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This post is all about how to make the perfect halibut fish tacos smothered in a homemade Old Bay crema.
Cinco de Mayo is in a few days and these halibut fish tacos are just the recipe you need to make! Tender, flaky halibut batons are beer-battered and stay ultra crispy for hours.
The Old Bay crema is like nothing you’ve had before. A combination of creamy mayo, cool sour cream, hot sauce and seasonings work perfectly drizzled over the crunchy fish.
Top all that off with an easy crunchy corn and cabbage slaw and avocado slices – this is one heavenly taco!
This post is all about halibut fish tacos. The perfect tacos for Cinco de Mayo or your next Taco Tuesday.
What Makes These Halibut Fish Tacos The Best?
Stay-Crisp Crunchy Puffy Batter – that literally stays crispy for hours. The baking powder and beer are imperative in creating the absolute crave worthy crispy crunch that puffs up, just like you’d get at a British pub.
Perfectly Seasoned – not only does the beer add a depth of flavor, but the added seasonings provide balanced out flavorful fish strips. Where most recipes just call for salt and pepper, this has a variety of seasonings that pack a punch.
Crunchy Corn-Cabbage Slaw – crunchy thinly shredded cabbage, sweet corn, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, lime and salt come together to create a beautiful combination of flavors and add texture.
Old Bay Crema – this sauce is the star of the dish. You’ve never had anything like this before! Old Bay hot sauce and old bay seasoning are combined with mayo and sour cream for the savory Old Bay and spicy hot sauce.
How to Make Beer-Battered Halibut Fish Tacos
There are a few important steps that make these puffy battered fish strips PERFECT every time!
- Cornstarch – we use corn starch twice in this recipe. First, in the dusting step and again in the batter.
- Beer – ice cold pale ale beer must be added to the batter immediately before you drop the fish into the oil. If you make the batter too far ahead or mix it too much, you will rid the batter of the bubbles that make this so light and crispy.
- Perfect oil temp: if the oil isn’t hot enough, you’ll get soggy and oily breading. If it’s too hot, the outside with darken rapidly before the inside batter cooks. This results in mushy breading when you bite or the fish simply won’t be cooked before the breading is cooked.
- Landing station: do not place the freshly fried fish pieces onto paper towels. They trap moisture against the breading and will turn soggy in minutes. Instead, place these directly onto a cooling rack, allowing them to breath and the excess oil to drip away.
- Proper reheating – if you are working in batches, use the oven set to warm to keep the finished pieces toasty. To reheat the fish from room temperature or refrigerated, place them in the oven at 400 degrees to return them to crispy.
Looking for Halibut Fish and Chips? Check Out These:
Tools I Use For These Halibut Fish Tacos:
Squeeze Bottles for Sauce:
I’ve begin to wonder how I lived so long with a collection of empty squeeze bottles for homemade condiments. These come in handy on a weekly basis and they really save you a lot of money. I’d bet money you have the ingredients on-hand to make several staple sauces that you don’t have to go buy. I’ve purchased some good and some bad versions in the past and these ones are my favorite. Make sure to avoid any bottles with tiny openings in the cap if you ever make a chunky sauce! These ones are perfect:
Dutch Oven in 6-8 Quart Size
I love using dutch ovens for frying. Not only do they maintain and distribute heat evenly but they provide me with a better sense of security than a standard pot. If you own a dutch oven, you’ll know these ceramic pots are massively heavy. So that makes them less prone to accidents in the kitchen. For clumsy cooks like me who tend to multi-task in the kitchen, these are perfect! I knock stuff over and have gotten my shirt sleeve caught on a pan handle (yes this has happened!). Reducing the likelihood that I will create a terrible and potentially detrimental accident in my kitchen is my #1 priority. So I always reach for heavy pots like cast iron or ceramic when frying.
Taylor Candy Thermometer for Frying
Thermometers are imperative to accurate frying and safety. You’d be surprised how fast temperatures can spike without warning and no matter how experienced I have gotten in the kitchen. There is no way to master oil temperatures without a thermometer.
Pyrex Glass Bowls
Pyrex bowls are used in almost all of my recipes and in this case, I use them for the batter and they are microwave safe for cornstarch batter for the fries. What I love the most is that these nesting bowls allow easy storage when not in use.
Looking For More Taco Recipes?
Fried Chicken Street Corn Tacos:
My Birria Tacos Recipe
Brisket Street Corn Tacos:
Did you love this Halibut Fish Tacos Recipe? Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback. Don’t forget to tag me on IG with any photos; @BadBatchBaking and use #BadBatchBaking
Halibut Fish Tacos with Old Bay Crema
Ingredients
Beer-Battered Fish
- 1.5 lbs halibut skinless and boneless or similar white fish fillets: sea bass, cod, snapper, etc.
- oil for frying fish, about 5 cups peanut, vegetable, canola, etc.
- corn or flour tortillas
- Avocado and lime wedges for serving
- Flaky finishing salt for sprinkling fried fish
Cornstarch Dusting
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
Ultra-Crispy Beer Batter
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup very cold beer IPA/pale ale or similar. Avoid dark beers
Old Bay Crema
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay® hot sauce Louisiana or Texas Pete works instead
- 2 tsp Old Bay® seasoning
- 2 tsp paprika
Corn & Cabbage Slaw
- 1/2 head green cabbage, fined diced or shredded
- 1/4 red onion, diced fine
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, diced
- 2 corn ears pan toasted and removed from cobb
- 1 small jalapeno, diced
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- salt to taste
Instructions
Prepping
- Prepare the Old Bay® crema but combining ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust spices and hot sauce to your liking. Refrigerate until use.
- Make the slaw ahead by combining all ingredients and tossing in the lime and salt. Refrigerate until use.
- Prep fish by cutting to 4-5" by 1.5" pieces.
- In a medium bowl whisk together: flour, cornstarch, baking powder and seasonings. Set aside until oil is heated. DO NOT add beer at this step.
Dusting Fish & Prepare Oil
- In a shallow dish, add the 1/2 cup of cornstarch for dusting the fish.
- Prepare frying station by heating oil to 375 degrees in a fry-safe pot, with thermometer attached. Place a wire rack nearby for draining.
- While oil is heating, coat the fish pieces in cornstarch on all sides to dust them.
Beer Batter
- Remove beer from the fridge and whisk into the flour mixture slowly until just combined but still a little clumpy. Do no overmix. The batter should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but not too thick and not runny. Add beer a splash as a time to get the batter just right. Use immediately!
- Working in batches of 3-4 pieces at a time, dunk fish pieces into the batter, fully coating them. Allow excess to drip off and then place into the hot oil. Keep an eye on the oil temp as it usually drops once fish is added. Adjust as needed to keep it at 375 degrees.
- Fry for a total of 4 minutes, flipping half way through. They should be a deep golden brown.
- Place finished pieces on cooling rack with paper towels placed under the rack to catch falling oil. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Assemble
- Warm up tortillas and serve with the slaw as the base, then add one piece of fish per taco, avocado slices, and drizzle with Old Bay crema.
