My ongoing partnership with Spice Tribe has definitely helped bulk out my spice cabinet and to be completely honest, their blends and single origin spices have been put into heavy rotation since I started using them. Their turmeric and smoked paprika are both favorites that I use often, so I wanted to use them in this recipe I decided to whip up when I found some beautiful red snapper at my local grocery store.

The turmeric gives a great color and flavor to the crunchy, tempura-style battered fish and the smoked paprika gives some extra depth and body to the garlic aioli used to dress the tacos. Fish tacos hail from the coastal region of Baja California in Mexico and although I’ve never been (planning on making my way out west when it’s safe to travel again), I wanted to bring a little West Coast to the South with my take on this dish.

For a little brightness, a quick cilantro lime slaw ties everything together for some acid and crunch. I have a recipe for the cilantro lime slaw available in my self-titled e-book, but if you don’t have that already, you can definitely use pickled jalapeños or a simple slaw recipe to your liking. Note that the recipe is broken up into sections for easy prep and assembly since frying fish is very quick. Let’s get cooking!

Crispy Fish Tacos

Cook time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

1lb red snapper filets, cut into thick strips

Large pinch kosher salt

Large pinch cracked black pepper

Large pinch granulated garlic

Cilantro lime slaw (see note, full recipe can be found in self-titled e-book)

Corn tortillas, warmed for serving

1 medium ripe hass avocado, thinly sliced

Lime wedges, for serving

Note: if you don’t have a copy of my self-titled e-book to get the cilantro lime slaw recipe, you can definitely whip up a quick slaw with thinly sliced green cabbage and some fresh citrus juice to your liking. Or you can even use a packaged slaw mix and dress it how you like. Whatever works best for you! I’d suggest getting the book though, because I honestly make the slaw all the time and eat it with practically everything.

Season the fish with the kosher salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic and toss together, making sure that all of the fish is coated and seasoned. Set the fish aside to marinate while working on the cilantro lime slaw, smoky garlic aioli, and the fish batter.

Smoky Garlic Aioli Sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes

Yield: ~1 cup

3 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp white distilled vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp garlic paste

Large pinch Adobo spice blend

1/2 tbsp Spice Tribe Java Turmeric

1/2 tbsp Spice Tribe Pimentón de la Vera

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined. Pro tip: you can place everything in a pint-sized deli container or mason jar and cover with a lid to shake everything together. Then, carefully pour into a small squeeze bottle and keep in the fridge until the tacos are finished. If you don’t have a squeeze bottle, you can easily spoon the sauce over the tacos as needed. Any leftover sauce will keep in the fridge for up to four days and tastes delicious with fries, sandwiches, or anything else you want to slather this on.

Spiced Batter

3/4 cup self-rising all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 tbsp Adobo spice blend

1/2 tbsp Spice Tribe Java Turmeric

3/4 cup club soda, cold

Neutral vegetable oil, for frying

Preheat a deep frying pan or pot with enough oil to fry the fish over medium heat.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then, slowly whisk in the cold club soda into the dry ingredients to make a slightly loose batter. Then, gently toss the fish into the batter.

To test out the oil, take a drop or two of the batter and place in the oil to see if it sizzles. If it doesn’t sizzle quickly, the oil isn’t hot enough. When ready to fry, wave the battered fish piece around in the oil for a seconds before letting go (this ensures a nice coating on the fish).

Fry the fish without crowding the pan until golden brown all over, roughly 5-8 minutes, turning as needed. Set aside to drain on a baking rack or paper towel lined plate. Assemble the tacos with the warmed tortillas (I like getting them nice and charred over an open stove burner), sliced avocado, cilantro lime slaw, and smoky garlic aioli.

¡Buen provecho!