Mmmm....fish tacos!

[Jenise]

Fun article on the origins of fish tacos on the NPR website today, and some recipes: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14333245&sc=nl&cc=es-20070921&sc=emaf.





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Jenise.. the next time u r down here and if you have time.. Lorena's mom makes some awesome fish tacos.. no batter on the fish.. homemade crispy taco shell.. fresh sasla, no white sauce and with slices of fresh avocado... amazing.. at the restaurant she owns

Good article, but I have issues......
Having had fish tacos in both the cities which claim to have invented them, as well as all over Baja, San Diego and So Cal, I disagree with the recipe's mayo sauce. The authentic versions feature Mexican crema, which is most certainly NOT mayo, diluted or otherwise. It is a dairy product, closer to creme fraiche. It makes all the difference in the world, and the interplay between the sauce and the cool cabbage and the hot fish is probably the thing I like most about them. Also, avocado sauce? No, not in my world.....Totally unnecessary on a good fish taco.

Fun article on the origins of fish tacos on the NPR website today, and some recipes: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14333245&sc=nl&cc=es-20070921&sc=emaf.
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The first time I heard about fish tacos I was in Irvine CA for training and the instructor mentioned that the cafe in the building had them. My reaction was "Whaaa?" Just didn't sound good to me. It wasn't until I actually saw some at Baja Fresh (years later) that I thought maybe they could be something good.

[Robin Garr]

Good article, but I have issues ... The authentic versions feature Mexican crema, which is most certainly NOT mayo ... Also, avocado sauce? No, not in my world.....Totally unnecessary on a good fish taco.

Agree with everything you say and the way you say it.

I've had fish tacos at the original Rubio's, and I've had them at Bazo's in Louisville when it was run by a guy who had worked at Rubio's. Done right, they're exactly as you describe, and super-addictive.

I think most people who react negatively to the concept don't realize that the fish is deep-fried and crunchy.

I think most people who react negatively to the concept don't realize that the fish is deep-fried and crunchy.

Why would that improve things?

You can add other things for crunch..

In fact, whipping up some fish tacos myself tonight for dinner, tuna cooked in the oven before crumbled into the tacos along with crisp September yellow and orange peppers, sauteed eggplant..

[Robin Garr]

Why would that improve things? Many people find golden-brown and delicious fried stuff addictive.

Really, I wasn't sitting in judgment, Rahsaan, only pointing out the observation that, when told of fish tacos, many newbies to the concept think in terms of a piece of fish in a tortilla and don't immediately grasp that in the Baja version the fish is battered-and-fried. Once they discover this, most of them improve their attitude.

And, yet, battered and fried can scream CALORIES to many....the ones we buy are pan fried, no skin, no batter, no white sauce, served in a crispy handmade corn tortilla, with some shredded cabbage and a couple of thin slices of avocado inside the shell with the fish... that way the fish is the star....the best I've ever had, and I've had lots of them around here in CA where most Mexican places have some version of a fish taco.

[Robin Garr]

And, yet, battered and fried can scream CALORIES to many....the ones we buy are pan fried, no skin, no batter, no white sauce, served in a crispy handmade corn tortilla, with some shredded cabbage and a couple of thin slices of avocado inside the shell with the fish... that way the fish is the star....the best I've ever had, and I've had lots of them around here in CA where most Mexican places have some version of a fish taco.

That makes sense to me, Jim. I should have qualified my comments by explaining that I'm talking from the perspective of a food writer in an inland, eastern/southern city where fish tacos magically appeared one day, and few people here had ever heard of them before. Since fried whitefish is a major food group here, when people realized that the fish in the tacos was like that, they won quicker acceptance.

We do have one funky-trendy Mexican spot with sort of a low-budget Rick Bayless/Frontera Grill vibe that does a fish taco with a grilled piece of fish, and it's excellent, but it's knife-and-fork food, not a Baja taco at all.

And, yet, battered and fried can scream CALORIES to many.

Not even talking about calories, it seems redundant because you have the taco itself as a shell for the fish, why place additional barriers between your palate and the food..

I like your example with panfried, cabbage...

But yes Robin, I understand that some people go crazy for deep fried foods. Just haven't actually met any myself..

[Jenise]

The authentic versions feature Mexican crema, which is most certainly NOT mayo, diluted or otherwise. It is a dairy product, closer to creme fraiche. It makes all the difference in the world, and the interplay between the sauce and the cool cabbage and the hot fish is probably the thing I like most about them. Also, avocado sauce? No, not in my world.....Totally unnecessary on a good fish taco.

John, agree with you completely. Also, I I've never had or seen a fish taco with avocado sauce. But oh are they good, and though I would like the panfried version without batter, the deep fried version is the way I first had a fish taco--on the streets of Ensenada--and I loved it that way. It was simply topped with finely chopped white onion and cilantro that had been spritzed with lime juice. That was it--simple como eso!

I also remember a lobster burrito that rocked my world.

Jenise.. the next time u r down here and if you have time.. Lorena's mom makes some awesome fish tacos.. no batter on the fish.. homemade crispy taco shell.. fresh sasla, no white sauce and with slices of fresh avocado... amazing.. at the restaurant she owns

Hmmmmm....Yum .... very good stuff.

J

And, yet, battered and fried can scream CALORIES to many.

Not even talking about calories, it seems redundant because you have the taco itself as a shell for the fish,

Well, it helps to remember that in the original version, what you are referring to as a "taco" is simply a tortilla (or two stacked together) and is not the crunchy type many associate with tacos. The tortillas are soft, and become one with the filling.

So, in the taco, you have differing textures - and the only thing crunchy is the cabbage and the fried, battered exterior of the fish. Furthermore, the cabbage is cool crunchy, and the exterior of the fish is hot crunchy. The crema is smooth and cool and refreshing, and the salsa has texture and heat on the palate.
It's not simply a food item, it's a study in brilliant contrasts.

No redundancy there, Rahsaan.

Good point, John, on the textures. Maybe that's why with a crispy shell, the pan fried tastes better....battered and deep fried would be redundant... and `where's the fish' would be the query

And, usually, `real' Mexican tacos typically are served with two, yes, two, fresh corn tortillas wrapping the goodies inside.

I've also learned that when you buy store bought corn tortillas, they have to be heated up `face side up' first, then flipped, then back to the face side to be filled.... and for gringos figuring out which is the face can be a challenge!!

and for gringos figuring out which is the face can be a challenge!!

I know this whole concept is Lorena playing a joke on all of us

Jason

Well, it helps to remember that in the original version, what you are referring to as a "taco" is simply a tortilla (or two stacked together) and is not the crunchy type many associate with tacos...No redundancy there, Rahsaan.

Believe me, I'm not talking about those crunchy "taco shell" monstrosities, and it wasn't a redundancy in texture I was talking about. Rather, a redundancy in the breading element because the tortilla already gives you that.

But, your point about cool crunchy (cabbage) vs. hot crunchy (fried fish) makes sense. And in certain (rare) circumstances fried fish (fish and chips in the UK) can be well executed. It's just usually not my favorite way to enjoy fish because of all the barriers to the fish. But, like everything, when well done I am sure it is lovely.