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Chopped Fried-Fish Tacos (Tacos de Salpicón de Pescado)

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Photo by Todd Coleman

Take fried fish, break it up, and douse it with lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, chiles, and cilantro, and you have an incredible jumble of textures and flavors. Because you hack the fish into bits, there's no need to find perfect-for-presentation fillets, so this is a great way to use those that aren't flawless, as long as they're fresh.

Ingredients

Makes 16 tacos

1 pound skinless boneless cod, flounder, or tilapia fillets, cut into approximately 3-by-1/2-inch strips
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon kosher salt
All-purpose flour, for frying
Canola or vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup finely diced white onions
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 fresh serrano or jalapeño chiles, finely chopped (including seeds), plus more to taste
5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2汤匙特级纯橄榄油或植物油
Warm corn tortillas, lime wedges, avocado slices, andFresh Green Salsa, for serving
  1. Step 1

    Put the fish in a large bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and the salt, and toss well. Put the flour in another large bowl, add the fish, and toss very well to evenly coat the fish.

    Step 2

    Pour 3 inches of canola oil into a Dutch oven or medium pot and heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 375°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches to avoid crowding the oil, shake off a little flour from the fish, then add the fish to the oil and fry until the pieces are lightly golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer the fried fish to a paper towel to drain.

    Step 3

    When the fish is just cool enough to handle, put it in a large bowl and add the onions, cilantro, chiles, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Toss and mix well with your hands or a spoon, breaking up the strips into small pieces as you do. Season to taste with more lime juice, chiles, and salt.

    Step 4

    Serve alongside tortillas and lime wedges, topped with avocado slices and Fresh Green Salsa.

Reprinted with permission fromTacos, Tortas, and Tamalesby Roberto Santibañez with JJ Goode, © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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How would you rate Chopped Fried-Fish Tacos (Tacos de Salpicón de Pescado)?

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  • Great recipe, and has become my husband's recent favorite. Will definitely keep this in my arsenal.

    • chauriege7236

    • Fremont, CA

    • 11/25/2018

  • Wonderful and light. I didn't have enough lime so used rice vinegar and worked perfectly. Will make lots.

    • cheerycook

    • 1/9/2018

  • Mango Mayonaise = Perfect

    • Rick & Morty

    • Australia, QLD

    • 7/4/2017

  • This is an exceptional recipe! I'm not a fan of Worcestershire sauce, so I was a bit skeptical about what the resulting flavor would be, but it was fantastic! My fish monger encouraged me to try Mahi-Mahi which was expensive but the tacos were out of this world. Used a fresh pico de gallo and avocado slices to garnish - perfection. Next time I may experiment with a bit less Worcestershire, but we could not stop eating these.

    • Anonymous

    • West Village, NYC

    • 8/4/2016

  • Amazing!! Really delicious and simple to make. Used cod and ommitted the onions as I served the tacos with fresh pico de gallo. Made this for a dinner party and it was the first to go - will be making again soon!

    • Anonymous

    • New York, NY

    • 4/28/2016

  • Delicious and easy. My wife said she could eat this once a week. Used panko instead of flour since we prefer that as a coating. Fried in a mix of coconut oil and peanut oil for flavor and health reasons. I plan to add fresh mango to the salsa next time.

    • seattlejpm

    • Seattle, WA

    • 1/12/2016

  • Seriously delicious. Made as written except didn't cut the fish into strips before frying (so there was less flour). Used frozen tilapia and store bought fresh salsa and it worked great. Definitely a keeper - husband and I both loved it.

    • lyn6

    • Arlington, VA

    • 1/4/2016

  • Really delicious recipe. The salsa is good as well. Although the fish is deep fried, the meal was light and satisfying. We made the whole batch for two people and that was more than enough for us but not too much.

    • zac1013

    • New York, NY

    • 8/9/2015

  • This recipe was quick, easy, and delicious. Make sure to cook the whole batch even if it's for two because you will just keep eating them. I also used queso fresco and the pioneer woman's salsa.

    • Jeffr425

    • Dallas, Tx

    • 5/7/2015

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