Fish Tacos in Baja California: 6 Deliciously Different Takes
Few destinations conjure up the image of a single dish as purely as Baja does the fish taco—battered and fried, typically with chopped onions, shredded cabbage, avocado, and crema. Believed to have originated over 50 years ago in either Ensenada or San Felipe (both claim to be its birthplace), Baja-style fish tacos are now available nearly everywhere on the 800-mile-long peninsula known as Baja California Norte and Baja California Sur.
But just because everyone serves fish tacos doesn't mean they all do it the same way: The batter, toppings, salsa and type of fish—from bass to yellowtail—vary wildly. Over eight days of travel in Baja, from Tijuana to Todos Santos, I sampled dozens of fish tacos for Bon Appétit—what you see in this slideshow represents six of the tastiest takes I found.
1/6Tacos Marco Antonio
Look past the fish market to find this local favorite on Ensenada’s cannery row. Marco Antonio opened the taco stand outside his family’s cannery five years ago when business started to slow. The space at the end of a driveway feels like a block party—think blue tarps hung overhead, card tables, and live music (there were xylophone players when we were there). What’s truly incredible is the array of fish tacos to try—there are more than 17 types from tuna loin to salmon belly to fried fish skin. The breaded fish is a standout and features a crunchy panko-like crust. Shrimp in chipotle crema can be ordered on its own or—as the locals do—deployed as a decadent topping. Thick homemade corn tortillas, rolled out and grilled right before your eyes, also set these tacos apart. Av. Rayon between 3rd and 4th.
2/6Kokopelli
“We’re sick of them,” says Pablo Campos of the battered Baja-style fish taco. At Kokopelli, the stand he started in Tijuana with his brother, a Tijuana Culinary Art School grad, and another partner, they’re putting a newfangled spin on the dish. Offerings include grilled marlin with pibil (a typical pork preparation wrapped in banana leaves and marinated in orange juice and achiote paste) and shrimp with chimichurri and black olives. (To locals, "fish taco" means anything from the sea, not just finned, scaly fish.) Tacos feature playful names like the “Gringo on Vacaciones,” which contains mild shrimp in adobo sauce. The best-selling “Kraken” taco, tender twice-cooked octopus and Mexican pesto (with cilantro and pumpkin seeds), packs heat. Tacos can be topped with an array of brightly colored housemade salsas like pineapple habanero and robo de dante, a bright red (and spicy) combo of pumpkin seeds and serrano chiles. Kokopelli is a stop on roving supper club Tengo Hambre’s popular taco tour, and Campos says he’s seeing more and more people crossing the border in search of tacos. Near the corner of Agua Caliente and Av. Melchor Ocampo, **
3/6Manzanilla
Tacos are first and foremost a street food, but Manzanilla, a restaurant in a former mechanic shop near the port in Ensenada, is doing a more elegant take. Chef Bonito Molino, a New England Culinary School grad, smokes yellowtail tuna for six hours, then mixes it with chile guajillo, capers, onions, olives, and smoked tomatoes before placing it on a flour tortilla and grilling it again over oak so the flavors meld. Served three to a plate alongside a chunky guacamole, the tacos balance crunch from the charred tortilla with the smoke-tenderized filling, yet it remains recognizably a fish taco. Recinto Portuario, Teniente Azueta #139, Ensenada.
4/6La Palapa
Yolanda Zurita has been bringing incredibly fresh fish tacos to the people of tiny Bahia de Los Angeles for 24 years at her shop, La Palapa. Out on the Sea of Cortez, her fisherman son catches fish like yellowtail, which are lightly battered in a mixture of milk, flour, mustard, and spices like oregano and allspice—a recipe Zurita learned from her mother. After being fried (to order, unlike some shops that fry in batches), the fish goes on a white corn tortilla and gets topped with a refreshing mix of chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and onion. The shop has a beachy Baja vibe, with surf stickers, bright green tablecloths, and a view of the bay. La Palapa is on the Boulevard de Los Angeles and is the first taqueria on the right after you go around the roundabout with the white sail sculpture when you come into town.
5/6Mariscos Pepe’s
Police and businessmen flock to this stand in Santa Rosalia, a French-influenced mining town in Baja California Sur (the local church was designed by Gustave Eiffel). Owned and operated for 20 years by Maria Jesus, it serves a variety of seafood, from fish tacos made with a bass-like white fish to lobster chiles rellenos. Her tacos are battered in a simple mix of cornmeal, flour, garlic, and allspice, and—unusually—served on warm flour tortillas, which added a nice chewy texture. Jesus changes the oil in the fryer between batches to ensure freshness, but the big draw here is the salsa bar, which includes freshly made coleslaw, onions, tomatoes, guacamole, sliced cucumber, red and green salsa, and limes. At the beginning of the day, tacos tend to look more like salads, so get there early—the stand opens at 8 a.m. and toppings run out as the day goes on. ** Near the corner of Alvaro Obregon and Playa.
6/6El Parguito
Jenny Armit, owner of upscale Todos Santos B&B The Hotelito, knows tacos. She recently started a blog called Taco Hunt, and when guests come asking for the best fish tacos in town, she sends them to El Parguito, a family-owned stand on the edge of town. “The reason it is my favorite, apart from the fresh fish and shrimp, is because all the truck drivers stop on the way through to Cabo, therefore the salsas are super, super fresh, changed and replenished constantly,” she said in an email. The modest Coca-Cola-logo-plastered taqueria is located under a palapa, and fries up lightly beer-battered fish and shrimp served on grilled corn tortillas. The oil used for frying is changed frequently, and customers can add their pick of toppings including cabbage slaw, salsa fresca, guacamole, and delightfully acidic pickled red onions. On the corner of Santos Degollado and Del Huerto.**
