Cooking Lesson #437: A Tribute to Rubio’s Original Baja Fish Tacos

… from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? Rubio’s Mexican Grill (now Coastal Grill) is the home of the Original Fish Taco. According to founder Ralph Rubio, he and some friends from San Diego State University were on spring break in San Felipe, Baja California when he first encountered fish tacos for the first time at a local stand; he inspired to open a restaurant serving them in his hometown of San Diego to work his way through college. Thanks to Ralph and his original vision, the popularity of fish tacos has spread throughout California. Rubio's standard fish tacos are made from Alaskan pollock, and are battered, fried, and served in a soft, warm corn tortilla.
 
Ralph retained Perspectives to update and reimage the restaurants to bring them back to their original visual roots. Our work was then duplicated in most of the existing restaurants and all the new ones.
 
Here is my tribute to the original recipe. Ralph’s original 1:1 ratio of flour to beer (and just a hint of salt and pepper) creates a fluffy batter that you'll want to use on chicken, veggies and fish, of course—just about anything you fry. 
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Inactive time:  15 minutes
Fry time:  15 minutes
Total time:  50 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the beer batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup dark very cold Mexican beer (see ChefSecret)
 
For the cream sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup Mexican crema (see ChefSecret) or sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
 
For the fish tacos
Oil, for frying (about 1-inch deep)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
2 pounds skinned halibut (see Chef Secret) cut into 5-inch x 1/2-inch strips
Freshly ground black pepper
Soft corn street tortillas
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups tomatillo salsa (store-bought or homemade) for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish, optional
 
Directions
To make the beer batter

1. Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
2. Gradually add in the beer while whisking.
3. Set aside in a refrigerator and let the batter rest for 15 minutes before using.

To make the cream sauce

1. Add the mayonnaise and crema to a medium bowl.
2. Whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice and water.
3. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper (can be made up to 3 days ahead, covered and refrigerated).

To make the fish

1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add enough oil to reach a depth of 1-inch.  Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°F or when the end of a wooden spoon sizzles when inserted into the oil.
2. In a shallow-lipped bowl, combine the flour and salt.
3. Season the fish pieces all over with salt and pepper and then coat both sides with the salted flour.  
4. Working in batches, dip the fillets in the beer batter, coating the fillets on both sides.
5. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
6. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

To assemble the tacos

1. Make tacos with the toasted tortillas and fish and top each with cream, shredded cabbage, tomatillo salsa and pickled jalapenos, if desired.

ChefSecret:  Pop open a cold Mexican cerveza like a Negra Modelo or a Dos Equis (XX) Ambar to make the beer batter. Mexican Crema is Mexico's version of creme fraiche and is found at many supermarkets. You can easily substitute sour cream for the crema if you can’t find it. My recipe calls for halibut—that’s my preference, but you can also use cod or pollock which works well and is a less expensive.

Quip of the Day: A Fish Taco always tastes great with an icy cold Mexican Cerveza. Please drink responsibly and don’t spill it.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. 
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