Baja Fish Tacos- finger lickin' good...

Today, I was SO pumped to try this recipe inspired from the cooking blog "The Paupered Chef". I came home from work, gym and grocery ready to whip up some deliciousness. I absolutely LOVE fish tacos...I order them every time I go to places like "On the Border". Literally, this recipe gives "On the Border" a run for their money in the fish taco department! Its the sauce that makes everything come together too...

Part I THE SAUCE (indicates substitutions or changes in my recipe)
fresh lime juice (or any citris juice really...I used lemon and orange juice squeeze)
½ cup yogurt (non fat or low fat plain yogurt- for a healthy substitute)
½ cup mayonnaise (miracle whip)
1 habenero chili (use a milder one if you wish, I used about a tablespoon of green chiles and diced tomatoes from a can)
½ teaspoon - crushed oregano
½ teaspoon - ground cumin
½ teaspoon - dried, crushed dill
½ teaspoon - ground cayenne chile
ground white pepper (or black) to taste - I also added about a TB of cilantro...always a good addition to Mexican inspired dishes.
First mix the first three ingredients, aiming for a slightly runny consistency. Dice the chili and finely as possible and add it along with the remaining ingredients. Watch out for the habeneros, they can knock your tongue for a loop.

PART II: THE FISH
Many suggest using cod; we decided on the somewhat cheaper tilapia since it looked gorgeous at the store and it's a nice manageable size for our purposes. Regardless, get it into 1-inch wide strips (I did chunks...I'm not sure why but I thought it would work better!).
Beer batter is pretty easy to make. I have McCormick beer batter mix so I combined that with my beer following the directions. However you can make a simple beer batter from the following recipe too!
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 beer, not dark
Combine flour and salt, then add beer. Above you can get a sense of the consistency. It's rather goopy, which was nice since the batter actually stayed on the fish when we fried it.

Get a big pan with a thick lip and put enough oil so it's about an inch thick. Turn the heat up to medium-high. All the recipes gave a specific temperature, but I don't have a thermometer, so it was just a guessing game. Make sure it's not on high or it will start to smoke and all chaos will break out. Do a test run with one piece of fish, and when it's ready it will turn a golden brown. Keep a close eye on the frying process, turning several times until fried on all sides (about 5-10 minute process).

(Left Back) - Cabbage and Romaine mix (Right Back) Chef's special sauce (Front) Beer Batter mix

Toasted shells and fried tilapia out to dry on paper towel...

Toasting the shells...also key. Cilantro rice is simply white rice, seasoned with cilantro, cumin, garlic salt and pepper...you can add some lime juice for extra flavor as well.

ALL DONE! Whole wheat soft shell, cabbage and romaine, beer battered fish, cilantro lime rice, and chef's special sauce....perfecto! And we couldn't get enough...I even ate the rest of Austin's. Literally it was one of those recipes you're like...holy crap that was amazing! Craving more! Definitely will be making this dish again! It would be a great dish for a summer party paired with some sangria or cold beers :)

Original Recipe found at : http://thepauperedchef.com/2006/06/baja_fish_tacos.html