Sunday Rewind: Getting Fishy in San Diego

As The Rantings of an Amateur Chef has been going since February of 2012, there are quite a few readers that have joined along the way. In an effort to bring back some great recipes that they may have missed, I will dedicate Sundays to re-posting a favorite that is at least two years old. I hope you enjoy! – The Ranting Chef

Different cities are easily associated with key food items.

• Philadelphia – The Cheesesteak. Pick Geno’s or Pat’s or get one from each. Just order a steak with. (avoid the temptation to add a word after with).
• Boston – Chowder for many people; lobster for others.
• Chicago – while some may say the Chicago Dog, nothing in my mind comes close to deep dish pizza. Giordanos is my favorite.
• Seattle is Copper River salmon. If you have not had Copper River salmon, you don’t know how good salmon can taste. Available starting mid May, it is over typically by mid summer.
• Toledo – Tony Packo’s hot dogs. Yes, M*A*S*H made it nationally famous, but Tony keeps you coming back.
• San Diego – ?

For me San Diego will be associated with fish tacos. I was never a big fish eater (unless you counted fish sticks or canned tuna), but started to tentatively explore eating more fish early in my adulthood. One of my first business trips ever was to San Diego where my company had its headquarters. The sales manager took the group out to the Old Town section of San Diego. We first went to a tequila bar (at the time they had a tequila that sold for $100 a shot) and then to a restaurant that specialized in fish tacos. After some encouragement by my peers, I ordered them. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Wonderful Fried Fish Tacos

I’ve made fish tacos both with battered and unbattered fish. This recipe helped me use of some left over Guinness from my appetizer trials for the Gourmet Club Irish Dinner.

I used orange roughy this time.

Mix up the beer batter.

Get it all ready, because things move fast!

You have to use a fish that will hold up to the dipping in batter. Stick a fork into a piece and dip.

Drop it in the hot oil. It will cook fast.

Pull them out of the oil and drain them.

I put them all together, but they could be served as make your own. I also used a chipotle ranch dressing in place of the recipe below. Notice in the picture above, some of the tacos look a little different. Those were made with low carb tortillas that I cut down.

What to do with the left over tortilla cuttings or the 1 regular tortilla left over? Drop them in the oil to make tortilla chips. Drain and salt them. Yum!

Wonderful Fried Fish Tacos

Prep Time: 30 Min | Cook Time: 15 Min | Servings: 10 servings | Difficulty: moderate

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark beer
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, cubed
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 20 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 5 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup salsa
• Or use chipotle ranch dressing
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

In a shallow bowl, whisk together beer, flour, and salt.

Rinse fish, and pat dry. Cut into 10 equal pieces.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 inch oil to 360 degrees F (168 degrees C). Using a fork, coat fish pieces in batter. Slide coated fish into hot oil in batches; adjust heat to maintain oil temperature. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon, and drain briefly on paper towels; keep warm. Repeat to fry remaining fish.

Stack 2 tortillas. Place a piece of fish and 1/2 cup cabbage in the center of the tortillas. Garnish with mayonnaise, lime wedges and salsa

Nutritional Info:

Amount Per Serving Calories: 472 | Total Fat: 28.3g | Cholesterol: 33mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Wonderful-Fried-Fish-Tacos/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=78973940&prop26=DailyDish&prop27=2012-03-09&prop28=DailyRecipe&prop29=FullRecipe&me=1