Beer-battered fish tacos

A combo of two of my favourite recipes – Mexican Baja fish tacos and retro fish finger sarnies, this is my ultimate sofa-day comfort food. Baja fish tacos are made with battered chunks of cod and I’ve paired those with my take on herby tartare and pink pickled onions. Buy small tortillas in supermarkets or order them online – they’re the perfect size for eating with your hands in front of the telly.

SERVES 4 PREP 35 mins plus pickling and chilling COOK 30 mins

MORE EFFORT

150g plain lour

75g corn lour

1/2 tsp ine sea salt

230ml cold beer

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

4 skinless and boneless cod loins,

cut in to 3cm pieces

8 small soft corn tortillas

2 Little Gem lettuces, shredded

hot sauce, to serve (optional)

For the pickled onions

150ml white wine vinegar 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

1 tsp peppercorns

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 large red onion, inely sliced

For the tartare sauce

150g mayonnaise 1/2 small bunch of dill, inely chopped small bunch of basil, inely chopped 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp capers, chopped

1 First, make the pickled onions. Put the vinegar in a pan with 150ml water, the coriander seeds, peppercorns, sugar and 1 tsp salt over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Scoop the onions into a bowl and carefully pour over the hot pickling liquid.

Leave to cool for 15 mins, then cover and chill for at least 1 hr. Will keep chilled for up to two days. For the tartare sauce, mix together all the ingredients, then cover and chill. Will keep chilled for up to two days.

2 Sift the flour and cornflour into a bowl, then stir through the salt. Make a well in the centre and whisk in the cold beer to make a smooth batter. Cover and chill for 30 mins.

3 Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based pan, no more than two-thirds full, until the oil reaches 190C on a cooking thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, check the oil is ready by dropping a small cube of bread into the oil – it should turn brown in about 10 seconds. Dip each piece of cod into the batter to fully coat, then gently shake o the excess. Fry the fish in batches for 4 mins per batch, then remove using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

4 Warm the tortillas in a low oven or in a dry frying pan. Spread over the tartare sauce, then add the fish and top with the pickled onions and shredded lettuce, plus a dash of hot sauce, if you like. Best enjoyed with a cold beer.

GOOD TO KNOW folate • 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 841 kcals • fat 41g • saturates 3g • carbs 76g • sugars 12g • ibre 8g • protein 34g • salt 1.8g