Fish Taco Heaven

SAN DIEGO – This town doesn’t get a lot of love from the national food press, but if there was one dish this perpetually 70 degree city could lay claim to, it would be the fish taco. Like a New Orleans po’boy or a St. Louis toasted ravioli, the fish taco was born here, and it’s executed in more ways, with more specificity and expertise and than any other place in America. Born on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, just a short drive south from here, San Diego cooks have adopted, translated and re-fashioned the handheld snack in their own image.

On a #FishTacoQuest this weekend for a story I’m working on in the Chicago Tribune, I’m hitting at least a half dozen places; so far, the clear winner is Oscar’s Mexican Seafood. The fact they use corn tortillas helps (I do wish they made them in-house, rather than buy them from a factory, although this seems to be the norm) but their fillings are exceptional, and that’s what gives them the edge. Whether it’s beer battered cod, grilled spicy shrimp that’s deveined throughout the day or a hash of smoked fish, every bit of seafood is cooked to-0rder, set upon a Monterey Jack-covered corn tortilla, then showered in finely-chopped red onion, tomato and cabbage, plus two generous slabs of ripe avocado. Their homemade chipotle mayo and habanero mayo are also deliciously balanced between spice and creaminess. Can’t wait to hit three (or possibly four) more places before I head back to Chicago.