National Fish Taco Day: Where to get the best ones in Boston - The Boston Globe

When you’re not in the mood to challenge your palette with, say, uni-stuffed burrata with pickled beets, the fish taco beckons, wildly familiar and deeply satisfying. In honor of National Fish Taco Day on Jan. 25, let’s take a moment to appreciate it.

Truly, the fish taco has it all. Not to go all Bobby Flay on you, but it has crunch, creaminess, salt, and acidity. Even sweetness, if mango makes an appearance. It’s the ultimate street food — you can hold a fish taco in one hand and a cold beverage in the other.

“The allure of the fish taco is its versatility and simplicity,” says Will Hatton, founder and CEO of The Broke Backpacker (www.thebrokebackpacker.com), who has eaten his fair share and then some. “The fish taco serves as a testament to the perfect fusion between travel, culture, and culinary evolution.”

The classic fish taco is a tasty medley of crispy fried fish, a lightly charred corn tortilla, cool creamy sauce, a dash of hot sauce, shredded green cabbage, and pico de gallo. Many people assume that San Diego is the fish taco’s place of origin, but no. The 760-mile peninsula of Baja California, Mexico, gets the credit, according to many sources.

Joe Bowab, CEO and founder of the Amesbury-based seafood delivery company Lobster Anywhere, speculates that back in the 1960s, fishermen in Baja would grill their fresh catch and wrap it in warm tortillas, adding a splash of salsa for flavor. Some culinary experts posit that Asian traders introduced the Baja cooks to the practice of deep-frying fish. Customers eagerly snapped them up, hot and fresh, at taco stands.

In the 1980s, Bowab says, “Surfers from California cruised down to Baja and discovered these scrumptious treats. Returning home, they brought tales of these beach-side bites, igniting a coastal culinary craze.” Restaurateurs adapted the recipe, adding toppings and salsas at their whim. “This fusion of flavors, combining the authenticity of Baja’s street food with Californian creativity, skyrocketed fish tacos to stardom in the US.” Ralph Rubio of Rubio’s Coastal Grill is considered the “codfather” of San Diego’s fish taco scene. After a fish taco-fueled spring break trip in San Felipe, Mexico, he opened his first taco stand in Mission Bay in 1983.

Some of Boston’s most celebrated fish tacos

Boston may be 3,000 miles from San Diego, but its fish taco game is legit. The Food Network named a few fish tacos from Boston among its “Best Fish Tacos in the US Outside of San Diego” (one of those, Pedro’s, has closed). There are two distinct varieties here — the meal-sized order (often two tacos) you get at a takeout taco joint, and the bar taco, typically three mini tacos that serve as an appetizer, or part of a shared-plates situation. We sampled the fish tacos most frequently mentioned as tops in Boston; here’s a look.

The Baja fish taco at Loco Taqueria has fun toppings like charred pineapple, but we liked the Cajun blackened tuna better.Diane Bair

Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar, South Boston

This lively, wildly muraled spot draws a young, crop-top-clad, Margarita-mad crowd for an ideal post-hangover menu that includes 11 taco variations. They’re not too pricey — five to seven bucks a pop — but you’ll need a bunch of these bar-sized taco-ettes to fill up. The Baja fish version features gluten-free beer-battered cod topped with cilantro-lime slaw, chipotle aioli, charred pineapple, and pickled serrano peppers. That was just fine, but the Cajun blackened tuna taco won the flavor battle, thanks to the spicy seasoning and roasted poblano crema. Confession: the best bite of the day was the birria taco (three per order for $16), a tasty combo of braised short rib, onion, and Oaxaca cheese. 412 W. Broadway, South Boston; 617-917-5626; www.locosouthboston.com.

Who says tacos aren’t healthy? There are plenty of vegetables on the tacos de pescado at Taqueria Jalisco, keeping it fresh and crisp.Diane Bair

Taqueria Jalisco, East Boston

Born in La Manzanilla, Jalisco, chef Ramiro Gonzales got his start working at his family’s taco trucks in Northern California. Luckily for us, he brought his skills (and family recipes) to East Boston and opened this colorful spot in 2001. Giant pots of soup simmer as guests line up (many speaking Spanish) to claim their orders. The tacos de pescado ($4.50 each) are so generously plump, they need a double layer of tortillas to hold the golden-brown fish, shredded cabbage, radishes, and pico de gallo. Rojo and verde sauces are offered on the side. Yum. 291 Bennington St., East Boston; 617-567-6367; www.facebook.com/p/Taqueria-Jalisco-100063858660654/.

The street-taco-sized Baja fish version at Citrus & Salt features tortilla-crusted fried cod on a corn tortilla.Diane Bair

Citrus & Salt, Boston

The tequila and mezcal flow at this cool Coastal Mexico-themed restaurant helmed by Jason Santos. The menu is playful, especially their take on grilled Mexican street corn, tossed in Flamin’ Hot Cheeto crumbs, smoked mayo, and cotija cheese. Lick the red dust off your fingers and share a taco or two. Their Baja fish taco (two for $12) features tortilla-crusted fried cod on a corn tortilla with shredded cabbage, avocado crema, and mango salsa. Taster’s verdict: Extra-crispy but delicious, with bonus points for mango salsa. Pairs well with a pineapple Dole Whip, we agreed. 142 Berkeley St., Boston, 833-324-8787; www.citrusandsaltboston.com.

Angela’s Cafe offers tacos de tilapia, shown here, but they were no match for the chilaquiles. Our table devoured every morsel.Diane Bair

Angela’s Cafe, East Boston

Run by Luis Garcia, and founded by his late mother, Ángela Atenco López, the two Angela’s outposts (in Orient Heights and Eagle Hill) celebrate the zesty flavors of Puebla, Mexico. Few can resist the decadent allure of chilaquiles, an ooey-gooey mass of lightly fried corn tortilla chips, sautéed shredded chicken, sour cream, queso fresco, onion and avocado, served with eggs and refried beans ($15). An order of tacos de tilapia ($12) consists of three tacos with finger-sized filets (available grilled or fried), lettuce, chipotle dressing, and avocado. “Perfectly fine,” was the verdict at our table. We adore Angela’s, but these aren’t our favorite dish. 1012 Bennington St., East Boston; 617-874-8251; and 131 Lexington St., East Boston; 617-567-4972; www.angelascafeboston.com.

Tenoch’s Medford Square location has just a couple of tables — most of the business is takeout. Good luck waiting until you get home to eat these; they smell amazing.Diane Bair

Tenoch, Medford

The Food Network deemed the fish tacos at Tenoch among the best in the country. Agreed: This chain of six Mexican restaurants turns out a tasty taco. Tenoch is owned by brothers Alvaro and Andres Sandoval, who grew up in Veracruz, but their fish taco is straight outta heaven, a generous portion of crunchy, battered-fried fish filet topped with shredded greens, cucumber, and cilantro. They don’t stint on the chipotle mayo, either. We visited the OG Tenoch in Medford Square — a takeout window with a couple of booths, with three tacos-to-go ($12). They were devoured before we pulled into the driveway. Locations in Medford Square, Davis Square, North End, Melrose, Cambridge, and Malden, plus food trucks. www.tenochmexican.com.

The blackened mahi tacos at Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar are one of the most popular orders. They’re spicy and salty and delicious.Diane Bair

Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar, Boston

With outposts in Back Bay and Fort Point, Lolita Cocina is definitely a scene. It’s a Spanish-Gothic vision of stained glass, hand-painted murals, vintage wrought iron, and Mexican calaveras (skulls) everywhere. At night, the music pulses and they hand you a tequila-spiked snow-cone as you enter, setting the mood. The blackened mahi tacos ($19 for three) are a best-seller — and a flavor bomb. These are mini tacos, meant to be shared, with a blackened finger of fish (spicy + salty), cabbage, cilantro, and a secret sauce with cucumber and “something else” (our server said coyly). 271 Dartmouth St., Boston (also at Fort Point); 617-369-5609; www.lolitamexican.com.

It’s crunchy, delicious, and fits in your hand. Thank the fishermen of Baja California, Mexico, for the fish taco, a street food all-star.Diane Bair

We’re way over word count and we haven’t even mentioned the crispy cornmeal-and-spiced cod tacos with pickled cabbage at El Pelon (https://elpelon.com), and the coolest hybrid fish taco we sampled, the spicy tuna sushi tacos ($18.50) at Earl’s (www.earls.ca), both worth trying.

Let’s hoist a fish taco in honor National Fish Taco Day — and maybe, for a minute, pretend we’re in San Diego or Baja California, Mexico, basking in the sunshine.

Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at bairwright@gmail.com