Fish Tacos with Ancho Chili Batter and Mojitos

All it takes is a momentary thought of crispy fried fish nestled up against a soft corn tortilla, jammed pack with shredded cabbage, cilantro, sour cream lime dressing and I'm drooling like Pavlov's dogs.   I'm a Fish Taco addict and not ashamed to say it!
Last night I was inspired to make a Ancho Chili batter for my tacos to go along with a pitcher of Mojitos.   The flavorful crunch really hit the spot on a 89 degree evening and the Mojitos weren't so bad either!


Ancho Chili Batter
1-½ cups flour
1 heaping teaspoon Ancho Chili powder
about 2 cups soda water ½ cup at a time to make the desired consistency.

1-½ pounds fish fillets; cod, sea bass or any other firm white meat fish.

When mixing the flour and soda for the batter I make the consistency a little thinner than pancake batter.    Rinse the fish in cold water then dry the fish with a paper towel. Cut fish into strips and season each strip with a little salt and pepper, dredge the fish strips in cornstarch or flour before dipping in batter, coat with batter, letting excess run off, place in hot oil, fry until golden brown, 4-6 minutes.  Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.
Sour Cream Lime Dressing

½ cup sour cream

juice ½ lime

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

1 package corn tortillas warmed on a dry skillet
Serve Fish Tacos with shredded cabbage, sour cream lime dressing, diced fresh or pickled jalapeno, lime wedges and fresh sprigs of cilantro.  The ancho chili powder added a subtle smoky flavor to the tacos...yum!

 

 

Mojitos

1 large bunch mint leaves
4-6 ounces Patron or Anejo tequila
3 limes juiced
2-4 tablespoons Agave Nectar or simple syrup
1-16 ounce club soda or tonic water 
Muddle mint leaves in bottom of pitcher with Agave Nectar. 


Muddling the mint leaves is just a cooking expression for smashing them to release the oils.You can purchase a Muddling tool from your local cooking store.It’s basically a wooden stick with a round knob on the end; I just use a wooden spoon. 


Add ice to fill pitcher ¾ full, cut limes into wedges and add lime juice and used peels to pitcher, reserve a few slices for garnish, add 4-6 ounces of tequila, or more if you like, fill pitcher with soda, stir and serve highball glasses. Adjust the flavors to your taste by adding more lime juice, Agave Nectar or tequila. 


Mojito Shots
To serve a powerful little Mojito Shot, muddle mint in cocktail shaker following above directions, add ice to drink shaker, omit the soda, shake and pour into shot glasses.