Fish Tacos

Fish tacos — battered and fried white fish (or grilled fish) in a corn tortilla with shredded cabbage, a creamy white sauce, and salsa — entered American cuisine through San Diego and the Baja California border crossing in the 1980s-90s. The Baja fish taco (from Ensenada and the Baja coast) uses beer-battered fried fish on a corn tortilla with cabbage and *crema*; the San Diego adaptation added the specific creamy white sauce (mayo, lime, cilantro) that became the standard. Rubio's Coastal Grill (founded 1983 by Ralph Rubio after discovering fish tacos in San Felipe, Baja) is credited with popularising the format in the US, though the taco stands of Ensenada are the source.

A small corn tortilla (doubled for structural strength) holding a piece of battered, fried white fish (cod, mahi-mahi, or pollock), topped with shredded green cabbage, a drizzle of lime-cilantro crema (a thin sauce of mayo or sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro), and a fresh salsa (pico de gallo or a mango-habanero for the contemporary version). The fish should be crispy-battered on the outside, moist and flaky inside. The cabbage provides crunch. The crema provides richness and acid. The salsa provides heat and freshness.

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