This recipe combines some of the savory and fresh features of the famous Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich and delivers them in a fish taco format. A relatively easy-to-make Asian/Mexican fusion preparation, it is sure to suprise people and is a delicious addition to any taco recipe arsenal.
The Catch: Canary, Vermilion, and Starry Rockfish
Some people find rockfishing boring…These fish certainly don’t peel line like tuna or yellowtail, the winding up from the bottom can be long and tiring, and they can be a pain to fillet. Personally, I find rockfishing to be one of my favorite styles of fishing for a couple of reasons: species variety and table fare quality. Rockfishing produces some of the best tasting fish there are. A good rockpile can yield limits of delicious species including Vermilion, Canary, Starry, Blue, China, and Quillback Rockfish. Treefish, Sculpin, and Lingcod are all caught in simlar zones as well and will work equally well for this recipe. The common thread amonst these bottom fish is that they all make incredible tacos, they freeze and store well, and are relatively mild in taste.
- Location: San Diego
- Method: Double Dropper Loop with 6-12 oz torpedo sinker
- Process: Slow drifts with live sardine or squid strips over rock bottom
- Serving Size: 4-6
- Cook Time: ~30 mins
The Rig : To learn how to tie Rock Fishing Rigs, read our article here.
Ingredients
4-6- 2lbs Rockfish fillets
- Tempura Batter Mix
- Ice Water
- Chopped Peanut
- Green Onion
- Cucumber
- Carrot
- Spicy Chili Crisp
- Hoison Sauce
- Sambal Sauce
- Flour Tortillas
Preparation
- Pat down Rockfish fillets with paper towels to soak up excess moisture. Cut Fillets into 4 inch slivers.
- Grate carrot and cucumber using Cheese grator using the medium size grate.
- Use paper towels to dry grated cucumber and carrot.
- Chop Peanuts
- Dice green onion.
- Get water ice cold with ice cubes in a bowl.
- Add tempura mix to iced water without cubes according to the measurements on mix box.
- Add fillets to tempura batter.
- Cover pan with 1/2 inche of canola oil and heat on HIGH.
- Once oil is hot, drop battered fillets into oil. Keep some space between them.
- Fry until golden brown, usually 1-2 mins, flipping fish every 30 seconds. Place on baking sheet with paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Heat flour tortillas in a pan until warm and slightly crisp.
- Place rockfish in tortilla and garnish with grated cucumber, carrot, and diced green onion. Add sambal, hoison sauce, and spicy chili crisp;.
