Seafood tacos: recipes from the Mexican coast for the UK

Mexico and the sea: an extraordinary culinary relationship

When we think of Mexican tacos, the first things that come to mind are tacos al pastor, carnitas or carne asada. But Mexico has more than 11,000 km of coastline spread across the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and its tradition of seafood tacos is as rich and varied as that of meat.

The UK, with its own fishing tradition and access to top-quality seafood, is the perfect place to make Mexican seafood tacos. The quality of British fish and shellfish, combined with Mexican techniques and flavours, produces extraordinary results.

Baja California-style fish tacos

The fish tacos of Ensenada, Baja California, are probably the most famous seafood tacos in the world. They consist of strips of white fish in batter, fried and served in a corn tortilla with a creamy salsa, shredded cabbage and pico de gallo.

Ingredients for 12 tacos:

• 500 g of firm white fish (hake, fresh cod, monkfish or sea bass)
• 1 cup of plain flour
• 1 cup of cold beer
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for frying

Creamy salsa (chipotle cream):

• 200 ml of mayonnaise
• 100 ml of sour cream (or Greek yoghurt)
• 2 chipotle chillies in adobo
• The juice of 1 lime
• Salt

Toppings:

• 1/4 red cabbage, finely shredded
• Pico de gallo (tomato, onion, coriander, serrano chilli, lime)
• Limes in quarters

The secret to the perfect batter is the cold beer: it creates a crisp, light texture. Cut the fish into 2 cm strips, pass them through the batter and fry them in hot oil (180°C) for 2-3 minutes. They should be golden and crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside.

Tacos gobernador (Sinaloa)

Tacos gobernador were born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and are a true delicacy. They are prawn tacos with melted cheese, made in the tortilla itself, as if it were a seafood quesadilla.

Ingredients for 8 tacos:

• 400 g of prawns, peeled and chopped
• 200 g of Oaxaca cheese (or grated mozzarella)
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 poblano chillies, roasted and cut into strips (or piquillo peppers)
• Fresh coriander
• 8 flour tortillas (in Sinaloa they use flour ones)

Sauté the prawns with the onion, pepper, tomato and poblano chillies. In a separate pan, heat the tortilla, add grated cheese, add the prawn filling, fold and let the cheese melt to create a crisp crust. The result is a taco where the melted cheese mixes gloriously with the prawn.

In the UK, fresh prawns work perfectly for this taco.

Tacos de camarón a la diabla

For lovers of heat, camarón a la diabla (devilled prawn) tacos are an explosion of flavour. The prawns are cooked in an intensely spicy red salsa made with chile de árbol and guajillo.

Diabla salsa:

• 6 chiles de árbol
• 3 guajillo chillies
• 3 tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 onion

Toast the chillies, rehydrate them, roast the tomatoes and blend everything. Sauté the peeled prawns briefly (no more than 2-3 minutes) and add the salsa. Serve in corn tortillas with red onion and coriander.

Char-grilled octopus tacos

Octopus is an ingredient that unites Mexico and Spain like few others. In Mexico, especially on the coasts of Yucatán and the Gulf, octopus is grilled with a touch of achiote and lime. In the UK, you have access to excellent-quality octopus.

Method:

1. Cook the octopus until tender (40-50 minutes in a normal pot, 20 in a pressure cooker)
2. Cut it into medium pieces
3. Marinate it for 30 minutes in: olive oil, lime juice, chopped garlic, ground chile de árbol, salt and paprika
4. Cook it over a high heat in a pan or on a griddle for 2-3 minutes per side (it should be slightly charred)

Serve in corn tortillas with guacamole, pickled red onion and a squeeze of lime. The combination of charred octopus with creamy guacamole is exceptional.

Ceviche tacos

Although ceviche is more associated with Peru, Mexico has its own ceviche tradition, especially on the Pacific coasts. Mexican ceviche is distinguished by having more vegetables, lime and spicy salsas.

For ceviche tacos, prepare a Mexican ceviche with firm white fish (sea bass or bream), lime, red onion, coriander, cucumber, serrano chilli and avocado. Serve on tostadas (flat fried tortillas) instead of soft tortillas, so the tostada can hold up to the moisture of the ceviche.

Aguachile (the spicy Sinaloan ceviche)

Aguachile is the extreme cousin of ceviche: raw (or almost raw) prawns submerged in an intensely spicy green juice of serrano chilli, lime, coriander and cucumber.

There are versions: green (the classic), black (with soy sauce and pasilla chilli) and red (with chile de árbol). For tacos, the aguachile is served on tostadas with red onion, cucumber and avocado.

In the UK, use the freshest king prawns (they must be of the highest quality because they are eaten practically raw) and adjust the heat to your taste.

British seafood that works in Mexican tacos

The UK has world-class seafood. Here are the best combinations:

• Red prawns → tacos gobernador (their sweetness is perfect)
• Octopus → char-grilled octopus tacos
• Line-caught hake → Ensenada-style fish tacos
• King prawns → green aguachile
• Baby squid → battered squid tacos with chipotle salsa
• Sea bream → Mexican ceviche on tostadas
• Mussels → mussel tacos with chipotle-and-lime salsa

Essential salsas for seafood tacos

1. Habanero-and-mango salsa: the heat of the habanero with the sweetness of the mango is the perfect complement to seafood
2. Chipotle cream: mayonnaise + chipotle + lime. Works with everything
3. Pico de gallo: tomato, onion, coriander, serrano, lime. The classic that never fails
4. Black salsa: fried pasilla chilli + garlic + oil. Pure umami for fish

Seafood tacos are the most exciting frontier of Mexican cooking in the UK. With the quality of British seafood and Mexican techniques, the possibilities are endless. Discover more in our recipes and find ingredients on our map of shops.