Tacos with cod tempura

For her cod tempura tacos, Mexican chef Manon Liétard adds a fennel-pomelo condiment, green mayo and trout roe.

This recipe by Manon Liétard, chef at the Beatriz restaurant in Lille, is from the 2024 edition ofBook 109: The new blood of French gastronomy. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it a breeze.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 1 h 30
Cooking time: 1 h

Ingredients forcod tempura tacos

For the corn tortillas

300 g nixtamalized corn flour (an ancient Mesoamerican process in which the corn kernels are soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution)
40 g vegetable oil
3 g salt

For the green mayonnaise

1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. mustard
Greens of 2 leeks
25 cl sunflower oil

For the Thai fennel-pomelo salad

3 fennels
2 pomelos
50 g unsalted roasted peanuts
1 small chili pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 lime
10 mint leaves
10 coriander leaves

For the cod tempura

200 g cornstarch
30 cl cold light beer
1 tsp. baking soda
400 g cod backs

For the dressing

1 small jar trout roe
Dill leaves
1 lime

Steps for thecod tempura tacos

Tortilla dough: pour the flour into a bowl with the salt and mix. Add the oil and knead the dough, gradually adding 45 cl of lukewarm water. Continue kneading by hand or in a food processor for 10 min. The dough should be supple but never sticky. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest.
Green mayonnaise: heat the oil slightly (to 65°C) and add the leek greens. Leave to stand for 10 min. Blend. Strain, leave to cool and use this oil to make the mayonnaise. Season with salt and chill.
Fennel-pomelo salad: remove the grapefruit segments, finely chop the fennel with a mandolin and mix with the mint and coriander.
Place the garlic, sugar, chillies and peanuts in a mortar (or blender) and blend to a paste. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce. Add to the fennel-pomelo mixture and mix well.
Corn tortillas: divide the dough into small balls and flatten (3-4 mm). Heat a non-stick dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the tortillas for 2 min on each side, turning regularly. They will puff up as they cook. Once lightly browned, let them rest in a clean cloth, stacked one on top of the other.
Cod tempura: mix the cornflour and bicarbonate, then gradually add the beer, stirring with chopsticks to avoid breaking the bubbles. Cut 8 pieces of cod on the bias (4-5 cm). Season with salt and pepper, dip in starch, dip in tempura batter and cook for 2-3 min in a deep fryer (or oil bath at 180°C).
Arrange tacos, starting with salad, tempura, a dash of mayonnaise, trout roe and dill leaves. Serve with a wedge of lime.

For furtherinformation:

Beatriz, 46 boulevard Jean-Baptiste Lebas, 59000 Lille
11.5/20 in the Livre des 109
Read Gault&Millau's review of Beatriz

These recipes might interest you

Intermediate

Octopus borscht style

Ukrainian chef Maksym Zorin has opened his datcha (country house) in Paris in the spirit of a chic, convivial family home. Ukrainian and Ducassian gastronomy inspire his dishes, such as this octopus borscht.

Read

Intermediate

Marinated chicken tacos with corn and cumin bread

Alban Joriot, chef at Brutal restaurant in Lyon's 2nd arrondissement, gives his interpretation of tacos with marinated chicken, creamed corn, sumac yogurt and fresh herb salad in a cumin puff bun.

Read

Easy

Gnocchi with mushrooms

What to do with gnocchi? Parisian chef Maxime Lellouche accompanies them with a mushroom cream and parmesan curry crumble.

Read

Intermediate

Pork parmentier with black miso

Occitan chef Charlotte Bauduret revisits the classic shepherd's pie by incorporating miso, and for this recipe there's no need for an oven!

Read

Easy

Duck legs confit, Puy lentils, spicy jus

Chef Magali Martini of Parisian restaurant Bombance likes to mix techniques such as salting and maturing. Here, duck legs are left to rest in coarse salt for 6 hours before being confit.

Read