These Rubio’s knock-off Beer Battered Fish Tacos are tender and crunchy and worth every speck of oil! The pickled onions! The coleslaw! The crispy fish! Originally published July 22, 2014.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos

Making delicious Beer Battered Fish Tacos

So have you guys been to Rubio’s? They’re known for their fish tacos, and with good reason. I’ve only been once (thanks Natalie!) but I can attest: those tacos are legit. I was reading a magazine a while back and saw a fish taco recipe that claimed to be like the ones at Rubio’s. Homemade Beer-Battered Fish Tacos became my new life-mission.

Want to save this recipe?
Just drop your email here and I’ll send it right away! Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week. Yes please!
Battered Fish Tacos

Adventures picking out the right beer

By the way, I totally don’t drink beer. I bought a 24oz can of Tecate for this recipe and dumped the rest down the drain. Crazy, I know. (Except not really for me. I thought it smelled like barf.) I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and don’t drink. I do cook with alcohol though, when I can’t find a decent substitution. Beer is cheap so I went for it this time. Plus, what would you sub for beer in beer-battered tacos? I don’t even know.

Battered Fish Tacos

I still felt pretty awkward buying it though. I’m this blonde 20-something getting my thousand pounds of produce, whole milk, flour, and a giant can of beer. Do you remember your first time buying alcohol? I held back from saying anything to the cashier, but I was so ready to talk about how this was my first time. Besides cooking wine. Do you want to see my ID? Because I totally have it.

Fish Tacos

I almost stopped this lady in the beer aisle to ask her what to get, but thought I might freak her out. “Hi, I’m really sheltered and don’t know anything about alcohol, can you pick out my beer please? It’s only for tacos I swear.” Yeah, no.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos Recipe

Speaking of alcohol, I bet most of you would be surprised at how little peer pressure I’ve had to deal with over the years. It’s actually kind of refreshing. Even in high school. I bet I’ve been offered alcohol less than 5 times in my life. And once people find out I’m a member of the church they back off and are totally respectful. Go humans.

Beer Battered Fish

So these are probably some of the best homemade tacos I’ve ever had. The pickled onions! The coleslaw! The crispy fish! It’s pretty much the best crunchy combination ever.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos

Reheating Fish Tacos

These are obviously best served right away, but if you have leftovers, bake them at about 400 F for 5-10 minutes and they will crisp up again. I used the leftover frying oil to fry up a few corn tortillas. You could use flour too. Warming them up in the microwave (covered) would work too. These would go fabulously with some homemade Horchata.

More taco recipes you will love!

Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

logo

Beer-Battered Fish Tacos

5 from 4 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 9 minutes
Total: 19 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings
These Rubio's knock-off Beer Battered Fish Tacos are tender and crunchy and worth every speck of oil! The pickled onions! The coleslaw! The crispy fish!

Ingredients

For the pickled onions:

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh, 1 lime
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

For the coleslaw:

  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice, fresh, 1 lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 small cabbage, about 1 pound green cabbage, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped or sliced thin
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

For the fish:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 cup beer, such as Corona, Tecate or another lighter beer
  • Canola oil, for frying
  • 1 pound tilapia fillets*, cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick strips
  • 8 corn tortillas, flour works too
  • avocado, to garnish
  • limes, to squeeze

Instructions

  • Squeeze 2 tablespoons of lime juice into a small bowl. Stir in the salt and pepper, then add the sliced onions and stir to coat. Set aside. Toss it every now and then as you prepare everything else.
  • Combine the sour cream and 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice in a large bowl. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add the sliced cabbage, jalapeño, ad cilantro. Toss and set aside.
  • Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, chili powder, baking powder, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of this mixture to a large plate. Whisk the egg and beer into the remaining flour mixture until smooth.
  • Add a 1/2 inch canola oil to a cast iron or deep skillet. Turn the heat to medium and wait about 5 minutes. It should get to about 350 F. You will know it is hot when a small sprinkle of water jumps. Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and set it next to the heated oil.
  • Work in batches to coat each piece of fish with the dry flour mixture, shaking off the excess flour. Dip each piece in the beer batter. Let the excess drip off, then carefully add each piece to the hot oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the batter is golden brown, then use metal tongs to flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. The fish should be opaque throughout. Remove to the prepared cooling rack.
  • If you have leftover oil, use it to fry the tortillas for about 30 seconds per side, setting them on paper towels to cool. If you want to skip this step, just warm the tortillas covered in the microwave.
  • To assemble the tacos, add fish, slaw, pickled onions, and avocado to a tortilla. Squeeze some lime juice over the top, and some sour cream or Mexican crema. This would be fabulous served with some Horchata!

Notes

I used frozen tilapia filets that I had thawed out. I used 4 filets and it was just about a pound.
To reheat leftovers, bake at 400 F for 5- 10 minutes until crispy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 452kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 1285mg | Potassium: 800mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1042IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 4mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 452
Keyword: Beer Batter, Fish, Tacos
Did you make this? I’d love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

Categorized as , , , ,

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

You May Also Like...

Comments

  1. Haha Nikki has already won the dance off! And I couldn’t bring myself to taste them but Paul loved them! And they went over very well at the jamboree. The headliner was the guy who sings the song about the red solo cup so I had to do a beer cupcake in his honor! I’m doing more appetizing flavors this year! You guys have to come one of these years, just the people watching is great!!! Plus I guarantee you gain 10lbs in sweets! haha

  2. I bought a bottle of red wine this summer to make the world’s best beef broth. It was the first time I had ever bought alcohol and I seriously wished there was a book entitled “Buying Booze for Dummies (and Mormons.)”
    When the cashier carded me, I smiled in all my forty-one year old glory and said, “You are so sweet.” Getting asked for i.d. at my age is the best compliment ever.

  3. i swear anything tastes better when battered in beer.. love a good fish taco. definitely will be recreating this in my kitchen. thanks for the recipe!

  4. haha I made beer cupcakes for the jamboree last year and every time I went to go get a beer I felt so weird. I had to test different beers to see which reduction would be strong enough in a cupcake. But my house smelled like beer forever after that, it was horrible! Anyways I totally miss going to dances with Nikki! I think you were too young to ever get to go but those were some good times She seriously knows how to let loose! I love it!

    1. okay, beer cupcakes?? Were they gross?? That sounds gross. But I know your cupcakes are always amazing. Next time we are all together we need to have a dance off. Nikki? You in? Maybe you could bring the beer cupcakes, Mis, and we can all pretend to be drunk.

  5. I am such a fan of fish tacos, especially in the summer! Beautiful photos and I can’t wait to try this recipe!

  6. I don’t drink either, so I’ve been really nervous to make anything like beer bread or beer battered tacos. My dad drinks beer nearly every night and even used to brew his own, but when it comes to any type of alcohol, I don’t have a clue what to buy! I’d be right there with you questioning the other grocery store patrons. Although living in a college town, I’d probably wait until a respectable adult came to the aisle… I just don’t trust college kids’ opinions. ;) But anyway, YES I’ve had Rubio’s fish tacos — only once — but they were SO good! As soon as we have our Chipotle date, we should totally have a Rubio’s date. Or we can swap that order. It’ll be so fun!

  7. I love anything beer battered ! Something about the yeast in the beer that makes dough and batter so airy and delicious!

  8. What gorgeous tacos! Worth living on the edge for sure! Great story. I grew up never touching alcohol but then started cooking with it before I turned 21. Now I realize that those who drink in moderation are not sinning, but personally I still don’t care for it as a beverage.

  9. I luuuuurve fish tacos! I was cracking up at this story, because my mother in law is always mortified when she buys alcohol as well. She doesn’t drink but does cook with alcohol occasionally. She swears she always runs into someone from her church when she buys beer. That’s like a law or something right? The moment you’re doing something you’re at all self-conscious about you’re definitely going to run into someone you know.

  10. These look and sound incredible, might be the best way to get my son to eat more fish! Great pics:)

  11. The batter on these looks insane. This may be the one recipe that finally convinced me to try my hand at fish tacos…. as long as I’m brave enough to enter the liquor store. I don’t drink alcohol, but I would be willing to make an exception for these babies. I’d probably get carded though since I’ll look like a teenager who has no idea where to go and what to get, haha.

  12. These might just motivate the purchase of my first beer. I love fish tacos. Once on our anniversary I had some battered with Dos Equis. “I don’t usually eat beer-battered fish tacos, but when I do…” Stay crunchy, my friends.

  13. You are too cute Karen! I don’t drink alcohol either, and I totally feel awkward whenever I buy it to cook with. Like everyone knows I have no clue what I’m doing! These tacos look UH-MAZ-ING!

  14. I’m in love with the taco craze; these look amazing! And I would be the same way picking out beer and I would probably ask the first person I saw for help :)

  15. Can you believe I’ve never made fish tacos? I know. There’s totally something wrong with that!
    This looks like the perfect recipe to get me going.
    Pinned.
    Have an awesome week Karen!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.