The Essential Guide to the San Diego Fish Taco

An exegesis on the finest taco in the world, the symbol of the Baja California coast, the pride San Diego, the taco de pescado.

I’m from San Diego, and the more or less official food of San Diego is the fish taco.

It wasn’t always so: past candidates have been the carne asada burrito and its illegitimate child the California burrito. But the fish taco has won out, which is a great thing as far as I am concerned. Though the idea of a seafood taco seemed strange to most Americans only a decade or two ago, people know all about fish tacos now, and you can even order them in far-flung, God-forsaken places like, say, Brooklyn.

However, fame brings its own challenges. As a food becomes well-known, people start to adapt it to their own regional tastes, which is fine. However, people may go their whole lives without having a proper San Diego-style fish taco, which is a real shame if you ask me. My goal in this essay is to explain the basic elements of the San Diego fish taco, to help visitors to the city understand how to find, order, and eat one.

First, a little history. There is no question that fish tacos were invented in Baja California, the Mexican state just to the south of the American state of California (shall we call it Alta California?). You’ll hear tales of fish tacos being invented by Japanese fishermen or oil rig workers, but it’s pretty clear the real story is that they were a creation of the Ensenada fish market, sometimes nicknamed el Mercado Negro. The story goes that an enterprising taquero added fried fish to his offering of tacos at the market, and the innovation was a hit among fishmongers and shoppers alike.

The Mercado de Mariscos or “Mercado Negro” of Ensenada. Notice “angelito por tacos” at the fishmonger’s elbow: that’s angel shark, the preferred fish for tacos in Baja. Image CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Nathan Gibbs

I believe the fish taco was inspired- at least in part- by British/American fish and chips: the white sauce and cabbage that garnish the classical fish taco echo the tartar sauce and cole slaw served in fried fish establishments. British fish and chips have their own fascinating origin: the dish is descended from Sephardic Jews immigrating to England from Spain and Portugal. In Spain, particularly in Andalusia, there is a tradition of making pescado frito or “fried fish” which is closely associated with Jewish cooking. In fact, in many parts of Europe, saying something is “Jewish style” is to say it is deep fried in olive oil, reflecting the long tradition Mediterranean Jews have of using oil for cooking and lighting. So it’s also possible that the Mexican tradition of batter-fried fish came directly from the Jewish-Spanish tradition. (There is a dish of Batter-fried fish in Mexico which is sometimes called pescado a la gabardina, or “fish wearing a raincoat”).

Ensenada and San Diego, twin fish taco capitals

Anyway, the Ensenada-style fish taco made its way to San Diego via San Diegans like Ralph Rubio, who is justly credited for being the pioneer of the San Diego fish taco: he opened Rubio’s Fish Tacos in Mission Beach in 1983. (Rubio says he learned about fish tacos in San Felipe, just across the peninsula from Ensenada). Since then, there has been a flourishing San Diegan fish taco tradition that takes its inspiration from the Ensenada one. Fish tacos have become a huge part of San Diego beach culture, and are more commonplace than anywhere in Mexico. Today, fish tacos are available at most taco shops (we don’t call them taquerias in San Diego), and many local Mexican and Seafood restaurants. What I will explain below is the classical style of the San Diego fish taco, in its perfect and most beautiful form.

The Tortilla: let’s begin at the bottom. Tacos in San Diego are made with corn tortillas, period. We love flour tortillas too, but we use those for burritos (more on that later). I am aware that in other places like Texas they will refer to some foods as tacos even when they are made with flour tortillas. This is not done in San Diego, except by places who are trying too hard to please visitors. So, corn tortillas are a must. The best taco shops will hand-make tortillas onsite, which is a big big bonus. However, it’s not strictly necessary: tortillerias are everywhere in San Diego, and will supply fresh, delicious tortillas to many taco shops. As long as the tortilla is fresh, pliable, and piping hot it will be fine. Sometimes the sauciest fish tacos will be given two tortillas to reinforce the taco and prevent a blowout. This is a good sign.

The Fish: In Baja, tacos are usually made with angelito or angel shark, which is almost never used in the US. In San Diego, any firm, mild white fish will do: pollock, cod, and halibut are the most common choices. Mahi-mahi is sometimes used, but is a bit extra; and it can get a little too dry when fried. Tilapia is used only for the cheapest fish tacos, and is frowned upon. Salmon, swordfish, bluefin etc. are great fish for grilling, but are never used for the classic San Diego fish taco, which is always battered and fried.

And this brings us to the subject of grilling. You will encounter grilled fish tacos from time to time. They can be delicious, healthy, and enjoyable, but they are another food entirely. Grilled fish tacos are known in San Diego, but they are not San Diego style fish tacos. Ordering a grilled fish taco in San Diego is like ordering a vodka Margarita. It’s fine and may be delicious, but it’s not the same thing AT ALL.

San Diego fish tacos are prepared by slicing the fish into small strips and dipping them in a flour-based batter before frying. This batter resembles fish-and-chips batter, and turns golden-crisp in the fryer. Sometimes the batter contains beer and/or eggs, and if the batter is yellowish, it likely contains a secret ingredient: mustard. If the batter has mustard, it’s a very good sign. You won’t really detect a mustard flavor, but it will be delicious, I promise. A San Diego fish taco should not have panko or cornmeal or anything like that. Batter only.

The battered fish is laid gently in hot oil and it will float in the fryer until it’s shatteringly crisp. A good fish taco is fried to order, which will make it searing hot when you get it. The fish will be moist and flaky, encased in its crunchy batter. It’ll be just the length of the tortilla and perhaps an inch and a half wide.

The Sauce: San Diego fish tacos always have a creamy sauce on them. As I mentioned earlier, I believe the original fish taco sauce was meant to evoke tartar sauce, at least in spirit if not ingredients. Rubio made his sauce with equal parts sour cream, mayonnaise, and lime juice, and that is roughly the recipe that is most common today. Pink sauce- the regular white sauce dosed with chipotle- is getting more common, particularly in fancier places. The sauce is of great importance to the fish taco- it should be tangy, creamy, and salty and set off the fish perfectly. The sauce is the difference between a good and a great taco.

The Cabbage: White cabbage is heartier and more flavorful than lettuce, which should never be used in a fish taco. Purple cabbage is an acceptable variation, and is sometimes mixed with white cabbage. The cabbage is shredded finely, but not so finely it clumps together. It must also not be too thick and chewy. The cabbage is not dressed; it takes its flavor from the white sauce (which must be abundant).

The above is enough to make a glorious fish taco, so long as salsa is available (more on that later). This would be the minimalist version of the San Diego fish taco, which is my favorite kind. Below, however, I will list some of the classic extras that are permitted in San Diego.

Salsa Fresca: San Diegans call the mixture of diced tomatoes, white onions, cilantro, lime juice, and raw green chiles salsa fresca and it accompanies most Mexican taco shop food in one way or another. Elsewhere, this is called pico de gallo or salsa cruda, and it’s really more of a garnish than a sauce. It’s pretty standard to add salsa fresca to a fish taco, or any combination of its constituent ingredients.

Salsa Fresca, CC by bradleypjohnson

Citrus: It’s common to serve a fish taco with Mexican limónes, lemons or limes. These are unnecessary if the sauce contains lime juice, but they are there if you want a little extra sourness to cut through the oil of the fried fish. Please don’t squeeze the lime on there before you’ve tasted the taco: that’s considered to be an amateur move, like salting a steak before taking a bite.

Other Salsas: San Diego taco shops always give you a choice of green or red salsa with your food. Sometimes the red salsas are divided into “mild” and “hot” versions; while the green salsa will always be medium-hot. Any of these are acceptable and enjoyable on a fish taco.

Pickled vegetables: San Diego taco shops serve spicy pickled carrots with jalapeños and oregano as a garnish. This is technically called zanahorias en escabeche, but San Diegans generally call them “hot carrots”. They are free for the asking, and they are perfect accompaniments to the fish taco. I generally have a taco in one hand and a pickled carrot in the other when I am eating fish tacos. Pickled red onions are becoming more common, and straight pickled jalapeños too. All are worthwhile garnishes.

Guacamole, avocado, and cheese: Rubio made guacamole an option on his Fish Taco “Especial”, which is gilding the lily in my view. He also added cheese, which is a bridge too far. Neither of these have caught on, and should be considered questionable additions. A newcomer to San Diego should avoid these.

That’s it! Now go out there and find you some fish tacos.

* * *

If you can’t make it to San Diego, here is how I make fish tacos at home:

Fish Tacos (makes about 12)

1lb firm white fish, like pollock, cod, halibut, or shark

1 cup flour

1tsp salt

1tsp baking powder

1 egg

1tbsp yellow mustard

1 cup (about a half a bottle) beer

frying oil (I use peanut or corn oil)

cabbage, shredded fine

12 fresh corn tortillas

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt

1 mexican lemon or lime

Slice fish into at least 12 finger-sized portions, the right length for the tortilla. Better to have two thin slices of fish than one fat one in each taco. Sprinkle with salt and set aside. Meanwhile, prepare the batter: mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Add egg and mustard, and mix in about a half a bottle of beer, until the batter is like pancake batter. Make the white sauce: mix mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt, and lime juice, adding salt and pepper to taste. When the fish and batter are ready, heat the oil for deep frying; I use a cast iron pan about 2 inches deep. Consider doing this outside: frying fish in the house is messy and the smell can upset your housemates. When the oil is about 350 degrees dip portions of fish in the batter, cover completely, and lay gently in the oil. The batter will puff up and the fish will float. Fry until golden, about 2-3 minutes, flipping once.

frying fish in oil

Remove the fish from the oil and keep in a warm oven on paper towels until all the fish has been fried. Serve at the table on warm tortillas topped with white sauce and cabbage. Have plenty of toppings ready: hot red and/or green salsa, salsa fresca, pickled chiles and carrots. Ideally served with beer on a hot day.

p.s. I am occasionally asked to recommend places to eat fish tacos in San Diego. I have my favorites, of course, but change comes quickly in San Diego and I thought I would instead put my energy into providing this guide to evaluating fish tacos. I suggest using the guidelines above along with google or Yelp to find a good spot. If you do, please tell me about it!

p.p.s. on The Fish Burrito: A San Diego Innovation- San Diego is just as well known for its burritos as its tacos, and for good reason: besides being the northern neighbor to Baja California, it is also the Western limit of the Sonoran culture. It is from Sonora that we get burritos, carne asada and huge flour tortillas, three other essential elements of San Diego Mexican cuisine. San Diegans instinctively started putting Baja-style fish into Sonora-style flour tortillas, creating the fish burrito. The rules of the fish burrito are slightly different than the fish taco, and I won’t go into that here, except to say that the fish burrito is a GIANT HIT of carbs and fried fish, and is therefore recommended to advanced eaters only.