As a native of southern California, I have long lamented the dearth of good Mexican food in Japan. It¡¯s too heavy to take off here, people say. To which I have to wonder, then why not fish tacos?
Fish tacos, stuffed with fluffy white fish and shredded cabbage and seasoned with lime, have none of the stick-to-your-ribs quality of, say, a bean and cheese burrito. You can¡¯t tell me that fish and cabbage are not popular in Japan. Yet fish tacos are harder to find than carne asada (thin-sliced grilled beef) and carnitas (slow-cooked pork).
Fish tacos are native to Baja California, that long, skinny peninsula dangling off the west coast of Mexico. Since they crossed the border ¡ª sometime in the 1970s ¡ª they¡¯ve also become the signature dish of California¡¯s southernmost city, San Diego. These lands know no winter, so it is only natural that they¡¯d produce a dish that is perfect for summer. And with this being my last A Taste of Home column and San Diego being my hometown, I was determined to find them.
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