Cod Fish Crispy Tacos. This recipe is for a dish known in Mexico as Pescadillas, which are mouth-watering crispy tacos made with fish and corn tortillas. To help complement the tacos, I’m also including the recipe for a delicious salsa for tacos.
The love of seafood runs deep in my home state of Tamaulipas. Tamaulipas is located along the Gulf Coast of Mexico, and besides being next to the ocean, there are also several rivers and lagoons throughout the state. The abundance of seafood is so huge that fishing is considering a popular sport among some of the locals. In my hometown of Tampico, we even have an International Fishing Tournament and a National Marlin Fishing tournament. It is no surprise that foods like these Pescadillas are popular there, as seafood is an important part of our culture.
In This Post
What are Pescadillas?
Pescadillas are different from other fish tacos found in Mexico in a couple of ways. The first one is that the fish is not left whole, but rather cooked until it breaks apart and becomes a sort of mince. In this case, the fish is cooked in a tomato sauce that has onions, garlic, and spices. It is left to cook until most of the liquid evaporates and the fish is completely broken apart, then it is used as a filling for the pescadillas.
Another thing that makes pescadillas unique is that the whole taco is fried, as opposed to other fish tacos where only the fish is fried to later be placed inside a warm corn tortilla. To fry a pescadilla, two toothpicks are inserted into the folded tortilla to keep the taco closed during the frying process. The toothpicks are a distinctive element of making pescadillas, but don’t worry, they’re discarded prior to eating!
Finally, the other thing that separates Pescadillas from other known fish tacos is pretty obvious: their cool name! The word “pescadilla” is a combination of the words “pescado” (meaning “fish” in Spanish) and “quesadilla”. It is believed that this is because a pescadilla is folded in the same way as a quesadilla, so that’s why it has that suffix, even though pescadillas don’t include cheese.
Besides Tampico, Pescadillas, fish empanadas, or fish tacos are prepared in other coastal cities like Veracruz and Campeche, and they are also known in the city of Acapulco, Guerrero. In the popular beaches of these cities, the Pescadillas are sold to beach goers by vendors who carry them inside large baskets. You can also find these crispy tacos sold at restaurants and by street-side vendors.
Why I use Cod fish for this recipe.
Dogfish (Cazón) is one of the most common fish used to make "pescadillas" in Mexico, but it is not easily available everywhere. That is why I considered Cod to be the best fish for these tacos, since it is commonly available and its flaky texture makes it a good substitute for Dogfish. Dogfish is a small shark which is known as Cazón in Mexico, and it is very popular and accepted for consumption.
Can you make this recipe with leftover fish?
Since the fish will be cooked in a tomato sauce, you don’t necessarily have to use raw fish for this recipe. So, if you have some leftover fish that you baked previously, this is an excellent way to use that fish. You will only need to add the previously-baked fish to the sauce in step 3. You can use any fish you have leftover, be it tilapia, salmon, or mahi-mahi.
How to Make Crispy Fish Pescadillas
Jump to RecipeInstructions to Make Crispy Cod Fish Tacos (Pescadillas)
Cooking the fish
- At medium high heat, warm the olive oil in a medium-size pan until hot. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until transparent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add the tomato, Mexican oregano, and bay leaf. Stir, then cover the pan with the lid. Cook for three minutes.
- Remove the lid and place the fish in the tomato sauce. Cover again and keep cooking for about 6 minutes. By this time, the fish will start to break apart. With the help of a spoon, start separating the fish into small pieces.
- Keep cooking for 4 more minutes with the lid off, until there isn’t any liquid left in the pan. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. It is very important that you allow all the liquids to evaporate, in order to avoid having any liquid spill out of the pescadillas at the point of frying them. After the filling is done, remove the pan from the heat to allow everything to cool.
Forming the Tacos
- Warm the tortillas on a comal or a griddle over medium heat. Warm them for just enough time on each side to make them soft and pliable. Cold tortillas tend to break, so do not skip this step of warming the tortillas. Cover your warm tortillas with a kitchen napkin.
- Place the vegetable oil in a medium size frying pan and heat the oil over medium heat.
- While the oil is heating up, form the pescadillas by spreading about 1½ tablespoons of the fish filling in the center of one half of the tortilla, making sure that the filling doesn’t get to the edge of the tortillas.
- Fold the tortilla to close it, then insert two toothpicks near the edge of the tortillas. Thread the toothpick to go to the other side of the pescadilla and come back out. Try to cover a wide section of the tortilla with one toothpick. It should not touch the filling, since that should only be in the center of the pescadilla.
- Place the already assembled pescadilla in the hot oil and fry for about 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown. Once fried, place it on a plate lined with napkins (to absorb any excess oil). Repeat with the rest of the pescadillas.
- To serve, top the pescadillas with shredded cabbage and a spicy red salsa. If you like red pickled onions, that is optional, but they make a great complement to the pescadillas.
How to Make the Salsa for the Fish Tacos
- Add the tomatoes, arbol peppers, and garlic to a small saucepan and cover with the four cups of water. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook for about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes and peppers are soft and cooked.
- Place the cooked tomatoes, peppers and garlic, in your blender along with about ¼ cup of the cooking water. Process until you have a smooth sauce.
- Pour the salsa into a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and season with salt. Set aside until serving time.
Notes:
- You can use other types of white fish for this recipe, such as tilapia, haddock, sea bass, or sole. In Mexico, people also use Marlin and even canned tuna.
- The filling in this recipe can be used as a topping for baked tostadas, making a healthy meal option.
- You can top these pescadillas with other toppings like the ones mentioned below in “What to Serve with Fish Tacos”.
- To store any leftover pescadillas, place them in a plastic container and store them in your fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat them in your oven at 350ºF degrees for about 10 minutes. Make sure that the oven is preheated before placing the pescadillas inside.
- The red salsa will last in your fridge for up to 5 days.
- To choose the best codfish to make these fish tacos, make sure that fish is firm, does not have a strong odor, and is not leaking any liquids. When buying fish, I try to buy wild-caught fish whenever possible. If not, I try to see if the fish was farmed in sustainable conditions.
- If buying frozen fish, make sure that the package says it was processed and flash-frozen within hours of being caught. This will ensure that you can enjoy the best natural flavors of the fish.
What to Serve with Fish Tacos
Besides the way presented above, you can also serve these tacos buffet-style, offering other options as toppings like shredded lettuce, slices of onion, tomatoes, and radishes. You can also include pickled jalapeños, crumbled Queso Fresco or Cotija cheese, and even Mexican Cream to drizzle over the tacos. This way each person can create their own crispy tacos plate. Do not forget other mild or hot salsas like Pico de Gallo salsa or Salsa Verde.
Check out these other taco recipes:
📖 Recipe
Cod Crispy Fish Tacos
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- 2 cups of diced tomato
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 large Bay leaf or 2 small Bay leaves
- 1 lb. of Cod
- Salt & pepper to taste
For frying the Tacos:
- 12 Corn tortillas*
- 32 wooden toothpicks
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
For the Spicy Red Salsa
- 2 plump tomatoes
- 20 arbol peppers
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 cups of water for cooking the ingredients
- 2 tbsp. white vinegar
- Salt to taste
Toppings:
- 3 cups of shredded cabbage
- Sliced radishes optional
- Limes wedges optional
Instructions
Cooking the fish
- At medium high heat, warm the olive oil in a medium-size pan until hot. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until transparent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add the tomato, Mexican oregano, and bay leaf. Stir, then cover the pan with the lid. Cook for three minutes.
- Remove the lid and place the fish in the tomato sauce. Cover again and keep cooking for about 6 minutes. By this time, the fish will start to break apart. With the help of a spoon, start separating the fish into small pieces.
- Keep cooking for 4 more minutes with the lid off, until there isn’t any liquid left in the pan. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. It is very important that you allow all the liquids to evaporate, in order to avoid having any liquid spill out of the pescadillas at the point of frying them. After the filling is done, remove the pan from the heat to allow everything to cool.
Making the Crispy Tacos
- Warm the tortillas on a comal or a griddle over medium heat. Warm them for just enough time on each side to make them soft and pliable. Cold tortillas tend to break, so do not skip this step of warming the tortillas. Cover your warm tortillas with a kitchen napkin.
- Place the vegetable oil in a medium size frying pan and heat the oil over medium heat.
- While the oil is heating up, form the pescadillas by spreading about 1½ tablespoons of the fish filling in the center of one half of the tortilla, making sure that the filling doesn’t get to the edge of the tortillas.
- Fold the tortilla to close it, then insert two toothpicks near the edge of the tortillas. Thread the toothpick to go to the other side of the pescadilla and come back out. Try to cover a wide section of the tortilla with one toothpick. It should not touch the filling, since that should only be in the center of the pescadilla.
- Place the already assembled pescadilla in the hot oil and fry for about 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown. Once fried, place it on a plate lined with napkins (to absorb any excess oil). Repeat with the rest of the pescadillas.
- To serve, top the pescadillas with shredded cabbage and a spicy red salsa. If you like red pickled onions, that is optional, but they make a great complement to the pescadillas.
How to Make the Salsa for the Fish Tacos
- Place the tomatoes, arbol peppers, and garlic in a small sauce pan and cover with the four cups of water. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook for about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes and peppers are soft and cooked.
- Place the cooked tomatoes, peppers and garlic, in your blender along with about ¼ cup of the cooking water. Process until you a have smooth sauce.
- Place the salsa in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and season with salt. Set aside until serving time.
Notes
- You can use other types of white fish for this recipe, such as tilapia, haddock, sea bass, or sole.
- The filling in this recipe can be used as a topping for baked tostadas, making a healthy meal option.
- You can top these pescadillas with other toppings like the ones mentioned below in “What to Serve with Fish Tacos”.
- To store any leftover pescadillas, place them in a plastic container and store them in your fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat them in your oven at 350ºF degrees for about 10 minutes. Make sure that the oven is preheated before placing the pescadillas inside.
- The red salsa will last in your fridge for up to 5 days.
- To choose the best codfish to make these fish tacos, make sure that fish is firm, does not have a strong odor, and is not leaking any liquids. When buying fish, I try to buy wild-caught fish whenever possible. If not, I try to see if the fish was farmed in sustainable conditions.
- If buying frozen fish, make sure that the package says it was processed and flash-frozen within hours of being caught. This will ensure that you can enjoy the best natural flavors of the fish.
Hart
I made this for my family last night and we all loved it so much. The salsa was super spicy and delicious, the tacos were crispy and slightly soft on the inside where the filling was. We assembled the tacos to fry, as a family, and had a blast.
DON'T DO THIS IN THE OVEN. Break out the thermometer and fry these in oil in a pan. If you don't, the final result will suck. If you're worried about calories, move on to another recipe. You could also enjoy life in moderation and make this amazing dish!
Mely Martínez
Hello Hart,
It's wonderful to hear that everyone enjoyed the meal together. It's moments like these, spent with loved ones and creating memories around the dinner table, that truly make food special. Keep on cooking and making memories together!
Mely
Brooke
Has anyone tried freezing these?
Mely Martínez
Hello Brooke,
The tortillas will break if you freeze them.
Sandra adams Benavides
How can I cook Mahi Mahi?
Mely Martínez
Hello Sandra,
Check this delicious recipe in here in the blog. Easy Fish Filets
trinidad hernandez
five.great food
Ryan
I made a variation of this dish and it was a hit!
Amber L
These look delicious! I will be trying your recipe soon 🙂