05.13.20

Paleo Battered Fish Tacos

I am proud of all the recipes that I share here. But there are just some that I am more proud of. These Paleo Battered Fish Tacos? I am VERY PROUD OF. 

Paleo Battered Fish TacosI am proud of all the recipes that I share here. But there are just some that I am more proud of. These Paleo Battered Fish Tacos? I am VERY PROUD OF. 

In my opinion, fish tacos — of any sort — are always delicious. I mean essentially you can saute or grill up any fish, put it in a tortilla add a few of your favorite toppings and call it a day. But then there are battered fish tacos, called “Baja-style fish tacos” by many, which consist of a lightly battered mild, flakey fish served in a corn tortilla, topped with a creamy sauce, some shredded cabbage, maybe some hot sauce or salsa and always a spritz of lime. It’s said that this style of taco originated in the Mexican state of Baja California and they are now popular all across the U.S. 

My mom made a rendition of these growing up, which she titled Beer-Battered Fish Tacos. While she doesn’t recall where she got her original recipe, it was a bottle of beer, some all-purpose flour and some seasoning that she used to batter her fish. If you Google “beer-battered fish tacos” you’ll find a ton of recipes like how she made them growing up for a non-Paleo recipe.

Paleo Battered Fish Tacos

With my mom’s recipe in mind, it occurred to me the other day that I didn’t have a battered fish taco recipe on the blog and I knew I had to start attempting a Paleo rendition of my own! It took me a few tries to get the batter just right, but I still cannot believe how fantastic this Paleo rendition of beer-battered fish tacos turned out. Wow!

Now, to keep things Paleo, I opted to use Topo Chico instead of beer. You can use another sparkling water, but Topo Chico is the bubbliest of all sparkling waters — and my very favorite. Just like beer, the bubbles from the Topo Chico add body and lightness to the batter. I also opted to use a mix of cassava flour + tapioca flour for the breading (along with a few seasonings to add flavor) to keep the recipe grain-free and gluten-free. 

The end result, well… you’ll just have to try them out for yourself to know how great they really are! And while the Topo Chico is already out, why not serve these with a Ranch Water or two? Cheers!

Paleo Battered Fish Tacos

Serves: 4 people
Print
4.91 from 11 votes
A paleo rendition of Beer-Battered Fish Tacos
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes

Ingredients

For the Batter:

For the Creamy Hot Sauce Slaw:

  • 4 tbsp mayo
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp your favorite hot sauce I use El Yucateco. But you could use cholula, sriracha, anything you like here!
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 cups shredded cabbage OR slaw mix

For the Fish Tacos:

  • 1.5 lbs skinned halibut or cod, cut into approximately 2-3 inch pieces
  • 4 tbsp avocado oil
  • 12 tortillas you can use corn or use Siete Foods Grain-Free tortillas to keep these Paleo
  • pico de gallo, for serving
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
  • cilantro, for serving

Instructions

Make the Batter for the Fish:

  • In a large bowl, combine the Topo Chico, cassava flour, tapioca flour, salt, smoked paprika and onion powder. Whisk until well combined. Set aside to thicken up a bit while you prepare the rest!
    Your batter should feel similar to a pancake batter, It should flow smoothly, a little heavier than chocolate milk, and thinner than cake batter. *please see notes regarding best batter tips below.

Make the Creamy Slaw:

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, lime juice, garlic, hot sauce, and salt until well combined. Do not add the shredded cabbage yet. Set aside.

Cook the Fish:

  • Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add the avocado oil.
  • While the oil is heating, take 1/2 of the fish pieces and place them into the batter. Gently toss to coat.
  • When the oil is hot and shimmering, but not smoking, use a fork or tongs to pick up one battered fish filet at a time, shaking off any excess batter. Carefully place the filet into the hot oil. You'll want to place just enough fish into the oil without overcrowding the skillet (that means none of the fish should be touching!). Let them fry until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked fish onto a large paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with a little salt. Continue until all of the fish is browned, then begin the second batch.

Serve up the tortillas:

  • Meanwhile, while you are frying your fish in batches, char your tortillas. You can do this 2 ways:
    1. For a Gas Stovetop: Fire up the burners on your stove to the lowest setting. One at a time, carefully place a tortilla directly on the burner and flip after about 45 seconds. As you finish cooking the tortillas, place them onto a towel and close the towel up to steam the tortillas and keep them warm.
    2. For an Electric Stovetop: Place the tortillas in a dry (no oil) stainless steel skillet over medium heat and cook them for about 30 seconds on each side.
  • Right before serving, toss the cabbage in with the creamy dressing you made in the first step until it is well coated.
  • Place a small amount of the creamy slaw in the bottom of the charred tortillas, top with a filet (or 2, depending on how big your tortillas are) of the fish. Then garnish with pico de gallo, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. You can always serve with more hot sauce, too, if you want! 😉 Enjoy!

Notes

Batter tips: okay, so cassava flour can be a little fickle so here are a few notes:
  • the temperature of your topo chico makes a difference. If you use a cold topo chico right out of the fridge your recipe will likely turn out perfect. If you use room temperature, your batter might be thinner. you may need 2-3 more tablespoons of cassava to thicken a bit more. 
  • The brand of cassava flour may change the recipe a tad, too. If your batter is too thin, add 2-4 more tablespoons of cassava. If it's too thick, add 1/4 cup more topo chico! 

27 Comments

  • Reply
    Meredith
    January 27, 2023 at 12:57 am

    5 stars
    Quite possibly one of the best things I’ve ever made! The flavors were incredible and the batter was perfect. Will absolutely be making this again!

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 27, 2023 at 4:54 pm

      Thank you so much for the comment and review, Meredith!

  • Reply
    Eva
    March 10, 2022 at 2:45 am

    5 stars
    These turned out really good! It was a little tricky getting the batter to stay on the pieces of fish, and it never really got crispy, but the flavor was amazing. The slaw was yummy too.

  • Reply
    Elizabeth
    February 4, 2022 at 3:03 am

    5 stars
    Really enjoyed this dish. The slaw flavor was pretty perfect. I’d like to make it again to try to get the batter consistency a little thinner. I think I had it but then let it sit for too long and by then we had drunk all the Topo Chico 😂

  • Reply
    Claire
    January 18, 2022 at 2:49 am

    5 stars
    I have made these so many times and they are SO delicious! I normally use cod, but I currently have some small scallops in my freezer. Do you think the recipe would work with scallops? Thanks!

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 26, 2022 at 1:33 pm

      I haven’t tried it, but I bet it could work!

  • Reply
    Nicole
    August 11, 2021 at 12:19 am

    5 stars
    WOW! Made these tonight and already can’t wait to make them again!! Subbed the suggested fish for Fish Fixe mahi mahi I had on hand – delicious 🙂

  • Reply
    Sarah
    April 11, 2021 at 4:30 pm

    Hi Alex! I’ve made these a few times now and love the flavor and ease. I’m having a problem getting the fish batter crispy. It seems to come out of the pan crispy but after resting on the paper towel they batter turns soft. Any recommendations? Thanks!

    • Reply
      Alex
      April 14, 2021 at 3:47 pm

      They definitely need to be eaten as soon as possible– grain free crusts just don’t tend to stay as crisp as classic batters.

  • Reply
    Lynette Phillips
    March 31, 2021 at 7:43 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely divine, fabulous flavors!! It’s the first time I’ve cooked using Cassava flour, it’s a bit tricky flipping the filets over, they wanted to stick. I changed the flipping method to using a stainless steel spatula and scooping the bottom. That seemed to work well.

    • Reply
      Alex
      March 31, 2021 at 7:55 pm

      Glad you found a solution!!! 🙂 and enjoyed them!

  • Reply
    Hannah
    March 23, 2021 at 1:04 am

    5 stars
    10/10! This is one of those recipes that you can’t believe is paleo

  • Reply
    Angelica
    March 1, 2021 at 4:55 pm

    Can I use regular AP flour instead of cassava and just add the tapioca flour? Can’t find any cassave where I live atm

    • Reply
      Amanda
      April 19, 2021 at 4:18 am

      Made these for dinner tonight and everyone loved them! SO GOOD!

  • Reply
    Brittany
    February 22, 2021 at 2:10 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious! Total fan favorite in our house 😊

  • Reply
    Sydney
    February 3, 2021 at 12:33 am

    5 stars
    To die for! I love making a bowl of the fish and slaw-don’t even need a tortilla! Better than many restaurant fish tacos

  • Reply
    Jessica Youmans
    January 31, 2021 at 5:42 am

    5 stars
    These fish tacos are just as good as my favorite from Southern California! Super easy to prepare!

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 31, 2021 at 8:41 pm

      so happy they were a hit for you

  • Reply
    Tabitha
    January 21, 2021 at 12:16 am

    4 stars
    Perfect flavor!

  • Reply
    Francesca Sartori
    January 8, 2021 at 7:25 pm

    What about trying these in an air fryer??

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 8, 2021 at 8:20 pm

      I haven’t tried it myself.

  • Reply
    Liliana alamillo
    December 23, 2020 at 9:52 pm

    Can I do make this with shrimp instead?

    • Reply
      Alex
      December 29, 2020 at 11:12 pm

      I find it doesn’t get as crisp, but it’s still good!

  • Reply
    Emily
    December 6, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    These were so yummy and easy!!

  • Reply
    Randi
    November 17, 2020 at 6:57 pm

    SOOOO excited to finally try these! Do you think a GF flour blend would work here if I don’t have cassava flour on hand? I do have tapioca flour!

    • Reply
      Alex
      November 18, 2020 at 12:09 am

      I haven’t tried it with GF flour but it should work fine with that– but I am not 100% sure.

    • Reply
      Joanna
      May 25, 2021 at 12:47 am

      I used Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Flour blend and it worked great. I had to use a little more to get the right thickness of batter, but they came out perfectly.

    Leave a Reply & Rating

    Recipe Rating




    You Might Also Like

    SDC Instagram