michelle picker cooks

The Mexican state of Baja California lies just south of California USA, hence this fusion of cuisines. These Baja-style fish tacos are a wonderful combination of tastes and textures. These ones were made with Coral Perch (a.k.a. ocean perch, coral cod, rock perch or sea perch), a delicate white-fleshed fish.

You will need tortillas for this recipe and the best ones are definitely freshly made. See how to make them here. Thinly slice a large red onion and place it in a bowl. In a small saucepan heat ½ a cup of white vinegar, ½ a cup of water, ½ of a cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring this mixture to boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour the mixture over the onion and allow it to steep as it cools. Finely shred some cabbage and set aside. Chop or tear some fresh coriander (cilantro) and set aside. Make a spicy dressing using mayonnaise, chillies in adobo sauce (including some sauce) and lemon juice. Cut the fresh fish into strips and dredge them in a mixture of flour, salt, freshly ground black pepper and smoky paprika. Although Baja-style fish is normally deep-fried we opted to shallow fry it until just cooked. To assemble, lay the tortillas down and top with cabbage, fish, pickled onion (drained), coriander and dressing. Enjoy!