Fish Taco Journey, Part I: A visit to Ensenada

Before sharing my favorite fish tacos in San Diego, let's travel 89 miles south to the dish's birthplace in Ensenada, Mexico

Traveling to Ensenada, Mexico to enjoy fish tacos across the city — like this one from Sabina Restaurante por La Guerrerense — was well-worth the two-hour bus trip down the
Pacific Coast. Photo by Lauren J. Mapp

When I think about dishes that scream “San Diego,” there are only two that ever really cross my mind — the California burrito and the fish taco.

While the California burrito was the first of the two dishes that I fell in love with a mere two weeks into living here, it took me much longer to warm up to the fish taco. After years of locals telling me to try them, I finally gave it a go and realized my grave mistake in resisting for so long.

Cut to last summer, when I decided to eat fish, shrimp and other seafood tacos all around San Diego County to make a guide to tacos in the region.

I found some really incredibly made options featuring flavorful pico de gallo and crispy breading, shrimp tacos layered with luscious melted cheese and ribbons of grilled peppers, and a few options that surprised me in their unique compilations.

But before I dive into a list of my favorites, we must first start with the origin of the fish taco 89 miles south of San Diego in Ensenada, Mexico.

Long before the melding of cultures leading to the modern fish taco, corn tortillas and fish caught in the Pacific Ocean were staples of the diets of the Indigenous peoples of coastal Mexico.

With the arrival of Japanese immigrants to Mexico in the late 1800s and early 1900s came the tempura batter method of cooking fish, leading to the creation of the Ensenada or Baja fish taco.

This is an excerpt from my newest food writing project, San Diego Tides & Tacos. Visit this article on Substack to read more. 

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