Type: Seafood
Price: $7.50
The area to the south of San Diego is taco country, according to Mamacita’s co-owner, Monica Hally. Born and raised in California, Hally remembers a plethora of tacos and treats sold in street-side stands, a beloved cuisine that stayed with her throughout her life. In 2019, Hally’s daughters, inspired by her Baja, California-style cooking, opened Mamacita’s. Among the inspired recipes was the Baja beer taco. “The combination is really different,” Hally says. “As you’re getting the crunch of the [beer-battered and fried] fish, you’re getting the crunch of the cabbage.” The trick was finding a fish mellow enough. Previously, Hally used mahimahi, but switched to swai, a mild Vietnamese white fish, last year. Swai’s mildness is absent of the fish flavor that makes so many hesitant, highlighting the cilantro crema among other ingredients. Perfected by Hally’s daughter, Hilaree Durkin, the cilantro crema uses lime to draw out flavor, and Hally insists the crisp, warm delight wouldn’t be the same on a corn tortilla as it is on a flour one. Hally’s own sister claimed to dislike seafood, cautiously sampling the Baja beer taco, only to order seconds and thirds. But for Hally, the flavor brings her back to balmy California beaches. “It’s comfort food for me,” she says. 6164 Broadview Road, Parma, 216-712-6904, mamacitasplace.com
