Baja-style fish tacos may be the best fast food. Ever.
But if your next trip to Baja is far on the horizon, you have two options:
1. Make it yourself (it’s really pretty easy). The gorgeous one above was made by (and photographed by) The Yuca Diaries—read her recipe.
2. Ask someone else to make it for you.
Most Californians swear by In-N-Out, understandably. But my favorite fast food is actually Rubio’s Fish Tacos, because you can get freshly-made Baja-style fish tacos at a chain. The one pictured here is wrapped in flour, but the traditional Baja Fish Taco (probably originating in San Felipe or Ensenada in the 1950s) consists of a lightly battered, deep-fried white fish, served in a corn tortilla (often two) with a thin sour-cream- or mayonnaise-based sauce, a bit of salsa, shredded cabbage, and a squeeze of lime.
Ralph Rubio opened the first restaurant in San Diego in the 1980s and though they’re now operating all over the west, each taco is still made-to-order. So if you happen to be driving along a highway out this way, and you’re going to be pulling off for fast-food somewhere, do a quick search. It’s one hundred times better than that other Mexican fast food, and most locations sell cold Cerveza.
(Though after seeing the homemade version on The Yuca Diaries, I think I might have to try that next time. And Rubio’s should really check out the purple cabbage, no?)
P.S. A few amazing spots for fish tacos in New York City: Pinche Taqueria on Mott Street; Mercadito in Alphabet city (but it may have been the shrimp taco that was my favorite there); Rockaway Taco; and Tacombi at Fonda Nolita on Elizabeth Street.
Have a great weekend, eat a taco for me! Oh, and I have some really fun news to share on Monday—be sure to check back!
[Top two photos via The Yuca Diaries]
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