Why This Recipe Works

Fish tacos are a San Diego institution. While deep-fried tacos seem to dominate the regional taco conversation, griddle-cooked or “grilled” tacos are just as widespread in Southern California. Our version of San Diego–style fish tacos is inspired by tacos served at Karina’s Cantina in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego. The family behind Karina’s has been in the seafood-forward Mexican restaurant business for over 40 years. Like Karina’s, we fill our tacos with cod because it’s flavorful, sturdy, and an even match for the zarandeado sauce that gets slooshed over the fish as it cooks. (Zarandeado sauce is an assertive mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and a variety of chiles, among many other ingredients.) We cut the cod into strips just big enough to occupy a standard 6-inch corn tortilla and then seasoned and sautéed them before finishing them with some of the zarandeado sauce in the skillet, which reduced on the fish, imparting its light orange color and complex heat. Shredded cabbage, chopped tomato, cilantro, a final squirt of zarandeado sauce, pickled red onion, and thinly sliced avocado finished off the tacos with style.

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Before You Begin

This recipe was inspired by the fish tacos served at Karina’s Cantina in San Diego, California. Make sure to prepare your taco fixings before cooking the fish. Use a mandoline to slice the cabbage as thin as possible. The combination of red and green cabbage is for aesthetic reasons; if preferred, you can use a single variety of cabbage. Other varieties of fish, such as snapper, bass, haddock, and halibut, can be substituted for the cod. Other varieties of Mexican hot sauces, such as Cholula or Valentina, can be substituted for the Tapatío.

Instructions

for the pickled red onion

Place onion in medium bowl. Bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Pour vinegar mixture over onion, pressing onion below surface of liquid. Let onion cool completely, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Pickled onion can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

for the zarandeado sauce

Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 20 seconds. Reserve 6 tablespoons sauce for cooking cod. Sauce can be prepared and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.

for the fish

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle cod with salt and pepper. Place flour in shallow dish. Dredge cod in flour, shaking to remove excess, and transfer to large plate.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add 1 tablespoon butter and cook until foaming subsides. Add 6 pieces cod to skillet and cook, without moving them, for 2 minutes.

Drizzle cod with 3 tablespoons reserved sauce and then, using fish spatula, gently flip pieces. Shake skillet gently to distribute sauce and let cod continue to cook until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove skillet from heat and, using spatula, transfer cod to prepared wire rack.

Transfer cod to oven to keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon butter, 6 pieces cod, and 3 tablespoons reserved sauce.

for the tacos

Combine red and green cabbage in bowl. Build tacos by placing 1 piece of cod in center of each tortilla, followed by cabbage, tomatoes, cilantro, sauce, pickled onions, and avocado. Serve immediately.