Fish tacos hit my radar in the late ’80s, popping up in beachside spots in San Diego. Popular on the West Coast, I couldn’t imagine them finding a home in the Midwest.
How times have changed. Fish tacos are, if not everywhere, then almost everywhere.
Much as I love them today, I’m not a big fan of the battered, deep-fried version of fish that serves as the mainstay for most of these tacos.
Why would you drop what amounts to delicate fish into a vat of hot oil? Wouldn’t pan-fried fish, sans batter, be better?
Turns out there’s yet another alternative: grilled. In this recipe, it’s tilapia, but it could be walleye or any mild-flavored fish — or even shrimp, which I have to say makes a fine substitute.