In our ongoing video series Chef Joseph W. DiPerri, from The Culinary Institute of America, demonstrates how to make a classic recipe for Fish Tacos from Southern California
Like a lot of food in Southern California , the fish taco—a flour tortilla stuffed with fried or grilled fish along with various condiments, generally including salsa, slaw, and a creamy sauce—owes a big debt to Mexican cuisine. Fish tacos are a favorite fuel for surfers, and stands, carts, and restaurants selling them stretch from Baja California in Mexico up the coast throughout Southern California . The growth of the chain restaurant Wahoo's Fish Taco illustrates the dish's popularity—the first Wahoo's opened in 1988 in the surfing center of Costa Mesa and there are now more than 50 branches (mostly in So-Cal, but also in Texas, Hawaii, and Colorado).
The grilled fish taco recipe demonstrated by Chef Joseph W. DiPerri in our videos can be made with any thick, firm fish steak, including swordfish, tuna, or mahi mahi. (We like to make our fish tacos with mahi mahi from the United States caught by troll or pole, since the Environmental Defense Fund's Seafood Selector lists it as an Eco-Best Choice.)
The recipe calls for cutting the fish into pieces before marinating and grilling it, while Chef DiPerri likes to grill the whole fish steaks and then slice after cooking. Either method works well—if you cut the fish before grilling, you'll get a bit more of the smoky taste of the barbecue in every bite, but whole steaks are easier to grill and tend to stay moister than smaller pieces. Whichever method you choose, be sure not to leave the fish in the marinade for too long or it might get mushy (see our guide to marinades, rubs, and sauces for more advice and recipes).
In addition to showing how to get perfect grill marks on the fish and tell when it's properly cooked, Chef DiPerri demonstrates recipes for the tasty taco toppings: tangy, crunchy coleslaw with jalapeños, honey, cilantro, and lime; spicy chipotle pico de gallo; and Mexican sour cream with lime zest and juice.
Recipe
Text by Megan O. Steintrager, illustrations by Matthew Brennan, photo by CIA/Keith Ferris
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