Mexican cuisine has been popular for a long time, but my recent travels around our country have persuaded me that fish tacos are big now in a way they never were before.
Naturally, perhaps, they are easiest to find in regions with a strong Hispanic influence — particularly California, Texas and Florida — but I’ve also been bumping into them in Chicago and New York. Soon enough, they should be just about as ubiquitous as falafel. It’s a happy thing.
Folks in Mexico’s coastal cities — where fresh fish and tacos are both plentiful — have been enjoying fish tacos since before the arrival of the first Europeans. But if any one individual can take credit for the north-of-the-border spread of this culinary delight, it is Ralph Rubio.
On spring break from his studies at San Diego State University in 1973, Rubio flipped for the fish tacos in San Felipe, a port town on the Baja California peninsula. Ten years later, back in San Diego, he opened Rubio’s Baja Grill, which specialized in fish tacos. Today, there are hundreds of Rubio’s locations.