J Kenji López-Alt’s tacos: ‘addictively savoury.’
Any extra chilli feels unnecessary given the accompaniments, and López-Alt’s egg and double flouring process gives his batter a crunchy, fried-chicken-like solidity which, while undoubtedly pleasing to eat, doesn’t prove quite as popular as Bayless and Stein’s lighter, crisper versions, possibly because they’re easier to overeat. López Alt adds paprika, and Sifton chilli powder, while Bayless goes for Mexican oregano and chicken stock, which gives his batter a wonderfully savoury flavour, although vegetable would do for pescatarians. Yellow mustard is apparently de rigueur in Baja California, but I can’t help thinking the more fiery English sort would be even better.
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Sam Anguiano’s fish is rubbed with Old Bay seasoning, then grilled over fresh mesquite.Īlthough Stein is clearly a man who knows how to batter a fish (flour, salt, baking powder and ice-cold beer), his simple, rather British version can’t compete with the spicy tang of Bayless and López-Alt’s more highly seasoned recipes. (I don’t try frying them in lard, as I can’t get hold of any free-range stuff in time, but if you have a good extraction system, from my extensive experience with fish fried in beef dripping, I’d recommend it.) If you’d like a healthier version, then by all means grill them … but know you’ll be missing out. They’re delicious, as are Sam Sifton’s seasoned-flour versions, shallow fried in oil and butter, but texturally neither can compete with the crunch of hot batter: as López-Alt wisely observes, “if there’s any cooking method in the world that can make all foods taste great, it’s deep-frying”. Sam Anguiano of LA’s Pink Taco rubs his fish with Old Bay seasoning and grills it over fresh mesquite for the “ultimate fresh flavour” – in the absence of mesquite, I go for a hot griddle pan. Whatever fish you use, once it’s battered and deep-fried, it should begin to look a bit more familiar – unless you go down the American route. Rick Bayless’ fish tacos: ‘Practically any boneless skinless fish fillets will work.’ Photographs: Felicity Cloake Preparation Hake and both varieties of bass prove a little soft for our liking, but monkfish and cod work brilliantly, being firm enough to hold their shape, and juicy enough to withstand the rigours of deep-frying: look for cod or similar white fish cheeks, which are not only a little cheaper than steaks, but are also already conveniently cut to size. His sea bass, J Kenji López-Alt’s hake and Rick Stein’s cod, from his book The Road to Mexico, are easy enough to source, but I use monkfish and stone bass in place of the more exotic mahi mahi and flounder. Mexican expert Rick Bayless says that “practically any” boneless skinless fish fillets will work (Markle enjoys salmon), but Bayless likes “larger-flake, lighter-flavor fish best”.
Unsurprisingly, the fish found in the ocean off Baja California bear scant resemblance to those in my local fishmongers. So, if you happen to find yourself stuck in a damp, grey city more into fish and chips than fish tacos, what’s the best way to make them at home? The fish
Meghan herself favours a distinctly Californian-style grilled version with peppers and onions – and, 5,000 miles away, we’re even less bound by local loyalties.
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