These crispy, beer-battered Baja-style fish tacos in Kahului are ‘tight’

Marlin, relatively inexpensive and readily available, is the perfect fish for tacos, according to Reggie Balleste­ros of Tight Tacos in Kahului. Five months ago he and wife Rizza Cosio opened what he calls “a hole-in-the-wall” restaurant on Hanakai Street. And their Mexican food has proved to be popular.

“Both my wife and I are Filipino, but we grew up in California loving Mexican food,” he said. In California slang, “tight” means amazing or cool. “We would say, ‘That’s tight,’” he said.

Before moving to Makawao, Bal­lesteros cooked at two popular Oahu restaurants: 12th Avenue Grill and Koko Head Cafe.

For five years his father-in-law and brother-in-law have operated two Tight Tacos in Portland, Ore., so all the recipes are tried and true.

Ballesteros uses his culinary skills to offer bold and bright flavors at his takeout restaurant, which is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. (To order, call 707-1221.)

His Baja Fish Tacos — a nod to the Baja California region of Mexico — is a dish that includes battered and fried white-fleshed fish paired with crunchy raw cabbage, fresh pico de gallo salsa and crema, a Mexican-style cream. Ballesteros simulates the hard-to-locate crema with sour cream blended with canned chipotle peppers in adobo — the Mexican sauce, not Filipino version — plus lime juice, salt and pepper.

The tacos are a winning combination of textures: a warm corn tortilla with crisp and tender battered fish, crunchy cabbage, fresh salsa and smooth sour cream.

At the restaurant, corn tortillas are hand-pressed and cooked to order, but you also can buy them and warm them up at home. He offers other fillings such desebrada (beef brisket), camarones (shrimp), lengue (beef tongue) and rajas (charred poblano peppers). His twin 6-year-old sons, Charley and Levi, prefer carnitas (pork), as it’s not spicy.

“Use marlin for frying because ahi is so much more expensive and it’s a shame to cook ahi,” Ballesteros advises. He also uses ono, another firm, white fish.

Other tips for first-time cooks? “Make sure the batter is thick enough. It is the key to good Baja-style fish tacos,” he said.

His batter combines beer (Mexican, of course), flour, Dijon mustard, chicken seasoning and salt and pepper. He generously shares his recipe so you can prepare it at home.

Baja Fish Tacos

3 pounds marlin, cut into 1-by-1-by-4-inch sticks (about 14 pieces); substitute any white fish

1 cup potato starch; substitute cornstarch

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable or peanut oil for frying

14-plus corn tortillas

Finely shredded green and red cabbage

Lime wedges

Cilantro sprigs

Batter

12 ounces Modelo or other beer

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 cube chicken seasoning, Knorr brand preferred

Pico de gallo

1 pound roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and minced

Fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Crema

2 cups sour cream

3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Chipotle sauce to taste

2 tablespoons lime juice

Cut fish and set aside. Mix potato starch, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, mix beer, flour, mustard and chicken seasoning. Set aside.

Make pico de gallo by mixing tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Make Mexican-style crema by combining sour cream, chipotles, lime juice and some of the chipotle sauce, to taste, from the can in a blender.

Heat oil in a deep pot until temperature reaches 275 to 300 degrees. Coat fish pieces in potato starch mixture, then dip in batter and fry until fish is cooked, about 1-2 minutes. Warm tortillas on a skillet and place one piece of fried fish in taco, top with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo and a squeeze of crema. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with a wedge of lime. Makes about 14 tacos.

Lynette Lo Tom offers recipes for the Maui home cook. She is the author of “A Chinese Kitchen” and “Back in the Day” cookbooks. Send your ideas to lynette@brightlightcookery.com or call 275-3004.