How to Make Fish Tacos–A SoCal Classic

When it comes to Southern California’s important contributions to the world of cuisine, one dish stands head and shoulders above the rest:

The Fish Taco.

If you haven’t been out here before, then you probably have never experienced the awesomeness that is an authentic fish taco.

But with a little bit of work you can prepare some of your own (and save the hundreds of dollars you might otherwise have spent on airfare).

The Legend of the Fish Taco

The classic fish taco is composed of the following four elements:

1. The Tortilla
2. The Fish
3. The Cabbage
4. The Topping

 

The first component of a fish taco is the tortilla, and you have two options here: corn tortillas, and flour tortillas.

Go with the corn tortillas.

While we Americans looooove our wheat, our neighbors to the south (and the inventors of the taco) have always preferred corn.

Additionally, corn may be healthier than wheat due to the lower gluten content.

And besides, corn just tastes better.

Next up is the fish, and here you have a bit more flexibility. Basically any white sea fish will fit the bill. (Bonus points if you caught it yourself that morning.)

The next issue is whether to grill the fish or cover with beer batter and deep fry.

While they both are tasty, it is almost always easier to go with grilled fish.

The third component is easy to forget, but without it you’ll never have an authentic fish taco: shredded cabbage.

Cabbage is one of the basic vegetables that are cheap, versatile, and readily available, so you don’t have any excuse for not including it.

Without some finely chopped cabbage, you might have a decent taco, but it sure as hell ain’t no SoCal Fish Taco!

The final component is a little more up for grabs than the others, and includes all the toppings that you add for additional flavor.

Here are some of the things you can top your fish taco with:

• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Sour cream
• Hot sauce

I like to go with some pico de gallo-style salsa, which I’ll show you how to make at the end of the article.

The Prep

All right, so you’ve got all your ingredients. Let’s get to work!

If you’re going to make your salsa, it’s best to do it first. (See below for my own kick-ass pico de gallo recipe.)

Next, chop up the cabbage into thin slices.

Now you’ll want to warm up your tortillas. It’s crucial you don’t skip this step. Room temperature corn tortillas are flaky and will fall apart when you try to eat them.

Instead, pile as many tortillas up as you’ll need, wrap them in aluminum foil, and put them in an oven set to 350°F for about 20–30 minutes.

(You can also do some last-minute heating of tortillas in the microwave or on a hot, dry pan. Read more about these methods here.)

At this time, grill up or fry your fish. (In case you missed it, here’s my guide to grilling fish.)

Now take out a tortilla and pile on in the following order: fish, cabbage, and salsa or other toppings.

Get yourself an ice-cold Mexican or craft beer and some tortilla chips and enjoy!

Pico de Gallo Salsa

Pico de gallo (Spanish for “rooster’s beak”) is a salsa made from fresh ingredients.

Since it requires no cooking or fermentation, it is easy to whip up. It’s also damned tasty, and takes to fish tacos like jelly to peanut butter.

Here’s what you’ll need for a batch of pico de gallo (scale up or down as needed):

• Six roma tomatoes
• Two jalapeño peppers (the heat comes only from these peppers, so increase or decrease them as you’d like)
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 limes
• 1 handful fresh cilantro (dried just doesn’t cut it here)
• Salt

First, cut off the stems of the jalapeños and chop them up.

Next, chop up the tomatoes as well.

Then, peel and chop the onion.

Cut the majority of the stems off of the cilantro and mince the leaves.

Mix everything together in a bowl, along with the juice of the limes and salt to taste.

Use this on tacos and with tortillas, and don’t forget the margarita.

¡Salud!