When in Baja California, one has the foodie obligation to indulge in Baja-style fish tacos. “Baja-style” consists of a deep-fried white fish topped with shredded cabbage and a creamy sauce made from mayo, sour cream, and the chef’s choice of spices and herbs. Add a squeeze of lime and hefty drizzle of hot sauce and you’ve got a symphony of textures and flavors that’ll have your taste buds saying “ole!”
I’m currently working on a cruise ship that’s putzing around Mexico, and La Paz is one of our Baja California stops. The actual port, Pichilingue, is a 30 minute drive away from the city center, which means limited time ashore for crew. What can one accomplish in a 90 minute window? A lunch of fish tacos of couse!
I’ve set out on a mission to find the best fish tacos in La Paz.
Last week I checked out McFisher. This week I bopped over to Claro Fish Jr., and it might just be even better….
The Ambiance
Claro Fish Jr. is impressively expansive with an open-air concept and high, thatch style ceilings. It’s casual, but with thoughtful design elements. Plus, it has acute logo of a shrimp giving a thumbs up.
The Food
I flipped straight to the taco page. It boasted tried and true classics as well as a couple curve balls. We’re talking stingray and smoked marlin, folks. I went with a fried fish taco, grilled fish taco, and one of more unique options, coconut shrimp.
Like most frugal Baja taco joints, it’s up to you to hit the sauce and toppings bar to dress them up. There were loads of topping options including a few variations of shredded cabbage, a few different salsas, and plenty of sauces. I magically managed to top my tacos just right, making for some of my favorite tacos in Baja Mexico thus far.
While the pieces of fried fish were on the shrimpy side, the batter was light and crunchy without being greasy. The grilled fish was totally loaded and well seasoned. But the star of the show was the coconut shrimp. The sweetness of the coconut paired beautifully with the spicy hot sauces, and the serving size could very well be an appetizer at any restaurant state side. My one qualm was that there was so much shrimp it was hard to eat in taco form. But that’s what I call a high-quality problem!
The Bill
Usually tables and chairs that aren’t plastic come with a higher price tag, but my 3 tacos were just under $9USD. Not bad for fish tacos in La Paz!
While the fish tacos at Claro Fish Jr. were excellent, the coconut shrimp is what would have me coming back for me. In fact, it’ll be hard to try a new place next cruise!
Stay tuned to see what I decide to do…
