Baja Style Avocado Tacos

These Baja style avocado tacos take all the delicious elements of a Baja fish taco but swap the fish with beer-battered avocado. They are decadent but still feel light because of the avocado and the fresh slaw on top. They are crispy on the outside yet creamy when you bite into them. And they’re tangy from the pickled onions and LOTS of fresh lime squeezed on top. Oh and did I mention the sauce yet? It’s a unique kitchen-sink style sauce with fresh cilantro, fresh dill, capers, and pickled jalapeños- don’t skip it. These avocado tacos are everything a taco should be and they’re going to be your new favorite taco.

Every time I go to the beach I have an overwhelming craving for tacos. Specifically, at a beach shack with my feet in the sand, listening to reggae music and sipping on an icy beverage. Unfortunately I have yet to find one of these beach-front taco shacks in Southern California. Maybe I should open one?? If I did, these avocado tacos would FOR SURE be on the menu.

If you make these tacos, be sure tag me on Instagram so I can see! And don’t forget to leave a comment and rating below!

Ingredient Notes

Avocado is creamy but it’s admittedly bland. These tacos have so many layers of flavor to combat that, they are the furthest thing from bland.

Seafood Grilling Seasoning- Any “seafood seasoning” will work here. I used this brand, which is very similar to Old Bay.

Cabbage Slaw- Dressed lightly with olive oil and red wine vinegar to add more layers of flavor

Pickled Red Onions- If you haven’t had pickled red onions, say hello to your new favorite topping. For this recipe these are an optional ingredient but may I add highly recommended? These take some prep time, about 4 hours but ideally make them a day ahead. The recipe below makes a large batch, they should keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and you can put them on EVERYTHING from salads to curries.

Vegan Feta- I discovered this recently and it’s more like a cotija or a queso fresco and perfect for these tacos.

Baja Style Avocado Tacos FAQ

Can I bake instead of fry? Because these are dipped in a beer-batter and then lightly fried, they cannot be baked. It’s not a super deep fry, though so if deep frying scares you, rest assured this is more like a shallow pan fry. If you’re avoiding oil, I’d go with just raw avocado but all the toppings and they’d still be really good.

How long do these tacos last? These are best eaten fresh due to them being fried, they will get soggy. Additionally, avocados start to oxidize really quickly. That said, if those factors won’t deter you, they could go 1-2 days, but no longer than that.

Recipe

Baja Style Avocado Tacos

Crispy beer-battered avocado tacos with all the good parts of a Baja fish taco, but swap the fish for avocado. Crispy, creamy, tangy, fresh- the perfect California style taco.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Ingredients

16-32 corn tortillas (2 per taco)

Beer Battered Avocados

1-2 ripe avocados (8 slices per avocado. 8 tacos if using 1 avocado, 16 tacos if using 2 avocados)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup beer
1 tsp Seafood Grilling Seasoning or Old Bay
½-¾ cup neutral oil for frying, such as sunflower

Cabbage Slaw

3 cups shredded cabbage (all green or mixture of green and purple)
½ cup cilantro, chopped
olive oil
red wine vinegar

Pickled Red Onions (Optional)

1 red onion
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup while vinegar
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt

Baja Taco Sauce

¼ cup vegan mayo
¼ cup plain vegan yogurt (I use Forager here, but anything works as long as its unsweetened)
1 tsp capers, chopped fine
4 pickled jalepeño slices, chopped fine
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped fine
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped fine
1 tsp agave
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp oregano
juice of 1 lime

Additional Toppings (Optional)

chopped roma tomatoes
vegan Feta cheese
chopped cilantro
fresh squeezed lime

Instructions

Pickled Red Onions (Optional)

Cut a red onion in half. Cut each half in thin slices. A mandoline is great here if you have one.
Add onions to a large jar. Add in sugar, salt, both vinegars, and water. Add lid and give the jar a really good shake to dissolve the sugar and salt.
Place jar in the fridge. You'll start to see a color change in 4 hours or so, but they are even better the next day.

Baja Taco Sauce

Add all ingredients to a bowl. Stir until all combined. Taste to asjust seasonings. Set aside.

Cabbage Slaw

Shred cabbage. Add to a bowl. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and red wine vinegar (one roation each around the bowl- doesn't need to be a lot). Set aside.

Beer Battered Avocado

To a bowl, add the flour and seasood seasoning. Whisk until combined and no lumps appear. Set aside until ready.
Slice avocados in half. Cut each half into 4 pieces. You should have 8 slices if using 1 avocado, 16 if using 2 avocados.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet or dutch oven. You'll need ½ cup to ¾ cup of oil depending on the size of your pan. It does not need to be deep. To determine if oil is ready, put a wooden spoon in the oil and if it bubbles around the spoon, the oil is ready.
Once oil is almost ready, slowly add the beer to the flour mixture. Whisk slowly until completely mixed. Add the avocados, working in batches. I like 4 slices at a time.
Carefully add the beer-battered avocados to the oil. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes until golden in color. Flip avocados to cook the other side, another 1-2 minutes. Once both sides are cooked, add to a paper towel lined pate or cooling rack, and sprinkle with salt while the oil is still hot.
Continue cooking the rest of the avocados, working in batches until all avocados are done.

Assemble Tacos

Heat corn tortillas. I like 2 per taco when using corn.
To each taco add one slice of the beer battered avocado. Top with slaw, baja taco sauce, pickled red onions, chopped cilantro, chopped tomatoes, vegan feta, and lots of fresh squeezed lime juice.

Larissa Wilson

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