Leyva uses fresh halibut and fresh corn masa for the batter. The cabbage that accompanies the taco is lightly dressed and seasoned to make a perfect slaw. Two Polynesian-style restaurants in Monterey include the tacos on their menus. Kona Steak and Seafood in the Del Monte Shopping Center offers tempura sea bass tacos, lightly dipped in batter and fried, topped with cabbage, caper sauce and pico de gallo. Hula’s South Seas fish tacos are a grilled version. The Monterey restaurant uses barramundi, also known as Asian sea bass, and partners them with a slaw and sundried tomato pesto aioli. Rocky’s Cafe in Seaside, a family-owned and operated breakfast and lunch spot named for a spunky Jack Russell terrier they once owned, serves up spicy Baja-style fish tacos made with fresh red snapper. “Everything is fresh and made from scratch,” says Chef-Owner Juan Contreras. The spice comes from Contreras’ own flavorful aioli made with a morita chili pepper, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, avocado cilantro and jalapeño. (Ask for a taste if you’re sensitive about spice—it borders on medium spicy.) The three tacos are topped with freshly sliced cabbage and housemade pico de gallo. Seared fish tacos are popular at Woodward Marine Market, perched on the harbor in Moss Landing, says Chef Nichole Robbins, although she serves up Baja-style fried tacos too for crunch fans. For the seared tacos, Robbins uses whatever locally caught fish are available, “typically rockfish, halibut, sea bass, albacore if that’s running,” she says. She trims from whole fish and uses a house rub on the fish before searing. Three tacos come on small, street-style corn tortillas, along with red and green cabbage, a roasted serrano chile crema, red onions and a slice of lime. The Baja version uses smaller pieces from the Alaska line-caught cod she cuts for the restaurant’s popular fish and chips. To the south in Big Sur, Fernwood Tavern sears or fries rockfish for its offering of three tacos, then tops them with pickled onions, cabbage, cilantro and chipotle-lime crema. They’re served with salsa verde and roja. For a higher-end lunch option, The Sur House offers its take with cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, avocado crema and pickled onions on a corn tortilla. In Salinas, Villa Azteca handmakes blue corn tortillas and fills them with beer-battered fresh cod. They’re topped with a creamy chipotle-lime sauce, sliced avocado and a roasted tomatillo salsa. Wherever fish tacos originated, we’re fortunate they’ve made a home in Monterey County where they’re easy to enjoy at a variety of local restaurants. rocky’s Cafe 14 The Best of Monterey Bay ® EAT + DRINK 2024-2025 43 Fisherman’s Wharf Monterey 831-288-6218 montereybaycreamery.com HOMEMADE ICE CREAM, SHAKES & SUNDAES MTYBayCreamery_1-3v_VG23_gk.indd 1 6/14/23 4:27 PM 14.indd 1 4/19/24 12:22 PM
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