When you say the words “fish taco” to anyone who’s never had a real Rubio’s™ Fish Taco, you’ll usually get a grimaced look on their face and a very loud “Ewwwww”.  Honestly this was my first reaction to the thought in the late 80′s when Rubio’s opened in Mission Beach.

For some reason the combination of a warm corn tortilla, a crunchy hot piece of mild fish and the crisp freshness of shredded cabbage is a mouth tantalizing sensation.  Add to this the mild zing of Rubio’s™ white sauce and some smokey flavored hot sauce and you’ll be craving these yourself.

Before you get to the recipe, let me make a couple of notes for you.  The tortilla is critical to the taste.  Most tortillas you buy in a grocery store are thin, dry and tasteless.  If you want the authentic taste of a real tortilla, I HIGHYLY recommend Porkyland brand tortillas. Last I knew, this is the same company Rubio’s™ uses to make their tortillas.  They have a special recipe but, you can still get your hands on these amazing tortillas through MexGrocer.com.

RECIPE:

• 12 pieces (1.5 oz each) of mild tasting fish (Rubio’s™ uses Pollock but any cod will work)
• 12 Corn tortillas (see note above)
• Vegetable oil for deep frying.  Amount will vary depending on your fryer.
• 1 Cup all purpose flour
• 1 Cup beer. I recommend dark beer such as Guiness
• Garlic powder to taste.  Start with less and add as you like.
• Black Pepper to taste. Start with less and add as you like.
• 1 Cup of Rubio’s™ White Sauce
• 3 Cups of finely shredded cabbage
• 3 medium tomatoes diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 cup of chopped cilantro
• 2 Limes cut into wedges

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine the flour with the garlic powder and black pepper.  Mix this with the beer and let it sit for a while.  It’s best to let it sit at least an hour.
2. Wash the fish in water with a bit of salt or some lime juice then dry it completely.
3. Heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees.  You can check the oil temperature by dropping a 1″ cube of bread and watching for it to float.  If it takes a while to float it’s not hot enough.  Don’t overheat the oil or your batter will burn and the fish won’t cook.
4. Vigorously whisk the batter before dipping the fish.  This will help make the batter lighter and crispier.
5. Dip the fish into the batter and immediately into the hot oil.  Cook until golden brown, turning as necessary.
6. While your frying the fish, begin warming your tortillas.  The best way to do this is to heat them on a dry hot skillet until hot.  Place the hot tortillas in a tortilla warmer and keep covered.  You can also try one of these cool new “tortillas ovens.”
7. Make up the “Pico de Gallo” in a separate bowl. Combine the tomato, onion and cilantro.  Set this aside in the refrigerator. This is pronounced “pee-ko dah guy-oh“

ASSEMBLY:

1. Place a warm tortilla on your plate.
2. Place a piece of the fish on the center of the tortilla.
3. Spoon a small amount of the white sauce over the fish.  Be liberal with it, but you don’t want it to drip out while you’re eating.
4. Spoon some of the “pico de gallo” over the fish.
5. Put a small handful of the cabbage on top
6. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the top
7. Add Rubio’s™ hot sauce to taste.
8. Fold up the tortilla and enjoy one of the greatest tastes you’ll ever experience.

I don’t think you’re going to find a more comprehensive set of instructions for making authentic Rubio’s™ Fish Tacos.  If you enjoy this recipe, please help spread the word.

Whether you’re making grilled of fried fish tacos, this is an ingredient friends will rave about. It your choice whether you tell them how it’s made or not. Oh and please don’t let anyone convince you there are capers in this sauce… they’re not.

Ok, I warned you, this is VERY simple.

Recipe:

• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt

Mix the mayonnaise and yogurt together in a small bowl. Chill and spoon liberally over the fish before you add the pico de gillo and shredded cabbage.

Fish tacos have become the official food of San Diego. Having lived there most of my life, I have periodic cravings for these but they have to be exactly right or it doesn’t satisfy. One of the items I had the most trouble with was Rubio’s™ hot sauce. Finally, I discovered the secret and life is great! I use this sauce on everything now. It’s even great with a bowl of chips.

It was my love of Rubio’s™ that raised my interest in finding restaurant recipes. Make sure you take a look at the recipe for their world famous fish tacos as well.

Recipe:

• 1 can (29 oz) Tomato Sauce (I just use the generic brand)
• 1/2 oz. bag of Crushed Red Pepper (I actually prefer using the whole peppers, but this works well)
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt

Caution: I recommend you fry the crushed red pepper OUTSIDE. Frying chili peppers releases a fume that can be very irritating to your throat. I use the side burner on my gas grill.

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. You’re going to add the tomato sauce to this pan, so make sure it can accommodate it.
2. Toss in the red chilies or crushed red pepper and stir constantly until they’ve darkened nicely. You don’t want them to burn, but you do when them to be very dark.
3. Add the can of tomato sauce to the pan and continue to stir.
4. Add the salt and sugar and let the sauce reduce for about 10 minutes.
5. Pour the sauce into a suitable container and refrigerate before serving.