Ralph Rubio was hooked. The warm corn tortillas caressed piping-hot beer-battered-andfried fish. The sturdy crunch of shredded cabbage melded with a trio of garnishes: a dollop of mayonnaise-based sauce, a squeeze of fresh citrus juice and the just-right spice of salsa.

Rubio tasted his first fish taco in 1974. It was midmorning in the fishing village of San Felipe in Baja, Mexico. He was a freshman at San Diego State University and on a spring break that would change his life.

He opened his first fish taco eatery at Mission Bay in San Diego in 1983.
Now there are more than 160 Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grills in the western United States.

"The fish taco defines the best of Baja," said Deborah Schneider, chef and author of Baja Cooking on the Edge (Rodale, $27.95), adding that some people call the traditional fish tacos Ensenada-style, others call them San Felipe-style.

According to legend, Schneider said, Asian fishermen living in the Baja long ago inspired the idea of using a tempuralike batter on locally caught fish. The crisp-fried fish was teamed with local ingredients, and an early kind of fusion cooking was born.
"Like all great street food, the perfect fish taco is very, very simple," she said.

Double-frying the fish is essential, Schneider noted. The technique involves coating each finger-size piece of firm fish with a mixture of flour, beer and seasonings, then briefly frying it and draining it. Just before serving, the fish is fried again. If it’s not double fried, Schneider said, the fish takes a long time to cook and could be soggy instead of brown and crisp.

The fish can be fried in its initial step the day before and refrigerated. The sauces can also be prepared and chilled a day in advance.

2 cups all - purpose flour

1 1 / 2 teaspoons baking powder

1 / 2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 / 4 teaspoon cayenne

1 / 2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 / 2 teaspoon dried oregano
( preferably Mexican ) ,
crumbled to a powder

Kosher salt

1 / 2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

12 ounces cold beer , plus more if needed to thin batter

2 pounds firm , meaty fish , such as farmed catfish , skinned , boned

Fresh lime juice

Vegetable oil for deep - frying

Corn tortillas , warmed

Lime wedges

Avocado Sauce ( recipe follows ) or diced avocado

Secret Sauce ( recipe follows )

Salsa de Chiles de Arbol ( recipe follows )
or store - bought hot sauce Store - bought salsa

Finely shredded green cabbage

Cilantro

Chopped white onion ( optional )

Whisk together flour, baking powder, garlic, cayenne, mustard, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper until well-blended. Stir in beer until there are no lumps. Batter can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated.

Cut fish into pieces the size and shape of your index finger. Sprinkle with a few drops of lime juice and a little salt. Pour oil into deep, wide pan to depth of 2 inches. Heat over mediumhigh heat to 350 degrees. Use a deep-fry thermometer to test temperature or test heat by dropping a little batter into oil. It should bounce to surface almost immediately, surrounded by little bubbles.

Pat fish dry with paper towels. Check thickness of batter by dipping in one piece of fish. Batter should be consistency of medium-thick pancake batter, coating fish easily but dripping very little. Add a little beer if batter seems too thick.

Add fish to batter. Using tongs or wooden chopsticks, swish each piece to make sure it is thoroughly coated, then lift it out of batter, let it drip, then place fish gently into hot oil.

Cook a few pieces at a time until they float and batter is set but still very light-colored. If a piece sticks to bottom, leave it alone and it will release itself.

Transfer fish to rack set on a rimmed baking sheet to drain. Cool and reserve frying oil. Fish can be prepared ahead to this point, cooled on a rack and refrigerated uncovered up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, reheat oil to 350 or 360 degrees. Refry fish a few pieces at a time until crisp and golden brown.

To serve, hold a warm tortilla in your hand and drizzle with a small amount of avocado sauce. Top with fish, then a squeeze of lime juice. Drizzle with Secret Sauce and a few drops of arbol sauce. Top with salsa and shredded cabbage. Top with cilantro and, if desired, some white onion.

PER TACO: 170 calories; 5 g protein; 15 g carbohydrates; 2 g fiber; 10 g fat (3 g saturated); 80 mg cholesterol; 210 mg sodium

1 /2 cup mayonnaise 1 to 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1 1 /2 tablespoons water or milk

Place mayonnaise in bowl and slowly add vinegar to taste, stirring constantly with a fork. Add water or milk, stirring constantly with fork. Mixture should be consistency of thick cream.

PER ½ TEASPOON: 30 calories; 1 g protein; 1 g carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 3 g fat (1 g saturated), 15 mg cholesterol; 35 mg sodium

1 / 4 ripe avocado , peeled

Pinch of kosher salt

Few drops fresh lime juice

1 to 2 tablespoons water or milk

Leaves from 2 cilantro sprigs , chopped

Place avocado, salt and lime juice in blender or small food processor. Add 1 tablespoon water or milk and pulse. Add more liquid if needed to make a sauce the consistency of thick cream.

Add cilantro and pulse to blend. Taste for seasoning; it should be a little bland.

PER ½ TEASPOON: 45 calories; 1 g protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 4 g fat (2 g saturated); 2 mg cholesterol; 34 mg sodium

1 large garlic clove with peel

1 cup dried chiles de arbol ( about 30 chilies ) , stems removed ( see Note )

1 / 3 cup water

1 / 2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Place sheet of aluminum foil in heavy cast-iron skillet or flat griddle. Over medium-high heat in well-ventilated area, dry roast garlic until skin is blackened in places and garlic flesh is soft, about 7 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove peel from garlic.

Wear gloves while removing seeds from chilies. Discard seeds and place chilies in blender. Process until ground. Add garlic, water and salt. Process until it is as smooth as possible.

Place in bowl and stir in vinegar. Let stand 30 minutes.

Taste to test seasoning. Sauce should be hot and highly seasoned. Use in little drops.

Note: Chiles de arbol are sold in Latin American markets and supermarkets with large Mexican-specialty sections.

PER DROP: 10 calories; 0 protein; 2 g carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 0 fat; 0 cholesterol; 25 mg sodium