more than 2-3 pieces at a time or else the oil's temperature will drop too quickly. When the batter fries to a golden brown, remove the fish and drain on plate topped with paper towels. You may keep them warm in an oven at 150F degrees.

4. Warm your tortillas either in the oven or on the stove top with a large frying pan set on med-low heat. Remove and place in tortilla warmer or envelope the tortillas in a folded and clean dish rag to prevent it from drying out.

5. Once ready to serve, combine the fish with slaw, top with pico de gallo and accompanying ingredients to your liking. I also love mine with a little bit of Tapatio or Vietnamese hot sauce for extra punch.

Chow Chow (Picalilli Relish) Recipe

The origins of chow chow are rather obtuse. Some say the Brits brought this relish back from India, based on the sweet chutneys that accompanied the cuisine. Others say it's just a version of gherkin pickling that arose out of the need to keep vegetables in an edible state during the brutally cold and wet winters. Britons even call it by another name: picalilli relish.

Whatever the case may be, chow chow eventually found its way to North America, where it gained popularity in the South, and based on an ungodly amount of green tomatoes. I researched recipes from Britain all the way west to Canada and down through Louisiana, and this is my personal, international version of chow chow (or picalilli, however you want to call it).

The American Saveur's Chow Chow Recipe

1/4 large head of cabbage (not napa or savoy)
1 lbs of green tomatoes
1 yellow bell pepper
2 small yellow onions
1/4 cauliflower head

4 cups of apple cider vinegar
3 cups of white sugar

1 tbsp ground turmeric
3 heaping tbsp of dry yellow mustard powder (Colemans is best)
4 heaping tbsp of AP flour
1 tsp of cornstarch
3/4 cup water

Finely chop all vegetables and mix together. Set aside.

Pour vinegar and sugar into large, non-reactive pot on medium heat until sugar is melted and vinegar is warm. Pour chopped vegetables into pot and turn up heat on high until vegetables boil. Turn down heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Mix dried spices, flour, cornstarch and water together to form a paste. At the 45 minute mark, pour the spice mixture and stir until it is well-combined. Turn up heat to med-high and stir for 10 minutes until mixture thickens. Turn off heat, set aside.

Using some sterilized jars, scoop batches of chow chow into each container and sterilize in hot water bath. Set aside, and refrigerate when containers are cool to the touch.

Makes enough relish for 3-5 large pickle jars or 6-7 jam/preserve jars. Serve as condiment to sausages, hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, cheese plates or breakfast items.

Cream Scones

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), frozen
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 large egg


Heat the oven to 450°F/225C and arrange a rack in the middle. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and break up any lumps with whisk.

Grate the frozen butter through the large holes on a box grater; add to the flour mixture and toss until well combined. Whisk the heavy cream and the egg in a small bowl. Pour this mixture into the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a circle. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Dip a 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter in some extra flour, tap off the excess, and stamp out as many scones as possible. Repeat until you have a total of 12 scones.

Place the scones at least 1/2 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the scones with cream. Bake until they are puffed and the tops are golden and getting brown around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with your favorite jam and butter or with some clotted cream.