The best fish tacos I ever ate were from a beach town street vendor in Baja, California. (Hardly surprising.) The second best I made myself, many years ago in The Los Angeles Times test kitchen, with yellowtail I’d gotten from the wholesale fish market Wolfgang Puck went to. I marinated the fish in achiote paste, served it in homemade grilled corn tortillas, and topped the tacos with julienned cabbage and chipotle-lime mayo, also homemade.
Baltimore, for reasons I don’t fully understand, given our love of fish and vibrant Mexican population, does not have much in the way of fish tacos. The Baltimore subreddit says to either hit Clavel or go to San Diego. They are not wrong.
Clavel’s fish tacos are indeed excellent. But fish tacos are, in my mind, best experienced on the beach or on a sidewalk, and braving Clavel’s famous lines is something I need to gear up for.
So it was that I found another plate of terrific fish tacos, at the Sal & Son’s Seafood stall at Broadway Market in Fells Point. The tacos aren’t on Clavel’s level—at Clavel, they nixtamalize heirloom corn for the masa—but the fish is superb, which is why I was there in the first place, as I’d been prepared to make my own again.
Also, Sal’s fish—in this case tilapia—wasn’t fried, but grilled on the plancha to lovely golden chunks. It was then delivered simply on warm double tortillas and paired with avocado sauce, ribbons of lettuce, and fresh pico de gallo. I added some house tartar and a few splashes of habanero from the bucket of sauces at the counter, and ate all three in record time, sitting at one of the wooden communal tables next to the case of fresh seafood. No sand or concrete, but very pleasant indeed, and I got to watch the fishmonger fillet for entertainment—always a good sign in my world.
If anyone is wondering, as I had been, about the Old Bay-dusted fish tacos at Tortilleria Sinaloa, they stopped making them a while ago. Sinaloa does, however, have very good tortillas, sold by the kilo and wrapped in paper like a Christmas present.
Next time, I’ll probably pick up some fish at Sal’s, another kilo from Sinaloa, and make my own. But now, after a $10 plate of Sal’s tacos, I’m happy I don’t have to.