In Search of the Best (Fish) Tacos

It’s Taco Tuesday in San Diego. I had no idea this was a thing, but it’s a thing here. San Diegans love their tacos. Drive down any street and you’re bound to find at least one taco shop. What I’m finding is that not all taco shops or tacos are created equal.

I first tried fish tacos while in Seattle in the late 90’s. I had seen them offered on a few different menus but they sounded weird to me. The tacos I knew were hard shelled, filled with greasy orange meat and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and sometimes sour cream. I couldn’t wrap my head around substituting fish for the meat and I always passed over the option. Finally one day I read the description on a menu and ordered the fish tacos. As odd as they sounded with deep fried fish, cabbage and sauce on a soft corn tortilla, I absolutely loved them.

After that, I would eat fish tacos when given the chance. They were harder to find on menus in Wichita, KS, but they did exist. My husband, Rob, perfected a recipe he knew from a San Diego restaurant and made them at home from time to time. We tried different fish and began grilling as a healthier option. My favorite became grilled cod, with cabbage, pico and a yogurt-mayo sauce.

Since moving here, we’ve had the opportunity to try all sorts of tacos. That’s what you eat in San Diego. You can find just about any kind of taco you can imagine. There are fish tacos, shrimp or seafood tacos, al pasto, carne asada and pollo asada to name just a few. All of these have slight variations from place to place, but overall, they are all quite good.

One of the best fish tacos I’ve tried was from a food truck in a grocery store parking lot. Soft corn tortillas hold their perfectly seasoned deep fried fish, topped with shredded cabbage, pico and drizzled with white sauce. A squeeze of lime over the top makes them perfect without even needing additional sauce. These tacos are heaven in a tortilla.

Of course there are other tacos, and we’ve been sampling our way through area taco shops. Another one of my favorites is the al pastor. This is usually pork, marinated in a chili, pineapple sauce, cooked and served on served on a soft corn tortilla with onions and cilantro. I’ve tried these at several restaurants and found one place that cooks their meat layered on a spit, gyro style. They serve theirs with cilantro, onions, and then add a cilantro cream sauce on top. Again, heaven in a tortilla.

I could go on and on here. There are so many options and so many new places to try. I think I know the answer to the timeless question, “what’s for dinner tonight?” With all the choices, the more difficult part is deciding on where.