Baja Fish Tacos (Ensenada-Style Battered Fish)
Fingers of white fish soaked briefly in salt and vinegar, dipped in a light pancake-mix batter, fried crisp and tucked into corn tortillas with creamy slaw, a fried serrano salsa and a mayo-ketchup sauce.
Rose Egelhoff, writing for Serious Eats with Mazatlán taquero Paco Gaztelum, says fish tacos were likely first served in Ensenada in the early 1960s, according to Ensenada's former city historian, Arnulfo Estrada: a Sinaloan worker nicknamed "El Bachigualato" at the Mercado Negro fish market fried the day's catch for himself, and fishermen started asking for some on a tortilla. The originals were plain fried fish on a tortilla; Paco says the battered style developed in Baja to suit the American tourists who visit the region, and that a store-bought pancake-mix batter gives Baja tacos their touch of sweetness.
Then the taco crossed the border. Wikipedia says Ralph Rubio first tried fish tacos at a stand in San Felipe, Baja California, on spring break from San Diego State, and opened the first Rubio's in 1983 on Mission Bay Drive in San Diego, after which fish tacos spread through California.
Why it works the kitchen science
A quick vinegar-salt soak
Paco says it seasons the fish all the way through and tames any fishy taste; past 10 minutes the acid starts to "cook" it like ceviche (Serious Eats).
Pancake mix and seltzer
The boxed mix brings a measured touch of sugar and leavening, and the bubbles in the seltzer make a light, crisp shell (Serious Eats).
Step by step
- Step 1
Whisk the mayonnaise and ketchup together for the sauce. For the slaw, whisk the 2 tbsp mayonnaise, crema and pepper in a large bowl, toss in the cabbage, carrot and raisins, season with salt and refrigerate.
- Step 2
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or wok (at least 2 inches deep, the pot no more than half full) over medium-high to 375°F. Set a paper-towel-lined rack in a rimmed sheet.
- Step 3
While the oil heats, toss the fish with the vinegar and 2 tbsp salt and let sit 5 to 10 minutes, just until the surface turns white. Drain right away; never longer than 10 minutes.
- Step 4
Whisk the pancake mix, flour, onion flakes, garlic powder, pepper and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, then whisk in the seltzer, egg and mustard until smooth. Pour over the fish and toss gently to coat.
- Step 5
For the salsa, fry the serranos, onion and garlic in the 375°F oil, lifting out the onion and garlic after about 2 minutes and the chiles after 4 to 6 minutes, when their skins are blistered and brown. Blend them, drizzling in the 2 tbsp oil and the salt, until creamy.
- Step 6
Fry the fish 6 to 8 pieces at a time, dragging each piece through the oil before letting go so it doesn't stick, 3 to 7 minutes, until deep golden, the bubbling slows and the fish is opaque and flaky (145°F). Keep the oil between 350 and 375°F and drain on the rack.
- Step 7
Spread each warm tortilla with the mayo-ketchup sauce, add fish and top with slaw, serrano salsa, pico de gallo, avocado and a squeeze of lime.
Baja Fish Tacos (Ensenada-Style Battered Fish)
Serves 4 (3 tacos each) · 12 tacos · 1 hr 15 min total
Mayo-ketchup sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
Slaw
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Mexican crema
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1 medium carrot, grated (about 3/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup raisins
- Kosher salt
Fish and batter
- 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 1/2 lb firm white fish (cod, haddock, flounder or tilapia), cut crosswise into 2-inch-wide fingers
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 cup complete pancake mix
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp dried onion flakes
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups plain seltzer
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
Fried serrano salsa
- 5 to 8 serrano chiles, stemmed
- 1/2 small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
To serve
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
- 1 avocado, cubed
- Pico de gallo and lime wedges
Method
- Whisk the mayonnaise and ketchup together for the sauce. For the slaw, whisk the 2 tbsp mayonnaise, crema and pepper in a large bowl, toss in the cabbage, carrot and raisins, season with salt and refrigerate.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or wok (at least 2 inches deep, the pot no more than half full) over medium-high to 375°F. Set a paper-towel-lined rack in a rimmed sheet.
- While the oil heats, toss the fish with the vinegar and 2 tbsp salt and let sit 5 to 10 minutes, just until the surface turns white. Drain right away; never longer than 10 minutes.
- Whisk the pancake mix, flour, onion flakes, garlic powder, pepper and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, then whisk in the seltzer, egg and mustard until smooth. Pour over the fish and toss gently to coat.
- For the salsa, fry the serranos, onion and garlic in the 375°F oil, lifting out the onion and garlic after about 2 minutes and the chiles after 4 to 6 minutes, when their skins are blistered and brown. Blend them, drizzling in the 2 tbsp oil and the salt, until creamy.
- Fry the fish 6 to 8 pieces at a time, dragging each piece through the oil before letting go so it doesn't stick, 3 to 7 minutes, until deep golden, the bubbling slows and the fish is opaque and flaky (145°F). Keep the oil between 350 and 375°F and drain on the rack.
- Spread each warm tortilla with the mayo-ketchup sauce, add fish and top with slaw, serrano salsa, pico de gallo, avocado and a squeeze of lime.
Adapted from Serious Eats, "Baja Fish Tacos" by Rose Egelhoff and Paco Gaztelum (2024), as written (4 servings, 12 tacos), except that we halve the mayo-ketchup sauce. Fish doneness from USDA FSIS (see Food safety baseline). Serious Eats. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Paco checks the oil without a thermometer: a strip of tortilla should puff and bubble fast when it goes in.
- Green cabbage is the cheap taqueria standard; Paco prefers purple for flavor and color.
- Pair it with a light lager or a Coke, the Mazatlán taqueria drink, per Egelhoff.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Fish tacos were born in Ensenada. Disputed in detail: Serious Eats cites Ensenada's former city historian for the early 1960s Mercado Negro story; Ralph Rubio found his recipe in San Felipe, and he credits two San Diego-area spots (Saska's and Las Olas) with selling fish tacos before Rubio's (search results quoting him; not checked on the original page).
- Beer batter. Disputed: many recipes use beer; Paco uses pancake mix and seltzer and says that sweetness marks the Baja style.
- Shark. Documented: Serious Eats says El Bachigualato used angelshark; any firm white fish works now.
- Cabbage, not lettuce. Documented as standard (Serious Eats: slaw is "a must").
- Rubio's invented the fish taco. Folklore: Rubio's opened in 1983 (Wikipedia) and spread it in the US; it did not invent it.
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