Beer battered shrimp! Can’t visit Baja? Bring a little bit of Baja to your kitchen with this recipe for beer battered shrimp tacos! I am no authority on Baja style food, that’s for sure. But, I do know what I like! In the past, I have struggled with getting the beer batter just right. After some trial and error and lots of testing, I am happy with this recipe.
Trouble Shooting and Testing Recipes!
I have lost count on how many times I have prepared recipes using some form of batter for frying. Not always successful, this is why it’s called testing, lol! It sometimes feels like the story of Goldilocks. This porridge is too cold, this one is too hot! Oh, but this one is just right! That’s how it feels when you finally get the recipe just the way you like it. I’m a curious cook and constantly thinking of variations of recipes in my head. Always trying to improve upon techniques and cooking methods so the recipes flow and are not too intimidating.
The Biggest Hurdle Was Achieving A Crunchy Batter!
Two very important things I learned along the way were key! The first was not to over mix the batter. The more you mix, the more gluten is developing! You don’t want that! It will yield a gummy batter that will absorb more oil and not be crispy. The second thing was that the beer should be very cold when you prepare the batter. I would suggest having everything ready to go before you prepare your batter. The oil should be hot, shrimp should be seasoned and ready. The secret is to go from very cold to very hot to achieve the crunch! It’s a reaction!
Red Argentine Shrimp!
I really enjoy preparing recipes with this shrimp! Even when it’s uncooked, it’s red! Looks cooked, but it’s not. Of course covering it with batter doesn’t allow you to see the beautiful red color once it’s cooked. I have another recipe I am currently working on that will be colorful and tasty as well! The red Argentine shrimp is readily available in most large markets. Regular shrimp will be fine too, of course.
Is Frozen Shrimp Good For Your Recipes?
I get this type of question all of the time. I use frozen shrimp in all of my recipes. If I lived in a city that had fresh, fresh shrimp, I would opt for fresh not frozen. But that’s not the case. When I go to my local grocery store, I really have no idea how long the shrimp at the seafood counter has been sitting in there. If you can’t wait for the shrimp to defrost and need it in a hurry, then buy it at the seafood counter. I typically am not in a hurry or plan a day ahead and let it defrost in the refrigerator. I confess that fresh shrimp makes the best ceviche and aguachile, but I do use frozen shrimp as well. It’s really up to you and what you like.
Get creative with your favorite spices!
If you are not in a hurry, you can cover and refrigerate the batter for a few hours until you are ready to use it.
I enjoy this quick and simple cabbage slaw for seafood tacos!
I typically will use chipotles in adobo in the crema, but I had my Salsa Ranchera leftover and decided to use that! It was delicious!
Drop It Like It’s Hot! Lol!
I cannot stress enough that the oil has to be at the perfect temperature for frying or else that batter is going to absorb oil. That would not be good at all! Drop in a small spoonful of batter to test the oil’s temperature. It should sizzle loud and fast!
Taqueria Style Corn Tortillas!
I purposely use small 3 inch tortillas so I can enjoy 3 tacos instead of two! Lol! Even though it’s the same quantity if I were eating two larger tortillas. I am kind of crazy like that!
Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Beer Battered Shrimp
- 24 large shrimp cleaned, peeled, I leave the tails on for easy dipping into batter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chipotle or arbol powder powder
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 12 oz cold beer
- 2-3 cups Oil for frying avocado or vegetable oil
Serrano Slaw
- 4 cups cabbage thinly sliced
- 1-2 serrano peppers finely minced or thinly sliced
- 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 3 large radishes sliced small
- Juice of 1 large lime
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Crema
- 3/4 c Mayonnaise
- 3/4 c Mexican crema with salt
- 1/4 c Smoky salsa or chipotles in adobo finely minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Slaw
- Mix all of the ingredients listed for the slaw before you prepare the batter. Cover and keep chilled
Crema
- Mix ingredients. Taste the crema before adding salt. Cover and keep chilled until ready to serve.
Beer Battered Shrimp
- Pat the clean shrimp dry with paper towels. Lightly season with salt and pepper. keep chilled,
- In a small fryer or heavy pot, fill it 2/3 of the way with oil. Preheat to medium/high heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Oil temperature should be between 365 to 370 degrees.
- When the oil is just about to reach the correct temperature, prepare the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and chile powder. Add the the egg and mustard. Gently whisk in 1 cup of extra cold beer first until there are no lumps. If it's too thick, slowly whisk in a little more beer. Very important that you only mix until there are no lumps. If you overmix or mix too hard, the batter, it may not get crunchy when fried.
- Holding onto the tail of shrimp, dip into batter, Gently shake off excess batter. Drop shrimp into batter until evenly coated. Fry for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Turn as needed. Transfer the shrimp to the metal rack lined with baking sheet.
- Serve shrimp on warmed corn tortillas that are topped with cabbage slaw and crema!
Hi Sonia, I can’t wait to try this delicious looking recipe. I’m from Ensenada and nowhere in San Diego can I find a beer battered shrimp or fish taco that compares to the ones I get back home. I know it’s close, but I can’t get there as often as I’d like. I love getting your emails and reading about your family it always puts a smile on my face. Thank you for sharing with us 💕 God bless you and your family 🙏🏼
Thank you Jenine! I appreciate you taking the time to respond to the recipes I post. I love the recipes, but I honestly don’t think they would truly be from the heart if they didn’t include the stories that inspired them.