Chef notes
As a native Southern California girl, I love tacos, especially a good battered fish taco! It brings me back to my high school days driving around the beach hunting them down. I would also make a 20-avocado guacamole in a giant bowl at the "Top Chef" house for the cast. It was such a hit with everyone, the chefs started demanding it nearly every other day! When the taco challenge came up, the other chefs weren’t surprised I busted out my guac recipe.
Swap option: If you don't want to use beer, use cold sparkling water. Swap jicama with Asian pear or mango with pineapple, papaya or pomegranate seeds.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon five spice powder
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup ice cold beer (such as amber ale or pilsner)
- 1 pound flaky white fish (such as mahi-mahi, cod or halibut), cut in 1/2-inch by 1-inch slices
- Neutral oil, like canola, for frying
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced jicama
- 1/4 cup ripe mango, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced, seeds removed
- Salt and pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 serrano chile, seeds removed, minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, minced
- 2 tablespoons red onion, small diced
- 1 lime, juiced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 ripe avocados, diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Preparation
For the five-spice beer-battered fish:
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, five spice, salt and pepper together. Whisk in ice cold beer until the batter is thick like pancake batter. It’s important to have the liquid ice cold to help create a crispier and lighter batter.
Dip fish into batter until evenly coated. Heat oil (enough to create about 1-inch of depth) in a fryer or large pot until it reaches 350°F. Immerse the fish and fry, about 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on the outside.
For the jicama-mango slaw:
In a bowl, mix all ingredients together until well-combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
For the guacamole:
With a mortar and pestle, crush garlic, chiles and onion together into a mash. Mix in lime juice and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, avocados and cilantro. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, mix by hand and mash with a fork to combine.
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