Vegan Baja-Style Fish Tacos
Trust me when I say these vegan Baja-Style Fish Tacos are the real deal! Made with crispy beer-battered banana blossom and topped with zesty chipotle pico de gallo and homemade tartar sauce, every bite is bursting with flavor and will keep you coming back for more!
Ingredients
For the Fish and Marinade:
- 2 18-ounce can of banana blossom in brine (drained, rinsed, and patted dry)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 nori sheet, cut or torn into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
For the Tartar Sauce:
- 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
- ½ cup dill pickles, finely chopped
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill
- ½ of 1 small lemon, juiced
- 2 teaspoons agave or ample syrup
For the Chipotle Pico de Gallo:
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup finely diced white onions, about 1 large onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup deseeded, deveined, and minced jalapeño pepper (about 1 large jalapeño)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, about 2 limes
- 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from can
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Beer Battered Fish:
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 cup COLD dark Mexican beer, such as Negra Modelo
For the Tacos:
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 8 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
- Pickled red onions, optional
- Fresh minced cilantro, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Place the banana blossom pieces in a large Ziploc bag and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the broth, nori, miso paste, and old bay seasoning until thoroughly combined. Alternatively, you can pulse all the ingredients together in a blender. Pour the marinade over the banana blossoms and seal the bag. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tartar sauce and pico de gallo.
- For the tartar sauce, place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper, if necessary. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Place all the pico de gallo ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper, if necessary. Cover and place in the refrigerator.
- Place the beer in the freezer so it becomes ice cold, but not frozen, about 10 minutes. Place back into the refrigerator until ready to use.
- For the beer battered fish, pour about 1 inch of vegetable oil into a sauté pan over medium heat. While the oil heats, set up the dredging station. For the beer batter, mix 1 cup of the flour and 2 teaspoons of the Old Bay seasoning in a large shallow bowl. Gradually pour in the cold beer while whisking, until all the beer is added to the bowl. It should be a bit thinner than pancake batter. If you feel it is too thick, continue to add ice cold beer by the tablespoon until you reach more the desired consistency.
- Carefully dip the marinated banana blossom in the beer batter, turning and tossing to coat all sides.
- Next, gently drop the battered banana blossom into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate and repeat until all the banana blossom pieces are battered and fried.
- To assemble the tacos, add a small handful of cabbage to a warmed tortilla followed by 1-2 pieces of the fried banana blossom. Top with tartar sauce, pico de gallo, and pickled red onion, and cilantro. Serve with fresh lime wedges and enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!