- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 3 Peppadew peppers, finely chopped, plus 1 teaspoon Peppadew juice from the jar
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- ½ small shallot, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tilapia, or other mild white fish fillets (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and each halve sliced crosswise into 3 pieces
- 2 limes, 1 halved and the other cut into wedges
- ½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons Jamaican jerk seasoning, divided
- ½ cup canola oil
- 12 warm corn tortillas
- Fresh cilantro leaves for serving
- Make the tartar sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Peppadew peppers, scallion, shallot, salt and pepper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Make the tacos: Place the tilapia pieces in a medium bowl. Squeeze the juice from the lime halves over the fish and turn the fish to coat; set aside. In another medium bowl, stir together the panko, cornmeal and 2 tablespoons of the jerk seasoning. Remove the fish from the lime juice and place on a plate. Sprinkle the fish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of jerk seasoning, then dredge the pieces in the panko mixture, one piece at a time, pressing the coating firmly onto both sides of the fish before returning each piece to the plate.
- In a medium nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, after about 1 to 1½ minutes, add about half the fish pieces. Reduce the heat to medium and fry on both sides until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes total (when the fish is semi-firm to the touch, it is done; especially thick pieces of tilapia may take a little longer to cook through). Use a spatula to transfer the fish to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining fish pieces.
- Place a piece of fish in the center of a warm tortilla. Top with a generous dollop of the tartar sauce and a few cilantro leaves and serve with a lime wedge.