Pan-fried Fish Tacos with Street Corn Sauce is an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love. The street corn sauce in this fish taco recipe is fabulous on just about anything, so use it liberally.
My first introduction to Baja fish tacos was at Rubio’s and I was hooked right away. The textures and flavors of crisp slaw, batter-fried fish, and a squeeze of lime all cradled in a warm corn tortilla are the perfect finger food in my book.
Where the fish taco originated still raises debate according to this story in Sunset. As far as I’m concerned, Ralph Rubio got it right when he opened his restaurant near Mission Bay all those years ago.
One of the elements of Rubio’s tacos were the soft yet sturdy corn tortillas unique to the restaurant. Few from the grocery store compare, but homemade corn tortillas offer the same sturdy wrap with a toasted sweet corn taste.
All you really need to make a fish taco is sweet white fish and a taco shell, but we think a variety of toppings keeps it interesting and even more delicious. Here’s to Baja!
How to Make Healthy Pan-Fried Fish Tacos
We start with the basics by improving the flour and oil used to make pan-fried, beer-battered fish. Our beer batter is made with sprouted whole wheat flour and we pan-fry the fish in avocado oil to create a whole food recipe you can feel good about serving.
We select delicious white fish like barramundi (Asian sea bass) for its mild flavor and resilient texture—it withstands a little overcooking without drying out. It’s one of the few farmed fish varieties we eat because of the superior farming practices at Australis.
Barramundi are hardy and naturally disease resistant so there’s no need to feed them antibiotics or pesticides—we think that’s important.
Of course, we pile on fresh ingredients like cabbage (or slaw), tomatoes, avocado, and herbaceous cilantro to make each taco a complete meal.
TIP: Check the freezer section at grocery stores (and Costco) to find this great-tasting, versatile fish.
The Best Fish To Use For Fish Tacos
Tender white fish filet is ideal for creating easy fish tacos as they cook quickly and is easy to source. We choose wild-caught fish and seafood whenever possible because of the use of antibiotics in aquaculture (farmed fish).
We also look at recommendations from the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Program to make informed choices regarding the sustainability of the seafood.
Recommended fish varieties:
- barramundi (our favorite)
- halibut
- mahi mahi
- hake
- snapper
- cod, Alaskan, not Atlantic
- sea bass
- grouper
- flounder
- catfish
- trout
What Toppings Can I Use For Fish Tacos?
Dreaming up different ways to wrap our favorite ingredients in a taco shell always reaps a great reward. As long as there’s a mix of savory, spice, and sweet finished with a touch of fresh lime, you’re on the right track.
The best toppings for fish tacos:
- Avocado
- Black beans
- Cabbage, slaw mix, or Napa cabbage
- Cilantro
- Corn
- Grated carrots
- Green chiles
- Green onion
- Grilled pineapple or peaches
- Salsa—traditional tomato, peach, mango, or pineapple
- Sour cream and yogurt sauce (or street corn sauce in this recipe)
- Tomatoes
Street Corn Sauce Makes The Best Fish Taco Sauce
Grilled Mexican street corn (Elotes) is char-grilled corn on the cob with a creamy white sauce infused with cotija cheese and lime juice. This sauce tastes amazing on sweet corn so we knew there needed to be a few kernels in our tacos too.
Instead of grilling, we use a cast iron skillet to char and blister the corn so it’s fast and easy!
Salty, tangy, creamy goodness we think you could put on just about anything, but goes especially well on something with sweet undertones of white fish. Serving street corn sauce atop blistered corn in our beer-battered fish tacos is a heavenly match for sure.
Don’t be shy with the sauce either—it’s time to fill your hands with these tacos and dig in!
TIP: Leftover grilled corn is a fine substitute for the blistered corn in this recipe. Simply cut the grilled corn off the cob and briefly warm it on a hot skillet or in the microwave for a few seconds.
Step by Step:
- Prepare the sauce in a small mixing bowl.
- Prepare the garnishes before starting the fish so they are ready to serve as soon as the fish is done.
- Blister the corn in a heavy skillet.
- Prepare the beer batter.
- Heat oil and pan-fry fish.
- Serve in warm corn tortillas with a wedge of lime.
TIP: Make it gluten-free by using 1:1 gluten-free flour and gluten-free beer to make the beer batter.
Recipe Tips
- Prepare the sauce, garnishes, and batter before frying the fish.
- Warm corn tortillas in a skillet and never in a microwave so they hold together and are not soggy.
- Watch fish closely whether you grill, pan sear, or fry because it cooks very quickly.
- If using frozen sweet corn, defrost completely and dry with paper towels before adding to a hot skillet.
Recipe Variations
- Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and gluten-free beer in the beer batter.
- Substitute shrimp for the fish.
- Substitute lettuce leaves for tortillas.
- Substitute whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour for the sprouted flour.
- Substitute lettuce for the cabbage slaw.
- Substitute peach or mango salsa for the tomato salsa.
- Grill the fish—use these tips for the best grilled fish.
- Skip the tortillas (what?!) and create a salad by layering the copious toppings and topping with the fish and sauce.
- For spicier flavor use our Habanero-Cilantro Taco Sauce as a sauce alternative.
- Try dark beer for a robust beer flavor in the batter.
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Pan-Fried Fish Tacos with Street Corn Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds fish fillets — white fish such as Barramundi , Hake, Mahi Mahi, Halibut, Cod, pollack
- Sea salt & pepper
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 whole lime zested and juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese plus more for garnishing
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Sea salt to taste
GARNISHES:
- 8 small corn or flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
- 1 cup sweet corn , blistered (see note for using frozen corn)
- 1 whole lime , cut into wedges
- 1 whole avocado , peeled and sliced
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes , seasoned with salt
- 1 cup Primo Salsa See Recipe Below
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
FOR THE BEER BATTER:
- 3/4 cup sprouted white wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder , optional
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup beer , any favorite
- Avocado oil , for frying
Instructions
For the Street Corn Sauce:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice, and paprika together until well blended. Stir in the cotija cheese and cilantro. Taste and add more cotija or sea salt, to taste.
- Prepare the garnishes before starting the fish so they are ready to serve as soon as the fish is done. For the blistered corn, heat a heavy skillet over med-high heat with a little bit of avocado oil to thinly cover the bottom of the skillet. When the skillet is hot, add corn and stir only a little until corn begins to char in spots and kernels begin to pop). (Leftover grilled corn can also be used here.) Transfer corn to a bowl and reserve with other garnishes.
For the Beer Batter Fish:
- Dry fish with paper towels, cut into 1 1/2-inch strips, and season with salt and pepper. In a medium mixing bowl stir the flour, salt, granulated garlic, chipotle chile powder, and smoked paprika together. Stir in the egg and half the beer. Continue to add enough beer to make the batter loose enough to dip the fish.
- Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet by about 1/8-inch over med-high heat until hot. Dip fish strips into the beer batter, shaking off any excess so there is a thin coating. Place fish in hot oil and cook on each side 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter or onto a metal rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. (Keep in a warm oven until all the fish is cooked.)
- Warm corn tortillas in a skillet, then fill with fish, garnishes, and sauce. Serve with a wedge of lime.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
- If using frozen sweet corn, defrost completely and dry with paper towels before adding to a hot skillet.
- Prepare sauce, garnishes, and batter before frying the fish.
- Warm corn tortillas in a skillet and never in a microwave so they hold together and are not soggy.
- Watch fish closely whether you grill, pan sear, or fry because it cooks very quickly.
Recipe Variations:
- Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and gluten-free beer in the beer batter.
- Substitute shrimp for the fish.
- Substitute lettuce leaves for tortillas.
- Substitute whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour for the sprouted flour.
- Substitute lettuce for the cabbage slaw.
- Substitute peach or mango salsa for the tomato salsa.
- Grill the fish—use these tips for the best grilled fish.
- Skip the tortillas (what?!) and create a salad by layering the copious toppings and topping with the fish and sauce.
- For spicier flavor use our Habanero-Cilantro Taco Sauce as a sauce alternative.
- Try dark beer for a robust beer flavor in the batter.
Equipment
Nutrition
Primo Salsa
Ingredients
- 1/2 small sweet onions
- 1/4 Serrano pepper
- 1/4 green pepper
- 1/2 yellow chili pepper , mild
- 1 clove garlic
- 5 Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea salt , to taste
Instructions
- Put garlic, peppers, and onion in food processor and pulse to chop fine. Cut stems off of cilantro just below leaves. Add tomatoes and cilantro to processor and pulse to chop slowly so that tomatoes do not become too small.
- Remove from processor and squeeze fresh lime over mixture, stir well. Add salt and stir well. Serve with tortilla or pita chips.
raheel memon says
I tried this recipe it was good enough to add to my Cinco de Mayo roundup!
mjskitchen says
I’m drooling over your tacos! It’s a standard of mine to order the fish tacos if it’s on the menu, I love them so much! I do make them at home and love all of the options you’ve provided here to keep making them exciting and interesting. Have never tried the Sweet corn sauce, but will be giving it a try. I’ve used a sweet corn relish, but never the sauce. Looks wonderful! Great post Judy!
Candace says
I would love to give these a try!
oystergirl says
Oh these look divine! I have to be honest and say I do not cook much fish because my mother didn’t do much in the way of seafood when I was a kid. My husband loves to get fish tacos when we are out, but your recipe looks so good and simple I am sure I could make it and then my kids would get to try them. They love Mexican flavors! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us on the hearth and soul hop! All the best, Alex
island girl says
Ohhh…so glad I’m blog hopping today! This looks fabulous! Thank you for posting 🙂
rsmacaalay says
I love fish tacos! When I went to LA 2 years ago this is one on my to eat list.
Pati says
I worked right up the hill from Rubio’s first location. Once I tried their fish tacos I was hooked. In one week I ate there 5 times. Hard to believe it’s been 28 years!
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide says
You’d make Ralph proud. We lived in San Diego for five years, while we found place that did them better or cooler, you could always count on Rubio’s for a great fish taco. I love your recipe.
Karen says
Your fish tacos sound wonderful with so many nice ingredients. I think my husband would love these. Thank you for the recipe.