A Salute to the Art of the Taco

By Luis Humberto Crosthwaite
Two marvelous syllables. A four-letter word that guards a treasure of flavor, that dignifies the palate, that buoys the person who eats it the taco.

An essential and versatile food. A sprinkling of a little salt on a corn tortilla and then rolling it up comprises the most basic taco – and the most consumed one in Mexican homes.

In Mexico, the trade of a taquero is much more admired than that of a politician or public servant. The way it should be.

The taco is so important that to eat it requires a certain etiquette. By the way it is introduced into the mouth we know if the person is a journeyman or beginner. The salsa stains on the shirt give away the rookie. Tacos are the authentic fast food, prepared in seconds. Anyone who has seen a master taquero in action knows this.

The taquero places a square-shaped paper on his hand. The soft, hot tortilla on the paper. The meat on the tortilla. Then rest of the ingredients – beans, guacamole and salsa – in a rapid, rhythmic motion.

There is an unwritten agreement between taquero and client: The master must be attentive to the exact moment when the last bit of taco disappears in the client's mouth, because he knows that he must have another one prepared, ready to be served. No one wants to eat tacos out of sync.

As well, the client must be up to the taquero's standards.

Eating a taco is not simply placing it in the mouth, chewing it.

For starters, a taco is eaten while standing. The client must stand with legs apart, his torso slightly inclined forward, so the salsa does not fall on his shirt or shoes.

And a compensation law always applies. The taquero knows that the client will say that he consumed one fewer taco, and the master always adds one taco to the total. A universal balance is maintained.

I firmly believe that the greatest contribution made to the taco was when a fisherman, or his wife, placed a piece of fish on a tortilla, creating a perfect work of art.

Similarly, I firmly believe that the greatest heresy was to create prefolded tortillas. Why prefold a tortilla if folding it is so pleasurable?

A Mexican TV network came up with the idea that this food deserved an International Day of the Taco, and that it should be observed March 31.

That day we celebrated the women who prepare tacos in the morning for their husbands to eat at lunch on the job; the mothers who make their children and grandchildren smile with this ancestral meal; the master taqueros, mind-reading cultural icons who work for meager wages and a few coins in tips.

More than a day, they deserve a monument.

It is said that the fish taco came about thousands of years ago when fishermen in seaside villages wrapped raw small fishes in stone-ground tortillas and ate them for lunch. They ate from the land and lived off of what was plentiful.

The fish taco then became popular in Baja, Mexico around the late 50s, early 60s and into the 70s through street vendors and taco stands. There are (at least) two sides to where they exactly originated - just like most food history stories!

First, Ensenada, Mexico claims to be the birth place of the fish taco. Ensenada has an incredible market or Mercado that opened in 1958 where fresh fish was (and is) sold and stands were at every corner offering tacos made with that very fresh fish. Ensenada is proud of their claim to fame and they advertise at restaurants throughout the city that their taco is the original.

San Felipe is the second claim - with so many of their stands offering an almost identical variety of fish tacos to Ensenada. They say, however, that their port town is the true home of the fish taco. San Felipe was on the way to some of the best surfing secrets in Baja and is where Ralph Rubio happened upon a stand in 1974. He loved the fish tacos so much that he asked the owner - Carlos, whom he had befriended - to come up to San Diego and open up a place. Carlos wouldn't leave his home - but, he did share the recipe. Rubio took his notes home and worked on the recipe – the one from Carlos wasn't exact - and after many years came up with one that worked best. He opened up his first restaurant in San Diego in 1983 with the help of his father. Rubio’s is now headquartered in Carlsbad, California and operates, licenses or franchises more than 195 restaurants in California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.

The original fish tacos found in Ensenada and San Felipe were made up of small pieces of white fish, battered and deep fried and served in two hot overlapping corn tortillas. Most were prepared simply - often only topped with cabbage and a citrus mayo-type sauce. In the 70s, five or six of these tacos would sell for just a buck at most of the vendors at the market and along the streets.

Fish tacos - and tacos in general - are street food. In fact, if you go to Mexico now - you will not be able to find a taco in the middle of the day. Tacos are either for breakfast or for a late night snack and can hardly be found between the hours of noon and 6 p.m. This is the time for the largest meal of the day in Mexico. So, the breakfast places close for the day after service and the night-time vendors roll out onto the streets to feed the late-night snackers come dark - stringing lights so they can be seen.

BAJA FISH TACOS

Double-fried fish tacos swim in robust flavors of the Baja

Shredded cabbage, diced onion, avocado sauce and Secret Sauce garnish Schneider’s Traditional Baja-Style Fish Tacos.
Ralph Rubio was hooked. The warm corn tortillas caressed piping-hot beer-battered-andfried fish. The sturdy crunch of shredded cabbage melded with a trio of garnishes: a dollop of mayonnaise-based sauce, a squeeze of fresh citrus juice and the just-right spice of salsa.

Rubio tasted his first fish taco in 1974. It was midmorning in the fishing village of San Felipe in Baja, Mexico. He was a freshman at San Diego State University and on a spring break that would change his life.

He opened his first fish taco eatery at Mission Bay in San Diego in 1983. Now there are more than 160 Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grills in the western United States.

"The fish taco defines the best of Baja," said Deborah Schneider, chef and author of Baja Cooking on the Edge (Rodale, $27.95), adding that some people call the traditional fish tacos Ensenada-style, others call them San Felipe-style.

According to legend, Schneider said, Asian fishermen living in the Baja long ago inspired the idea of using a tempuralike batter on locally caught fish. The crisp-fried fish was teamed with local ingredients, and an early kind of fusion cooking was born.
"Like all great street food, the perfect fish taco is very, very simple," she said.

Double-frying the fish is essential, Schneider noted. The technique involves coating each finger-size piece of firm fish with a mixture of flour, beer and seasonings, then briefly frying it and draining it. Just before serving, the fish is fried again. If it’s not double fried, Schneider said, the fish takes a long time to cook and could be soggy instead of brown and crisp.

The fish can be fried in its initial step the day before and refrigerated. The sauces can also be prepared and chilled a day in advance.

SCHNEIDER’S TRADITIONAL BAJA - STYLE FISH TACOS
Makes 24 tacos
This recipe is adapted from Baja Cooking on the Edge by Deborah Schneider.

2 cups all - purpose flour

1 1 / 2 teaspoons baking powder

1 / 2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 / 4 teaspoon cayenne

1 / 2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 / 2 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled to a powder

Kosher salt

1 / 2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

12 ounces cold beer , plus more if needed to thin batter

2 pounds firm , meaty fish , such as farmed catfish , skinned , boned

Fresh lime juice

Vegetable oil for deep - frying

Corn tortillas , warmed

Lime wedges

Avocado Sauce (recipe follows) or diced avocado

Secret Sauce (Recipe follows)

Salsa de Chiles de Arbol (recipe follows) or store-bought hot sauce Store-bought salsa

Finely shredded green cabbage

Cilantro

Chopped white onion (optional)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, garlic, cayenne, mustard, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper until well-blended. Stir in beer until there are no lumps. Batter can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated.

Cut fish into pieces the size and shape of your index finger. Sprinkle with a few drops of lime juice and a little salt. Pour oil into deep, wide pan to depth of 2 inches. Heat over mediumhigh heat to 350 degrees. Use a deep-fry thermometer to test temperature or test heat by dropping a little batter into oil. It should bounce to surface almost immediately, surrounded by little bubbles.

Pat fish dry with paper towels. Check thickness of batter by dipping in one piece of fish. Batter should be consistency of medium-thick pancake batter, coating fish easily but dripping very little. Add a little beer if batter seems too thick.

Add fish to batter. Using tongs or wooden chopsticks, swish each piece to make sure it is thoroughly coated, then lift it out of batter, let it drip, then place fish gently into hot oil.

Cook a few pieces at a time until they float and batter is set but still very light-colored. If a piece sticks to bottom, leave it alone and it will release itself.

Transfer fish to rack set on a rimmed baking sheet to drain. Cool and reserve frying oil. Fish can be prepared ahead to this point, cooled on a rack and refrigerated uncovered up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, reheat oil to 350 or 360 degrees. Refry fish a few pieces at a time until crisp and golden brown.

To serve, hold a warm tortilla in your hand and drizzle with a small amount of avocado sauce. Top with fish, then a squeeze of lime juice. Drizzle with Secret Sauce and a few drops of arbol sauce. Top with salsa and shredded cabbage. Top with cilantro and, if desired, some white onion.

PER TACO: 170 calories; 5 g protein; 15 g carbohydrates; 2 g fiber; 10 g fat (3 g saturated); 80 mg cholesterol; 210 mg sodium

SECRET SAUCE
Makes about 2 /3 cup
1 /2 cup mayonnaise 1 to 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1 1 /2 tablespoons water or milk

Place mayonnaise in bowl and slowly add vinegar to taste, stirring constantly with a fork. Add water or milk, stirring constantly with fork. Mixture should be consistency of thick cream.

PER ½ TEASPOON: 30 calories; 1 g protein; 1 g carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 3 g fat (1 g saturated), 15 mg cholesterol; 35 mg sodium

AVOCADO SAUCE
Makes 1 /2 cup
1 / 4 ripe avocado , peeled

Pinch of kosher salt

Few drops fresh lime juice

1 to 2 tablespoons water or milk

Leaves from 2 cilantro sprigs , chopped

Place avocado, salt and lime juice in blender or small food processor. Add 1 tablespoon water or milk and pulse. Add more liquid if needed to make a sauce the consistency of thick cream.

Add cilantro and pulse to blend. Taste for seasoning; it should be a little bland.

PER ½ TEASPOON: 45 calories; 1 g protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 4 g fat (2 g saturated); 2 mg cholesterol; 34 mg sodium

SALSA DE CHILES DE ARBOL Makes 1 /2 cup
1 large garlic clove with peel

1 cup dried chiles de arbol ( about 30 chilies ) , stems removed ( see Note )

1 / 3 cup water

1 / 2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Place sheet of aluminum foil in heavy cast-iron skillet or flat griddle. Over medium-high heat in well-ventilated area, dry roast garlic until skin is blackened in places and garlic flesh is soft, about 7 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove peel from garlic.

Wear gloves while removing seeds from chilies. Discard seeds and place chilies in blender. Process until ground. Add garlic, water and salt. Process until it is as smooth as possible.

Place in bowl and stir in vinegar. Let stand 30 minutes.

Taste to test seasoning. Sauce should be hot and highly seasoned. Use in little drops.

Note: Chiles de arbol are sold in Latin American markets and supermarkets with large Mexican-specialty sections.

PER DROP: 10 calories; 0 protein; 2 g carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 0 fat; 0 cholesterol; 25 mg sodium