I have more than a reason to try a fish tacos recipe. A few years ago we had a family roadtrip to Ensenada and tried the famous local fish tacos. I wasn’t sure about having a taco filled with battered fish, but I totally enjoyed it. They were delicious!
During our roadtrip to Ensenada, we tried different dishes packed with local flavors and fresh ingredients. The town has a rich history around fish and seafood commerce, which has nurtured a vibrant and innovative gastronomy.
If you want to check our roadtrip video, check it out below!
Where did fish tacos originate?
After we tried tacos de pescado at Tacos Fenix in Ensenada, their rich flavor and crispy batter left us wondering. Sadly (but understandably), when we asked for the recipe they refused to share it, as it has been a family secret for more than 50 years now.
I had to do some research to find out more about these mysterious tacos and I learned that they were first served at the Mercado Negro de Ensenada (Black Market in Spanish). Curiously, the cradle of Ensenada’s Fish Tacos got its name after local fishermen offered illegally species reserved to fishing cooperatives.
Getting back to fish tacos, originally they were served at food stalls for the first time in the 1960s in the Mercado Negro. The original filling was made with angelitos, a shark species that wasn’t too popular among the locals due to its unpleasant appearance.
Mario “El Bachigualato”, was the first to offer the original fish tacos filled with fried angelitos. Arguably, angelitos weren’t only ugly and very cheap, but they were easy to cut into fillets and to remove entirely their bones.
Soon enough, Don Mario had competition. Some local business people started to offer fish tacos as well. But, as delicious as they were, Don Zeferino Mancilla Fortuna thought they could improve making them with battered fish. And he was right! The light and crispy crust adds a special touch.
Overall, after its evolution during the late 1960s, the Ensenada Style fish tacos became a well-rounded dish. We can enjoy it nowadays as a crispy, spicy, creamy, refreshing, and zesty meal!
After trying them, you can understand why these tacos made Ensenada famous worldwide.
Toppings and salsa are CRUCIAL
As important as a crispy and fresh battered fish fillet is for this recipe, toppings and their special dressing are essential.
Pico de gallo and red pickled onions encurtido (or curtido) add a refreshing zestiness and mouthfeel. Along with them, the spicy and creamy salsa completes the taco-ish taste we all love.
So, if you don’t have encurtido at home you could either buy it or try to make it from scratch, but bear in mind that it tastes best after spending two days marinating in the fridge. This is a good reason to have a jar with encurtido always at hand.
Get ready in advance with my pickled red onions encurtido recipe.
Let’s cook Ensenada Style fish tacos, tacos de pescado!
Without further ado, let’s start cooking our fish tacos, tacos de pescado. As I said before, you can prepare a pico de gallo and have encurtido at hand, so you can use them as toppings.
Another important step before deep-frying your fish fillets, is to disinfect your cabbage. I use a teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a liter of water (about 34 ounces) for that.
I let sliced cabbage soak in this solution for about 8 minutes. It’s good to keep it clean, and make sure we have a healthy meal!
Below, in the recipe, you can find all the ingredients and a step-by-step guide, so you can recreate this Baja California gastronomic jewel!
Fish Tacos [Ensenada Style]
Ingredients
- 4 tilapia or white fish fillets (I chose tilapia)
- 10 Corn tortillas
Fish batter
- 1 ½ cups of wheat flour
- 1 ½ tsps of baking powder
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp of garlic powder
- 1 cup of beer
Spicy and delicious salsita
- ½ avocado
- 3 tbsps of cream or white butter
- 4 tbsps of mayonnaise
- ½ can of chile chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 piece of cilantro
- 5 scallions
- The juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsps of vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp of garlic powder
Toppings
- ½ cabbage or white cabbage, disinfected with 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 1 liter of water
- 1 tbsp of encurtido for each taco
- 1 tbsp of pico de gallo for each taco (We call it chismol in Honduras)
Instructions
Toppings & Salsa
- Beforehand it's important to have encurtido and chismol (pico de gallo) ready. Particularly encurtido, since it takes some time. For instance, my encurtido recipe is at its best after two days of marinating.
- To start, disinfect the cabbage. To do so, grate or slice the cabbage into thin slices. Then, soak it into 1 liter of water with a teaspoon of baking soda for 15 minutes. When the cabbage is ready, drain it thoroughly.
- In your food processor put the mayonnaise, avocado, cilantro, scallions, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic powder, chile chipotle, salt, and pepper. Blend until you have a creamy but slightly chunky consistency.
Fried Fish filling
- Let's start with the batter. First, sift flour and add baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix everything thoroughly.
- Add one egg, mustard, and beer. Then mix the ingredients until you have a soft and consistent batter.
- Heat oil in a stockpot.
- In the meantime, cut the fish fillets in smaller rectangles, like fish fingers.
- Soak the fillets in the batter. Dip them well, so they are completely covered.
- Use a bit of batter to test the oil temperature. When the oil is hot enough, start to fry the fish.
- Putting the fish inside hot oil requires extra care. I use tongs to avoid burning my hands. Avoid dropping or throwing the fish in the oil, since it will splash.
- Don't overfill the stockpot as you won't have enough space to move the fish inside the oil. A stainless steel drainer is useful to remove floating bits of batter. Remove them carefully. If they burn, they will add an unpleasant burnt taste to the fish.
- After 7 to 9 minutes the fish will be ready. Let the fish drying on paper towels for a few minutes.
Building your Fish Tacos
- While the fish is drying, you can warm your tortillas in a hot pan. Don't toast the tortillas, as they will break when you fold them.
- Everything is set now! To build the tacos put the fish first. Then add the toppings: cabbage, chismol (pico de gallo), and encurtido. Finish with the delicious salsita and a hint of lemon juice.
- Enjoy your Ensenada-Style Fish Tacos!
Video
Notes
If you try this fish tacos recipe, let me know in the comments below how did you like it!
And remember, you can check my encurtido recipe here and find more about our road trips here.
Leave a Reply