Taco Tuesdays have become ubiquitous in American households, but weeknight cooking often requires falling back on straightforward preparations like ground beef, shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken, and anything else that doesn't require a lot of fuss—which means that crispy, lightly battered, flash-fried fish tacos are far too often relegated to restaurant menus. This recipe for a California-style rendition, however, from the 2017 James Beard Book Award–nominated Cook’s Science: How to Unlock Flavor in 50 of Our Favorite Ingredients aims to change that.
The editors at Cook's Illustrated provide a solid game plan for executing the dish at home: the pickled onions and tangy crema can be made ahead of time; the pickling liquid doubles as a sauce for the crunchy cabbage; and the flaky, perfectly crisp fish (anything meaty like cod, haddock, or halibut will do) is kept warm in the oven while the remaining pieces are fried on the stovetop. Get the recipe and put it into your weeknight repertoire.
Hungry for more? View our entire recipe collection. Learn more about the 2017 James Beard Awards.
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Elena North-Kelly is managing editor at the James Beard Foundation. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
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