The story
Locals in Ensenada trace the Baja fish taco to the Mercado Negro, a cluster of stalls near the port that traded freshly caught fish in the late 1950s and 1960s. A vendor from Sinaloa nicknamed El Bachigualato is remembered as the first to sell them, around 1960, at first grilling cheap angel shark. Over time the fish was beer-battered and deep-fried, perhaps inspired by tempura from the many Japanese fishermen who lived in Ensenada, though no direct link is proven. When the market closed in 1967, vendors spread out, some to San Felipe, where a San Diego student tasted them in 1974 and later founded the Rubio's chain.
Rival claims
San Felipe, Baja California, also claims it (vendors moved there after Ensenada's Mercado Negro closed in 1967). Popularised in the USA by Rubio's, San Diego, 1983.
Also known as Baja fish taco, taco de pescado, Ensenada fish taco.
On the Meridish menu
Fish taco was the street food course on menu No. 24 on October 24, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Beer-battered fish in a corn tortilla with cabbage, salsa and a creamy sauce. Vendors at this port's fish market made it famous around 1960; some credit Japanese fishermen's tempura.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- mexiconewsdaily.com/lifestyle/food/the-mystery-behind-the-invention-of-the-baja-fish-taco
- discoverbaja.com/2022/06/07/baja-fish-tacos
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_taco
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
