# Fish tacos: Battered & fried, or grilled? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 5, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180 "2020-05-05T14:32:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/61 "2020-05-08T01:51:41Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’m none too fond of _any_ fresh-water fish. Salt-water, fine. So my “find a repulsive fish to use” list defaulted Fresh Water. And “perch” just sounds funny. Tastes vary, and I won’t try to convert you, and I do think that much of the joy of eating fresh water fish comes from having recently caught it, but…[trout in parchment paper](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/whole-trout-en-papillote-recipe-1939096) is pretty tasty. Bon Appetit’s recipe is what I think I first used, but it’s not that complicated. Rich, aromatic, flavorful, comes right off the bones (which is one of the biggest pains in the ass about freshwater fish. Seriously, the Euros can go F themselves with serving something like Perch with bones in it.). Anyway, I think you might like it. Costco usually has it cheaper than most anything else. Except tilapia. Fried catfish is something else delicious, though that I’ll let other people prepare. Ukelele’s upper Midwest fish fry sounds fantastic! ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/62 "2020-05-08T01:56:26Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I have eaten good catfish. But bad catfish is truly terrible. > > Still waiting for you to defend your slur on freshly fished, freshly fried lake perch, California Boy. IMHO, the best in the immediately caught freshwater fish class, is bluegill. Split right there, and seared over a wood fire. Though pretty much any fish will taste good then. They are really fun to fight though. I still want to test this theory with High Sierra trout. I think it’ll be all right. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/63 "2020-05-08T05:34:18Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > IMHO, the best in the immediately caught freshwater fish class, is bluegill. Split right there, and seared over a wood fire. Though pretty much any fish will taste good then. They are really fun to fight though. > > I still want to test this theory with High Sierra trout. I think it’ll be all right. I have done the trout, and it is excellent. My dad made us Blue trout. But trust me, you will never, _ever_ taste and fish as sublime as freshly caught MahiMahi , grilled right on the beach, fresh from being caught a hour ago. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/64 "2020-05-08T05:54:06Z")
I think everyone should eat their tacos they way they like them best, as long as no kittens are harmed in the process. Having said that, someone please explain to me why putting breaded fish into a taco shell seems like the best culinary experience. To me, fish + tasty carb = great idea. But the “tasty carb” is the breading or the taco shell. Both seems like overkill. Happy to have it explained why I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/65 "2020-05-08T14:22:59Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Having said that, someone please explain to me why putting breaded fish into a taco shell seems like the best culinary experience. To me, fish + tasty carb = great idea. But the “tasty carb” is the breading or the taco shell. Both seems like overkill. Fried things in bread are popular. Fried chicken sandwich, fishwich, shrimp po’boy, falafel, eggplant parmesean. Yes, it’s pretty carby and that’s before the side of french fries and bucket of sugary soft drink. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/66 "2020-05-08T14:38:27Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I think everyone should eat their tacos they way they like them best, as long as no kittens are harmed in the process. Having said that, someone please explain to me why putting breaded fish into a taco shell seems like the best culinary experience. To me, fish + tasty carb = great idea. But the “tasty carb” is the breading or the taco shell. Both seems like overkill. > > Happy to have it explained why I’m wrong. The breading gives it the “crunch factor.” One of the keys is to make a very light batter, tempura really. Plus crunchy cabbage, a line or two of _crema_ and a squeeze of lime. Heaven on a tortilla. Best with a beer or three. **DrDeth** - Roger that on the MahiMahi. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/67 "2025-07-31T03:38:29Z")
Bump. When I was in L.A., there were battered fish tacos, and grilled fish tacos. I could never remember which was ‘Ensenada style’. We’ve got an episode of _Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations_ playing, and they featured a fish taco in Ensenada. It was battered. So now I know. But I still prefer grilled… despite my earlier post(s) that I liked fried. Nowadays, I definitely prefer grilled. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/68 "2025-07-31T13:58:18Z")
Since this thread has been bumped, I want to mention that while I’ve never seen fish tacos at Taco Bell, I have eaten Alaskan Flounder Tacos at Taco Johns. (This year, during Lent). It was fine. Flounder is a pretty generic white fish (I’m not sure I’d eaten it before), and cut small, breaded and fried it is more inoffensive than tasty. The tacos would have been better if they’d had more fish on them. The potato Ole’s made up for a lot, though. If I’m cooking, baked tilapia with Taijin seasoning, and mango slaw all the way (and probably a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, because that’s easy). (I don’t care if it’s authentic, if it’s yummy and reasonably high on protein and vegetables, and not too fussy to cook, that’s the important thing). ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/69 "2025-07-31T14:03:25Z")
Definitely grilled. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/70 "2025-07-31T18:57:23Z")
Do not make me choose. I love them both if done well. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/71 "2025-07-31T19:53:18Z")
I need an “other” option! So, for me, myself and I, I consider fully battered fish to be a Fish 'n Chips option. Great there, not what I want in a taco. I do personally make fish tacos from time to time that I’ve dredged in a spiced flour or cornmeal mix, but it’s dredge both sides, shake off excess and then cook in a skillet in a conservative amount of butter and olive oil. Per the zombied OP, that probably qualifies as “breaded” so… okay? Grilled or cooked in a skillet with spices (no dredge) is common in my house, maybe even 60/40 vs the dredged option. One of my favorite, but rarely done options due to the extra time and effort is making the fish potion as ceviche (to die for) especially for cooler summer taco nights. Growing up though in Southern NM (no, this isn’t about to be a “authentic” claim) there were zero fish tacos in my life - too distant from any sources for quality seafood, too small a city to justify a specialty store/restaurant (It was a big deal when we got a Red Lobster in my tweens!), and tons of no frills but _good_ Mexican restaurants that went with whatever was the cheapest meat available (lots of beef birria, pork adobada, etc.) The first time I had fish tacos was a family vacation to Cabo San Lucus in the Baja area of Mexico. It’s a resort community (yes, I acknowledge my privilege) that we went to once due to the “free” use of condo when one of my step-mother’s clients couldn’t pay in cash their agreed debt. And those were amazing, but ranged from something like a stir-fry, grilled on a charcoal fire, to a ceviche option. No battered or breaded food to be seen! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/72 "2025-07-31T20:03:00Z")
Oh most definitely battered 95% of the time. Nothing beats it. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/73 "2025-07-31T20:18:59Z")
I like 'em all, but I think if I had to choose one way to eat fish tacos for the rest of my life, they’d be battered and breaded in panko, then fried. There’s something about that extra crunch that just gets me _right there_. I think the panko also helps hold keep more of the sauce _in_ the taco instead of running down my forearm. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/74 "2025-07-31T20:23:32Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > So, for me, myself and I, I consider fully battered fish to be a Fish 'n Chips option. Great there, not what I want in a taco. I used to get my fish tacos at Rubio’s. [They were definitely battered.](https://rubios.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/about-fish-taco-1-1024x864.png) I do not like breaded fish in tacos. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Oh most definitely battered 95% of the time. Nothing beats it. That’s what I used to think. But in recent years, I’ve come to prefer grilled. Today, unlike when this thread was originally posted, I’ll always choose the grilled option. ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/75 "2025-07-31T21:16:02Z")
> **[The Essential Guide to the San Diego Fish Taco](https://paxculinaria.substack.com/p/the-essential-guide-to-the-san-diego)** > > An exegesis on the finest taco in the world, the symbol of the Baja California coast, the pride San Diego, the taco de pescado. Definitely Baja style—battered deep fried fish with cabbage and crema, and rice and refried beans on the side, please. I’ve lived in several places with great food cultures, but nothing else quite scratches that itch like a fish burrito from any store-front taco joint in San Diego with a name ending in -berto’s. If I get a choice in the matter, that’s my last meal. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/76 "2025-07-31T22:16:05Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Having said that, someone please explain to me why putting breaded fish into a taco shell seems like the best culinary experience. To me, fish + tasty carb = great idea. But the “tasty carb” is the breading or the taco shell. Both seems like overkill. What, you don’t eat your pasta bolognese with bread? Your fried chicken with mashed potatoes? What kind of animal are you!?!?! Carbed up carbs with extra carbs and a carb chaser are among the finest things in life! 😃 ETA: Oops - just noticed that post was from 2020. Oh, well. Carbs! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/77 "2025-07-31T22:19:18Z")
Also, I’ve never seen a fish taco in a ‘shell’. It’s always soft, warm corn tortillas. (Except when I moved to Washington. It took me a few times to figure out that non-Mexican restaurants here only have flour tortillas.) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/78 "2025-07-31T22:29:54Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > What, you don’t eat your pasta bolognese with bread? Your fried chicken with mashed potatoes? What kind of animal are you!?!?! Carbed up carbs with extra carbs and a carb chaser are among the finest things in life! 😃 I concede your point! ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/79 "2025-07-31T23:31:41Z")
It’s a lot harder for someone to screw up a grilled fish taco, so that’s usually my go to, unless I’m somewhere renowned for their battered fish (Like Taco Temple in Morro Bay). ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180/80 "2025-07-31T23:39:24Z")
I like both, but my favorite ones to eat out are at La Pina Cantina on the Kuhio Ave. side of the International Market in Waikiki, and they are lightly battered and crispy. Yum. For my taste, it is too easy for grilled fish in tacos to be overwhelmed by all the fixings and to basically disappear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-tacos-battered-fried-or-grilled/853180.md?page=5)