Chef Chris Perrin's fish tacos with pineapple cole slaw

Though I don't love seafood I do love a good fish taco. My faves are from Elephant Bar and Del Taco. Don't laugh! Del Taco's fish tacos are pretty darn tasty and at less than $1.50, a great purchase during today's economy.

I have yet to make fish tacos at home; I rarely buy seafood (do fish sticks count?) and up until a few days ago, hadn't found a recipe that tempted me enough to try it at home. But thanks to Twitter, #gno (Mom It Forward's "girls night out" tweetup) and @BlogWellDone I have a fish taco recipe I plan to try in the very near future. It must be a good one if I'm considering browsing the local grocery store's seafood counter! Visit BlogWellDone to check out more fabulous recipes from Chef Chris Perrin (aka @BlogWellDone).

Fish Tacos with Pineapple Cole Slaw
For the fish:
8 two-inch-by-four inch tilapia fillets
2 c rice flour
2 c soda water
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 T garlic powder

Oil for frying

8 corn tortillas for serving

For the coleslaw:
1 c of cabbage, shredded
1 c of red cabbage, shredded
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/4 c canned cubed pineapple with juice
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 T mustard

For the sauce:
1/2 c ranch dressing
3 T taco seasoning
2 tsp sugar

Mix all of the ingredients for the coleslaw in a large bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for several hours to let the flavors combine.

Remove the tilapia from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Mix the flour, soda water, egg, salt, baking powder and garlic powder into a bowl until it has the consistency of pancake batter. Dip each piece of fish in the batter and then put aside so the batter sets.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees or medium high heat. Fry each piece of fish until golden brown and cooked, about 6 minutes. Remove to a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

To make the sauce, mix the ranch and the taco seasoning right before serving the fish tacos.

Wrap the corn tortillas in a wet towel and microwave for 30 seconds to make them pliable. Use two tortillas to form the shell instead of one. Fill the taco with two pieces of fish then add a heaping pile of slaw and top with sauce.

"Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, ...I could be eating a slow learner." ~Lynda Montgomery