Touring the many fish taco tastes of Petaluma

Summer is the perfect time to sidle on up to your favorite food truck or outdoor dining patio to enjoy Petaluma's great weather, along with some freshly made fish tacos. With more than 50 fish taco options to choose from, Petaluma has an option to satiate every taste, whether you prefer sea bass or Mahi Mahi, or prefer to keep it simple with one of the many white fish.

Before taking on this endeavor, the first order of business was to post an inquiry to the Petaluma Foodies page on Facebook, in order to see which fish tacos were favored by locals. Plenty of opinions were voiced in favor of the expected spots like Café Zazzle, 4th & C, El Roy's and What a Chicken, but there were also suggestions of some lesser known fish taco venues like Seared, TAPS and Pub Republic.

We then whittled the list down a bit, because we simply could not visit every fish taco vendor in town, although we got pretty darn close.

Although “Tradition” is a catchy tune in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” our West Coast menus have little room for the concept when it comes to fish tacos. We Californians tend to be a bit more experimental, especially with cuisine, which means our chefs pay homage to tradition, but are not bound by it. Although “California cuisine” is primarily focused on local and sustainable sourcing, it is chef driven, meaning that they take inspiration from traditional recipes and methods, but tweak in whatever way they see fit. This was evident across the abundance of fish tacos we tried, few of which could be described as “traditional.”

That being said, fish tacos originated in Baja California and of course are “traditionally” called tacos de pescado and consist of either fried or grilled fish on a corn or flour tortilla topped with lettuce or cabbage, pico de gallo and either sour cream or citrus mayonnaise sauce. Tacos de camarones (shrimp tacos) also originated in Baja and are prepared just like their fishy cousins.

In the US, the popularity is attributed to the fast-casual chain Rubio's Coastal Grill, which first opened in 1983 in San Diego. Since then, fish tacos have become a staple of most Mexican restaurants and food trucks throughout the West Coast and into places with a healthy mix of both American and Mexican cultures, like Colorado.

During the course of our research, we visited roughly two dozen fish taco vendors, and including several shrimp and poké tacos, sampled nearly four dozen pescatarian options.

In regard to fish quality, we discovered two things while conducting this research. The first was that most places use very cheap fish, which explains the price point. The second was that some of these places did a great job at making that cheap fish taste good, which explains why a lot of diners are not too concerned with what kind of fish they are consuming. However, so long as diners are willing to shell out a few more clams for high-quality fish, there are plenty of options to try.

From grilled to griddled to fried to raw, we tasted for flavor, keeping in mind what kind of fish was featured and how that affected the bill. With several people tasting alongside me, including chef/owner Juan Gutierrez of Quinua Cocina Peruana, there were no winners or loser, as everyone has their own preferences. But some certainly rose to the top of the list.

Poké me

The crème de la crème were the poké tacos. Poké originated in Hawaii and consists of diced and seasoned raw fish, usually from some sort of fancy tuna, which means higher-than-normal prices. However, places that specialize in fish dishes can often keep their poké prices at a reasonable level because they are dealing with larger quantities of quality fish than other restaurants.

This is the case with Seared, where award-winning chef Joe O'Donnell creates a phenomenal poké taco on occasion for the happy hour menu. These tacos were the clear winner, both based on flavor and price ($6 for two). We ordered two more servings, even though we had already spent the entire afternoon trying more than two dozen fish tacos all over town.

Pub Republic also offers poké tacos ($12.50), as well as a ceviche taco plate ($12.50), but I am told that regular fish tacos are also available by request, using whichever market fish they have that day, which is often an excellent salmon.

McNear's cooks up seared ahi tuna tacos (ala carte $13; full dish $15), in crispy wonton shells, topped with spicy slaw and Sriracha-lime crema, along with two different types of Rock Cod fish tacos (ala carte $10.50; full dish $12.50). One is sesame grilled while the other is panko crusted but both are topped with pineapple salsa, Asian slaw and chipotle lime crema. Although it should not surprise us anymore, McNear's always turns out tasty food, with an expansive beer and wine selection, as well as an inviting outdoor patio.

Although not technically a fish taco, Sake 107's Tuna Lily comes pretty close, serving up seasoned fresh tuna tartar on wanton-like shrimp crackers. I would be remise if I failed to mention The Shuckery's house poké bowl ($15), which is market-fresh seafood with Jasmine rice, Wakame seaweed, sesame ponzu, Sriracha mayo and a soft-boiled egg.

Pricier but quality

The Shuckery featured Yellow Jack the day we visited but the tacos rotate through the daily fresh market fish. They also feature excellent rock shrimp tacos. Both plates cost $15 for two tacos. The fish tacos use a gluten-free batter and are topped with slightly spicy house-pickled veggies, which was a nice touch both for flavor and texture. The Shuckery also offers surf-n-turf tacos ($16) of carne asada filet and rock shrimp, topped with their house slaw.

At TAPS, the taco breaks tradition by mixing rock crab and steak together, creating an enticing flavor combination. Crab can easily get lost behind the stronger flavor of steak, but the chef keeps each meat in balance. These are exclusively available on Mondays and Tuesday, in order to capitalize on the extra crab from the benedicts that TAPS offers during Sunday brunch.

We could not resist ordering at least one non-fish taco, an excellent beef short rib, alongside the wild-caught salmon taco, from Speakeasy's lengthy taco menu. All their tacos are $5 for one, $9 for two, and $4 each thereafter. They offer a plethora of non-fish options, including sweet and spicy pork belly, tomatillo chicken (GF), barbecue “pulled” jackfruit (vegan/GF), sweet and spicy tempeh (veggie) and coconut-crusted plantain (V/GF).

Although I normally avoid writing about chains, what with so many great locally owned dining options available, I have to include the original home of the American fish taco: Rubio's. They have a ton of options, all of which were surprisingly good and sustainably sourced. Their original and especial tacos use beer-battered wild Alaska pollick ($3 each). The wild Mahi Mahi ($4) comes grilled or blackened, one with mango salsa and one without. They also offer wild Coho salmon ($4), and when in season, a hand-line caught swordfish taco topped with Peruvian aji chili salsa on a organic blue corn tortillas.

Middle of the road

What a Chicken uses sea bass ($5) to create one of the best fish tacos in town. The shrimp tacos ($7) are equally good and are well worth the tight parking lot and long lines. Palm's Grill uses cod, and offers a three-taco plate for $16, which comes with ample beans and rice. Newcomer Red Brick rated well among our tasters with their sole fish tacos ($10 for two.)

Cheap eats

El Dorado, which is the green food truck parked in front of the fairgrounds, offers four varieties for only $3 each, and we loved them all. Using tilapia for their fish, this chicharron de pescado is certainly the most unique, made from fish battered in pork rinds. They also offer a standard pescado (fish), camaron (shrimp) and calamar (calamari) tacos.

Mi Pueblo has fish ($3.50) and shrimp ($4.25), both of which have a bit of a kick, which goes well with one of their Mexican beers on tap. They also offer a surf-n-turf tacos featuring one fish, one shrimp and one steak taco for $10. El Roy's offers both fish and shrimp tacos with a great salsa and spicy cream sauce for the shrimp, and at $2 each, it is no wonder this one rises to the top of our list. La Azteca ($3.25) offers two styles, one breaded and on not. Taqueria La Hacienda ($3.50) cooks their fish whole, not shredded, and the shrimp tacos were good but the added mushrooms were an odd choice. Chuncky's ($3.25) were nicely breaded and came topped with slaw instead of salsa. Plaza Tequila ($4) grills the fish and the small amount of spice was nice. Don Pancho's tacos ($3.50) are fried in an excellent batter and for a crispy bite.

Many tout Cafe Zassle as a favorite, and for good reason. The plate is huge, and for $12.90 includes two tacos topped with sweet slaw, along with rice and black beans. The Jamaica red beer from Mad River made for an excellent pairing.

Over at 4th & C, two fish tacos (one on corn tortillas, one flour) will set you back $7.75. These are more American, like fish and chips, and are topped with slaw. Walnut Grill ($5 for two) tops tacos with a flavorful salsa and cream sauce.

Whether you want a quick drive-up taco truck experience, or high-quality fish and a glass of wine, Petaluma has plenty of fish taco choices for every palette and budget.

Online Spotlight: Tortilla talk

Taco wraps can be soft, hard, puffy and wanton. Fish tacos are normally offered on the traditional soft corn or flour tortilla.

Soft tortillas come in varying thickness, depending on if they are machine or handmade. In general, corn tortillas are slightly thicker than flour, which can sometimes leave them a bit gummy and over-powering of the delicate fish filling's flavor. This can be mitigated through a bit of toasting.

Although Americans, by and large, prefer hard taco shells, those that prefer more Latin-based food rarely turn to the hard stuff.

Another option is the “puffy” tortilla. These are created by quickly frying uncooked corn tortillas in hot oil.

When serving raw fish tacos, such as poke, many offer wantons, which add a light yet crispy juxtaposition to the soft texture and delicate flavor of fish.

Online Spotlight: Mexican lagers

While we are on the subject of south-of-the-border cuisine, the beer of choice while downing fish tacos is affectionately called “Mexican” lagers. Craft brewers have helped rebuild the reputation of this venerable sunny day drink option.

Technically, all these beers are known as international lagers, but as the Beer Judge Certificate Program points out, most of these mass-marketed lagers take on their country of origin's name. There are three sub-categories: pale lagers including Corona Extra, Asahi Super Dry, Birra Moretti, Heineken and Singha; amber lagers like Dos Equis Amber; and dark lagers like San Miguel Dark.

I will warn you to avoid beer bottled in clear or green glass. Light is bad for beer, which is why most bottled beer comes in dark brown glass. Kegged beer never sees light, and therefore retains more of its original flavor than bottled beer. The same can be said for cans, at least in modern times.

If your local taqueria offers Mexican lagers on tap, give them another try.

If you are still wary of trying traditional Mexican Lagers, belly on up to the bar at one of our multi-taps, like Brewsters, TAPS or the Block – Petaluma. We recommend Berryessa Brewing's Free Kittens, a pale lager made with 25 percent jasmine rice, and La Fuerza, an amber ale brewed with corn.

Online Spotlight: Fishy fishes

When it comes to fish tacos, the choices run the gamut from the low end tilapia, swai, and basa, to the common pollack and cod, to high-end salmon, Mahi Mahi, and tuna. Depending on price-point sensitivity, diners may be perfectly happy with any fish in their tacos, so long as it tasty, but many are willing to pay a bit extra to ensure they are eating higher quality ingredients.

The two main concerns revolving around fish are the nutritional quality of the fish as it relates to consumption by humans, and the environmental impact that raising particular fish has on the environment.

Addressing the health issue, fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, are good for us. On the opposite end of the spectrum, fish such as Tilapia are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which are bad for us. Additionally, farmed fish, are often fed less than desirable foods. (Search “Mike Rowe Dirty Jobs Tilapia” for an example of this.) If the fish are farmed outside the U.S., where our health agencies have little oversight, those fish are often fed materials and in a manner that raises health concerns and are often pumped full of growth hormones and anti-biotics. Fish such as Swai and Basa are grown in Vietnam's Mekong River, which is one of the most polluted in the world. On the flip-side, these bottom feeders are not carnivorous, so tend to have lower levels of mercury, because they are not devouring other fish.

As far as environmental impact, the concern is two-fold. Over-fishing a delicate species, such as Cod can negatively impact that species' future. Limiting such species to line-catching helps alleviate some of these concerns, as does harvesting more virile species, such as Alaskan Pollack, which grow quickly and prolifically in the wild.