Ensenada-style fish tacos: Baja California's battered fish explained

What an Ensenada-style fish taco is

On the coast of Baja California, breakfast or lunch on many days is a fish taco. We are not talking about grilled fish or ceviche, but a strip of white fish that has been capeada, that is, dipped in a runny flour batter and fried in oil until puffed and crisp. It is served in a warm corn tortilla and each customer finishes it at a bar of shredded cabbage, cream, salsas and lime. That crunchy, fresh and tangy combination is what Mexicans know as the Ensenada-style taco.

Outside Mexico it has spread as the Baja fish taco, often in restaurant versions. At home, though, it is stall food: ordered standing up, eaten in a few bites and ordered again. Many stalls trade mainly in the morning and until mid-afternoon, for as long as the day's fish lasts.

From the Mercado Negro to the whole peninsula

The history of the fish taco is told mostly by word of mouth, and the dates vary depending on who is telling it. Most accounts place its birthplace in Ensenada, and in particular in the old Mercado Negro, the port's fish market. According to the version collected by Baja California travel and food media, a vendor nicknamed "el Bachigualato" began selling fish tacos there towards the end of the 1950s, and later another vendor, Zeferino Mancilla, is said to have perfected the technique of flouring and frying the fish and added the shredded cabbage. Other sources give different dates, from the 1930s to the early 1960s, so these names and years are best taken as oral tradition rather than proven fact.

A hypothesis about the batter is also often repeated: the influence of Japanese fishermen who settled in Ensenada in the early decades of the twentieth century. According to this idea, the batter resembles tempura because it grew out of contact with that community. It is a plausible theory cited by several writers, but there is no document to prove it.

How it is put together, step by step

Our Ensenada-style fish tacos recipe has few components, but each one matters:

• The fish. A firm, boneless white fish, cut into strips. Accounts of Ensenada traditionally mention dogfish or small shark; today other species are used depending on the season and the local catch.
• The batter. A light, runny mix of flour, water or beer, mustard and spices. The fish is dipped in and fried in very hot oil until the batter puffs up and turns golden.
• The tortilla. Corn, warm, sometimes doubled so it can take the weight.
• The cabbage. Very finely shredded white cabbage, which adds freshness and crunch.
• The cream. A white sauce of cream or mayonnaise thinned with milk or lime juice.
• The salsas. Salsa bandera or pico de gallo (tomato, onion, cilantro and chile), red chile salsas and a green avocado salsa, which is usually the hottest.
• The lime. Squeezed straight over the fish before the taco is closed.

Capeado, rebozado and empanizado: not the same thing

In Mexico capear has two uses that are worth keeping apart. The capeado of a chile relleno is a coating of egg white beaten to stiff peaks with the yolk folded in, which forms a fluffy shell. The capeado of the fish taco is something else: a runny flour batter, closer to that of a savory fritter or tempura, which turns crisp and bubbly.

Empanizado, meanwhile, means coating the fish or shrimp in egg and breadcrumbs, as in breaded fish fillet or breaded shrimp tacos. It gives a harder, drier crust. Ensenada stalls almost always work with capeado, which is what gives the taco its light texture.

The shrimp taco, its inseparable sibling

The same stalls sell, with equal success, shrimp tacos made using the same technique. Battered shrimp tacos use whole peeled shrimp in batter, with the same cabbage, cream and salsas. Many customers order one of each: the fish for its tender flesh and the shrimp for its sweeter, firmer bite.

Some stalls also offer seafood tostadas or seafood cocktails. If you are drawn to the raw, tangy side of Mexico's seafood, our fish ceviche recipe is a natural counterpoint to the fried taco.

How it is eaten in Baja California

The local custom is simple. You tell the taquero how many tacos you want; he fries them to order and hands you each taco with just the fish on the tortilla. You go to the bar and finish it off: first the cabbage, then the cream, then the salsas and, finally, the lime. It is eaten straight away, while the batter is hot, because within a few minutes it loses its crunch.

It is morning and midday food. Since the fish is bought fresh every day, many stalls close when they run out, which is why accounts advise going early. An agua fresca or a beer is the usual accompaniment.

The salsas, the other half of the taco

In Ensenada people often say a stall is judged as much by its salsa bar as by its fish. Salsa bandera, with chopped tomato, onion, cilantro and chile, brings freshness without too much heat; the green avocado salsa, blended with chile, is usually the fiercest; and the red dried-chile salsas give depth and a little smokiness. The cream lightens the whole thing and the cabbage provides the fresh crunch that contrasts with the fried fish.

There is no fixed rule on the order, but balance matters: too much cream smothers the fish and too much salsa softens the batter. Regulars tend to add a little of each and order a second taco to try another combination.

Tips for making them at home

Use a firm white fish, dry it very thoroughly and cut it into thick strips so it does not fall apart in the fryer. Make the batter just before using it and keep it cold: the contrast between cold batter and hot oil is what makes it puff. Fry a few pieces at a time so the oil does not cool, and drain on kitchen paper. Have the cabbage, cream and salsas ready before you start frying, because the taco has to be assembled and eaten at once.

If you want to keep exploring the world of the taco, our history of tacos shows how each region has created its own version, and our guide to Mexican tostadas takes you to another coastal way of eating fish and seafood on corn.

Frequently asked questions

Which fish is used for Ensenada tacos?

A firm, boneless white fish. Dogfish or small shark is traditionally mentioned, but today other local species are used depending on the day's catch.

Are they made with corn or flour tortillas?

Corn. The flour tortilla is typical of other northern dishes, but the Ensenada fish taco is traditionally served in a corn tortilla.

Is it the same as the Baja fish taco sold outside Mexico?

It is the same idea, but abroad it is usually served ready-assembled and with adapted ingredients. In Ensenada the fish is fried to order and the customer finishes it at the salsa bar.

Why are they said to have a Japanese influence?

Because in the early twentieth century there was a community of Japanese fishermen in Ensenada and the batter recalls tempura. It is a widespread hypothesis, not a proven fact.

Sources

• Discover Baja Travel Club, «Baja fish tacos: born in Ensenada of debated origins» (Mercado Negro, the stories of el Bachigualato and Zeferino Mancilla, the Japanese fishing community, typical accompaniments, the habit of going early).
• Excélsior, «Receta de tacos de camarón estilo Ensenada» (the shrimp taco as the fish taco's sibling, possible Asian influence on the batter).
• Selecciones, «Aprende a preparar el taco de pescado estilo Ensenada» (dates attributed to the Mercado Negro).
• University of Texas at San Antonio, La Cocina Historic Mexican Cookbook Collection, «Baja-style tempura fish tacos» (other dates proposed for the origin).