Ensenada-Style Vegan "Fish" Tacos
Try your hands at making Ensenada-style vegan "fish" tacos. Fresh corn tortillas are filled with beer-battered tofu, topped with salsa fresca, cabbage, and drizzled with creamy chipotle mayo.
Equipment
- Chef knife
- Large stock pot
- Deep-fry thermometer
- Slotted spoon
- Tofu press
Ingredients
Tofu “fish”
- 1 package firm tofu ($3.53)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt ($0.01)
- ½ tablespoon nori sprinkles ($0.01)
- 1-2 cups vegetable oil for frying ($0.32)
Batter
- 1 cup flour ($0.08)
- ½ cup corn starch ($0.16)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder ($0.01)
- ½ tablespoon nori sprinkles ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper ($0.01)
- 1 cup Mexican-style beer* ($0.80)
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard optional
Chipotle mayo
- ½ cup vegan mayo ($1.52)
- ½ lime ($0.06)
- 1-2 chipotles in adobo ($0.08)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.04)
Other toppings
- Shredded red cabbage ($0.10)
- Pico de gallo ($1.39)
- Pickled jalapeños ($0.45)
- Lime juice
- Hot sauce optional
Tortillas
- 10-12 corn tortillas ($0.20)
Instructions
Tofu
- Drain and press the tofu between two hard surfaces with a heavy object overtop for 15-20 minutes. Once pressed, slice into ½-inch thick strips. Sprinkle with sea salt and nori powder on a baking sheet or plate. Set aside.
Chipotle mayo
- Combine the mayo, lime juice, garlic clove, and chipotle pepper together in a small blender or food processor. Transfer to your fridge while you prep the other toppings.
Other toppings
- Prepare the pico de gallo, shred the cabbage, and make any of the other optional toppings you’ll be using.
Batter
- Start heating the vegetable oil in a deep pot over medium (use a thermometer for more accurate temperatures). In the meantime, whisk the dry batter ingredients, then add the mustard (optional for color) and enough beer to make a consistency similar to pancake batter.
Frying
- Once the oil has reached 350-375°F (or a piece of batter floats to the top), dip the tofu strips into the batter to cover all sides, then add them to the pot. Fry in batches of 2-4 until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer to a cooling rack over top of a baking sheet or a paper towel-lined plate until the rest are cooked.
Assembly
- Add a piece of tofu “fish” to a corn tortilla, then cabbage, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños, chipotle mayo, and a squeeze of lime juice, extra cilantro, or hot sauce. Happy eating!
Video
Notes
- Use firm tofu for the best results. You can also use extra-firm tofu.
- Use light beers like Modelo, Corona, Sol, etc (or sparkling water for non-alcoholic). We used about 1 cup + 2-3 tablespoons for this recipe.
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe-to-recipe.
- All prices are in USD.
Nutrition
Serving: 1taco | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7.1g | Fat: 9.9g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 848.8mg | Potassium: 108.9mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 0.9g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Vitamin C: 6.4mg | Calcium: 106.1mg | Iron: 1.8mg
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