I’ve mentioned a couple times now that a month or two ago (has it really been that long?), Nick went to California for some training and came back with pounds of moose, deer and halibut from his aunt to stock our freezer. Well, this week, Nick had a buddy going out there and enlisted him to bring another box o’ meat back!

Though we’ve made a huge dent in what we already had, I figured I better make one last attempt to use some of the last of our stockpile, before it’s replenished.

We’d had meat for a few nights in a row, so fish sounded good. I’ve had fish tacos on the brain for a while now, so this was as good an opportunity as ever.

I can’t remember if I’ve shared this fun fact yet or not, but we now have a kegerator, fully stocked with 2 kegs at all times, in our living room. Not exactly a piece of furniture I would have chosen. Definitely not my idea. I hate that we don’t have a garage, as I feel this would be the ideal location for such an item. The living room? Not so much. But I never win on these things, because I get too sick of hearing the complaints.

Anyways, I have found one plus of having kegerator in the living room, and that is cooking with beer! I mean, who wants to open a whole beer just to get 1/3 cup for a recipe? Well, I’m sure plenty of people would be happy to drink what’s left over. But sometimes, you’re just not in the mood. So it’s nice to be able to get any amount you want at any time. The kegs came in handy when I beer-boiled some sausages for the Super Bowl, and again last night when I made these tacos!

Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Tomato Avocado Salsa

(adapted from Eating Well)

serves 2

• Corn tortillas, for serving
• Shredded cabbage, for serving
• Lime wedges and hot sauce, for serving

for the salsa:

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, minced
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

for the fish:

• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup beer
• 8 ounces halibut fillet (or other white fish), cut into strips
• Canola oil, for cooking

In a bowl, combine all salsa ingredients and toss. Set aside.

Combine flour, cumin, salt and cayenne in another bowl. Whisk in beer to create a batter.

Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the fish strips on batter, and let excess batter drip back into the bowl. Add the fish to the pan and cook until crispy and golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Serve the fish with corn tortillas, shredded cabbage, salsa, lime wedges and hot sauce!

I thought frying this fish would be a total fail. The recipe is from Eating Well, supposed to be healthy, and didn’t call for much oil. But despite the fact that there was only a thin layer of oil in the pan, the fish turned out really well! It was easy, too, and the tacos were delicious!