While yummy, next time, I’ll just eat them at the restaurant.
— Shelby Watson, Trial & Eggs
For the people reading this who haven’t been to Atlanta, Athens, nor Nashville, try this recipe out. For people reading this who live in Atlanta, Athens, or Nashville, just go to Taqueria Del Sol and order the fish taco. Let’s review below.
I made these with my father on a Saturday night as part of a big family style meal when my cousin came to visit. We followed all of the instructions and had most of the ingredients, but it was still not the original TDS (as we call it in my family) fish taco.
Why?
- We used Sole instead of tilapia. I don’t know if this played a role in the disappointment.
- I made the poblano tartar sauce exactly as requested, except I used a meyer lemon instead of a regular lemon. I was worried the sweeter flavor would change the tartar sauce, it did not. I added two tablespoons which I now see it only called for one. It became way to watery and not much like a sauce.
- The recipe calls for corn flour, but all I had was corn meal. I believe this played a major role in the results of the fish.
- There was no creole mustard, so it was not added to the egg wash. I believe the lack of mustard made the fish bland. MAKE SURE TO HAVE THIS.
The corn tortillas were awesome for the tacos, and I grilled a poblano to add a little more crunch to the taco. The pickled jalapeños were a no-brainer and I ended up adding more to my tacos to make up for the bland flavor of the fish.
Eddie Hernandez, did an amazing job developing this recipe, we did not execute the recipe correctly. Small fixes such as not adding too much lemon juice, using corn flour, and making sure to include the creole mustard, would definitely make all of the difference.
TAQUERIA DEL SOL’S RECIPE
Ingredients
Taqueria del Sol’s Poblano Tartar Sauce
1/4 cup diced poblaño pepper
1 small jalapeno, stem removed
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt
Taqueria del Sol’s Fish Tacos
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup maseca (instant corn masa flour)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole mustard
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 pounds tilapia, cut into 1 1/2-inch wide strips
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
Pickled jalapenos, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
To make the tartar sauce: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the poblano, jalapeño and onion. Pulse until everything is evenly chopped but not minced, about 10 pulses. Transfer the chopped vegetables to a medium bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise and lemon juice and season to taste with salt. The sauce may be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
To make the tacos: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the panko 5 times until broken into small pieces. Move the panko to a bowl and stir in the flour, maseca, cornstarch and salt. Whisk together until well combined. Pour the mixture into a pie plate and set aside.
In another pie plate, make an egg dip by combining the milk, egg and mustard. Whisk together until well combined. Set aside.
In a large skillet over high heat, add 1/4-inch of vegetable oil.
Dip the fish strips into the egg dip and then roll in the breading. When the oil has reached 350 degrees, carefully arrange the fish strips in the hot oil and cook until crisp and golden on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Do not crowd the skillet. When fish is cooked, remove to a wire rack or paper towels and let drain. Keep warm and cook the remainder of the fish. Discard any remaining breading and egg wash.
Heat the tortillas for 20 seconds in the microwave. Top each tortilla with two pieces of fish and 1 tablespoon of the poblano tartar sauce. Garnish with sliced pickled jalapeños and serve immediately.
Let me know how the recipe turned out for you in the comments below!
Trial & Eggs 