You better be chopping some tomatoes and onions right now and showing him what's in taco seasoning so he can add his own. And I am sure that properly crisped in oil that a corn tortilla would be acceptable to the little ruffian...if your homemade tomato salsa is good.

I had a similar experience of my own, but only about the shells. My mother used to make us Californio tacos but with the fried taco shell. They had some blue corn ones at the store a few years ago, and I couldn't resist. And they were really good. :) Total nostalgia.

I think the problem is saying "taco". Next time say "fish taco". ;)

Wheat flour tortillas for tacos? That's too weird for me, but why not? Maybe you can shock them in a really hot pan to make them puff, and they'll be like fry bread. Fry bread tacos are fantastic if you can taste them once your ears have melted. I use jarred salsa on regular ol' cheese sandwiches, and honey habanero mustard on burritos. Condiments are fun. If you're going to make fresh salsa, fine, but if the kid likes salsa you're not going to pass off pico de gallo as a substitute. Salsa is a condiment. Pico de gallo is a salad. Can you get good aged Mexican cheese where you live? That would put paid to the cheddar (though I know a lot of Mexicans who like cheddar. ... But they also are the types who will put hotdogs in tacos). You can make researching and developing a house taco meat seasoning your son's job. And teach him how to barbecue and shred meat.

For me, a real taco could have all the toppings you mentioned and be okay, but the base is a lightly fried corn tortilla (soft or hard; folded or rolled; yellow, beige, white or purple) and shredded, not ground or crumbled, meat, unless it's sausage to begin with.

At least he didn't want to go to Taco Bell. :-)

Can't you have both? What's wrong with eating what you like even it isn't authentic?

I gave up corn tortillas years ago because the only ones available around here taste like cardboard. The flour ones are at least acceptable.

I like fish tacos but I still want a Mexican flair to them. Apple, peach, soy and ginger are too fusion for me. In this case, I would prefer your son's version.

In my house, corn tortillas/taco shells are for beef and flour are for chicken or fish. Dunno why they can't live in each other's shell, but there you have it. Other than that? Regular tomato salsa, salsa verde, with or without cheese or sour cream or veggies, I really am not a purist when it comes to "tacos". I might even roll it and pretend it's a burrito.

I'd rather have your sons dinner than fish tacos.

Nothing wrong with flour tortillas, especially if they are homemade. We have Mexican often.

Tacos here are made with either pork carnitas or chicken. The corn tortillas are homemade as is the salsa. Pretty simple dinner to make even on a work night.

Every so often though I get a craving for a "Taco Bell" style taco with store bought hard taco shells. I have a recipe for taco beef that I've used for probably more than 30 years. Better than package seasoning.

~Ann

Here, too, the word taco has many different meanings. Grandkids often want store-bought crunchy taco shells with package--seasoned meat and traditional toppings. Other times we make grilled chicken soft tacos with lots of lime and chilies on flour or corn tortillas heated in a dry cast-iron skillet until blistered.

But the family favorite is a version of tacos I learned from my mother-in-law almost forty years ago: spread raw ground meat half a corn tortilla. Season with salt (only salt!) and lay meat side up in hot oil. Once the shell is soft, fold the tortilla over the meat and flip and fry until the meat is done and the shell is as you like it. These are stuffed with lettuce, sliced radishes and sliced green onions in an oil & vinegar dressing and topped with heated canned tomato sauce (some of the kids are finally learning to pass on this), salsa, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes and, for some of the crowd, sliced ripe olives--the icky kind in the can.

In your situation, I'd make both versions at different times. There's no reason we can't enjoy the food memories from childhood as well as more grown-up versions of our favorites,

Rick Bayless has some interesting taco variations, and I think his use corn tortillas. I like the Fonda San Miguel cookbook over Rick Bayless, however - it is more authentic regional Mexican, from my experience. I've eaten thousands of tacos and none of them were made with flour tortillas - in Mexico they use two corn tortillas instead of just one. If you use big burrito flour tortillas, then you are probably making a burrito - if it is fried, then it is a chimichanga. Fried tacos would be taquitos, but they are rolled instead of folded. I most often make quesadillas, but the fillings are like burritos, and so I'm not sure what to call them. The quesadillas I had in Mexico were made with fresh masa (never flour tortillas), and I make those also, and I deep fry them. I keep masa in the freezer for this.

I am not a fan of fish tacos, especially if they have cabbage, but apple and peach in pico de gallo would be even worse! If I order fish tacos, I have them substitute lettuce for the cabbage and then they are okay, but I never make them myself. You can make whatever you want, however, as Mexican food is very versatile. I've never been to Baja south of Tijuana (which I visited in 1968), but I have visited many places on the Gulf and Caribbean coasts of Mexico, where the food is better than on the Pacific coast, although it has been decades since I've been there. I went through Mexicali on my way back to San Francisco in 1975 from a trip to Mexico City and San Blas, Nayarit.

In our house, the men like fried corn tortillas with seasoned ground beef, homemade Annie's salsa or pico de gallo, cheese, lettuce, etc. DD and I like pan seared fish tacos with soft flour totillas, homemade Annie's salsa or pico de gallo usually with mango, cabbage or lettuce. For fish we use whatever wild, white fish is fresh. Scallops and shrimp work too. We swap back and forth between beef and fish so everyone gets their favorite once in a while. Everyone eats both kinds.

I was born in Oregon and lived there for 8 years, where Mexican food was rather scant. My grandmother was from New Mexico (where I live now) and here the food is New Mexican, so a bit different than Mexican. I generally think of flour tortillas as for burritos and I admit, I quietly cringe when I see recipes where people use them for enchiladas (shudder). If that is what someone here does, I do not judge you, but to me it is just not the right way.

Growing up, my family's tacos were definitely not conventional. The filling was a mix of canned tomatoes, ground beef (seasoned with taco seasoning) and red kidney beans. They were topped with cheese and a mixture of iceberg lettuce and miracle whip. The corn tortillas were fried in hot oil until they puffed but nowhere long enough to become a hard shell. For the kids, this concoction was wrapped in foil to help us eat it. I shudder to think of the calories in those things but they were delicious. Now I never buy Miracle Whip (DH does not like it), nor iceberg for that matter so I use a bit of lettuce and often just steam the tortillas. Sometimes I may add sour cream or plain yogurt depending on what I have. These are not the same but are quite good.

When I am not hankering for that comfort food of my youth, we will do traditional style tacos, always in flour tortillas. I save fish tacos for restaurants though, as fish is not cheap so why waste it on those around here who will not appreciate it?

I'm now rethinking it, and it may be that we're mixing in Tex-Mex with purely Mexican thoughts. I realize that California Mexican cuisine is not the same as Texas Mexican cuisine is not the same as New Mexican-Mexican cuisine... depends on settlers and how it gets Americanized?

I'm with you JohnLiu. But that is what i know. A more traditional authentic taco. Soft white or yellow corn but heated/steamed. Usually on a dry griddle, then stacked and kept warm in a big cloth napkin. Toppings are plenty but chosen at the table. With fish i also offer another choice like shredded spiced pork or sliced spiced beef fajita style. (a couple friends do not like fish tacos)

Your son is an athlete and needs the bulk and has an earlier memory that is hard to kick at his age. It is really just a burrito. At least that is what we call a stuffed rolled flour tortilla in NYC. Benny's Buritto is still in the EastVillage i believe. Wow, that must be 30yrs at least. It is about big food. Lots of it and affordable for the twenty-something college crowd.

I've only had the American grocery taco kit once as a pre-teen at a friends sleep-over. It went down, sat a minute or two, then right back up all over my plate. I don't think i was feeling well to begin with so the heavy spice did not agree....still cannot look at that package. We never had it at home or any Mexican dishes. Not until i was off on my own, New Orleans, Italy, then NYC, and dozens of trips to SouthAmerica did i have Mexican dishes. Mostly authentic and some TexMex like Benny's. I've never had TacoBell or Chipotle.

When i've made Taco night for family reunion gatherings i make sure all tastes are covered. A ton of work but i can do so much prep ahead. And a big pot of semi-refried beans. (not the canned mush). We prefer Tacos our way but i prep the American version toppings as well. If i use cabbage i get savoy and slightly pickle it like a slaw, sliced very thin. Not quite but close to a Kimchi with similar additions.

You may have to 'cave' a little. Taco night can be a few choices to please all. Might want to make your own taco seasoning and try a beef version that you like as well. My salsas do freeze well. I just add a bit of fresh ingredients before the table. Any fruit, more fresh cilantro. My last batch of chili was odd and very much like a mole. I froze most of it in pints and have been using it as a taco base adding sliced grilled/seared beef. Skirt or flank. Next time make him ground beef, (shudder), but a big batch seasoned, then freeze some. He might want a burrito or a quesadilla and might try some of your preferred toppings.

His culinary tastes will change over time but it may be another decade. : )

Ugh, sorry but neither of those are pure tacos. I agree the first is some sort of fusion thing (soy? peach?) most properly called an Asian fish taco, and the second, a meat-only burrito. To me, a fish taco has a soft corn tortilla (or two), fish, lime, onion/cilantro or true pico de gallo (not fruit salsa), and shredded cabbage (crema and/or guac if you insist).

I'm on your son's side. Asian fusion is NOT authentic taco! Here in Southern California we have whole grocery stores, Cardenas is one, where Mexican is the only language spoken and they make incredible tacos! For carnitas or beef or chicken, they are served in FRIED or soft CORN Tortillas with shredded lettuce, shredded cheese and pico de gallo made with red onions, cilantro, diced tomato, jalapeno, lime and salt & pepper. For Fish tacos, the fish isn't cod of all things. Mahi Mahi, Bass, Talapia, Shrimp either grilled or batter fried in a corn tortilla, fried or soft, accompanied with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, and Mexican Crema mixed with lime. YUM!
Flour tortillas are for Burittos. Enchiladas are also made with corn tortillas.
Grocery store tortillas can not stand up next to the ones made fresh at the local tortilla stores. You can make them at home, but I don't have the patience.

Try this one for your son:
Brown some ground beef. Add chopped onion, garlic and 1/2 a baking potato grated. Diced jalapeno to taste. Add 4 oz tomato sauce (1/2 can) and cover all with water and a few shakes of tobasco sauce. Let simmer till the water is gone. The grated potato holds the meat and flavors together so they don't fall out of the taco.
Now that the filling is done, make some pico de gallo, grate some lettuce and cheese and fry some tortillas.
Serve with refried beans and rice.

Okay, I will relent and make dear son the tacos he prefers. And we will try some of the recipes you all have given us.

But I still want him to eat an authentic Baja beach fish taco. I'll have to set the stage. We'll start by getting a rockfish or similar, and firing a speargun through it.

Meanwhile, here's the rest of the peach apple salsa, on a grilled mackerel.

Actually, that looks a lot like something you could get in Mexico, where they aren't so rigid about the "right" way to make things. Someone there is sure to think that looks good enough to stuff into a tortilla and call a taco. :)

Piece of advice? Line caught is equally authentic to speared, and the hook doesn't do as much damage. :) Better yet, he's old enough. Take him on a spear fishing trip to Baja and go full on nostalgia. The sand only tastes good if you had to work that hard to get your fish anyway! (If you're buying the fish at a store in Oregon, I suggest strongly that you omit the sand from the recipe.)

One paperback cookbook that I got in Mexico says that there are as many ways to make enchiladas (substitute tacos) as there are Mexican grandmothers, and so it is true that in Mexico they do not follow hard and fast rules. Those rules only come into play when Europeans (such as Diana Kennedy) visit Mexico and then decide that there is only one correct way to make a certain dish, which is one of the reasons I do not like DK. There used to be an Enchilada Club in Yahoo, back when they had clubs instead of groups, and there were thousands of enchilada recipes exchanged there. There was (or is) a good Latin American food forum on mouthfulsfood.com.

The funny thing though is that those Mexican abuelas (grandmothers) will likely insist their way is the right way. I kind of chuckled one day when one of the youths at our church posted on facebook about how yummy their seafood tacos (or perhaps enchiladas) were. Her grandmother chastised her that such things were not done, that seafood did not go into those things. Obviously, her grandmother was not from coastal Mexico. I have also seen waitresses get into a huff when my grandmother ordered flat enchiladas with a fried egg on top as they, in their 20 years of waiting at that restaurant had never encountered such an odd request. That is the way my grandmother grew up eating them though. No matter what you call it though, that fish and salsa looks quite yummy.

Being a Southern California native, this thread caught my eye. After all, the Taco is to us what the Hot Dog is to Chicago, or the Hoagie is to Philadelphia, so it's fair to say I've had just about every carnation of taco there is, which is probably thousands, with the exception of cod with soy and ginger and peach and apple;)

But seriously, my favorite way to enjoy them is at the roadside Taqueria's on the way to our weekend getaway on the gulf side of Baja. Just south of Mexicali there are many family run businesses, often with three generations working side by side, and the Tacos offered in Pesos are the equivalent of about a buck apiece! :)

Tacos are simply served ala carte with your choice of meats, then you go along the veggie/salsa bar where you build your own, as hot or cool as you like.

Most places typically have about three or four choices of meat, (ground beef not being one of them;) and small fresh made corn tortillas are the default, although most offer flour if requested, but those are typically for burritos. Al Pastor is my favorite, which is seasoned pork cooked long and slow (all day long) on a vertical rotisserie, and then sliced off on to a warm tortilla. Carnitas and Carne Asada are my other two go to's.

Toppings typically include cucumbers, radishes, marinated jalapenos and carrots, onions, cabbage, roasted/grilled peppers and green onions, several different salsas, pico de gallo, cilantro, cabbage, plenty of lime slices, and a blended avocado sauce (not guacamole)

Violetwest, please educate me. How is a chico taco different than a taquito? Of course, right after I typed that, it dawned on me that taquito likely means little taco. Perhaps I need more sleep?

I'm not speaking for Violetwest, but there are certain taco places that get the reputation of being the taco place. Chico's (a small chain) is one of those. It's not that it's a taquito (yes, little taco, though rolled tacos are also called "taco"). It's that it's specifically Chico's. Or Tito's in Culver City or Tacos El Gordo in San Diego. There's also a fish taco place in San Diego that was the fish taco place decades before fish tacos were seen in the U.S. very far from the border or the sea.

There is a taco place about six blocks from my house that is very like what cookncarpenter describes. A huge selection of street tacos with every possible filling. My favorite is the lengua (tongue). I am now hungry for street tacos and will probably ride down there tomorrow, riding as I try not to walk, walking being the gateway drug to running which is the most abusive thing you can do to your body - spoken by one who suffered mightily under the whip of a merciless cross country coach in high school, sorry for the digression - and post a photo of the menu. Portland does not have good Mexican food, but we have a couple of exceptions.

Who cares about authentic - the description of your fish tacos in the first post had me googling things like Asian fusion fish tacos in the middle of the night last night!

Love grilled fish tacos with mango salsa or avocado and chipotle cream. Not crazy about corn tortillas. I really need to try making my own flour tortillas.

Isn't a tortilla sort of the white bread of Latino countries? So it can be anything anyone wants it to be.

yes, Chicos Tacos is a local "thing" -- and I've never eaten them, since they seem kind of gross.

Flour tortillas are a northern Mexico thing -- especially apt for burritos. On the border where I am, we're often asked "corn or flour?" (as well as "red or green?") but tacos really are made with corn tortilla.

mmmm, fresh corn tortillas hot off the press with a little butter -- so yummy!

LOL! Momj47, I know what you mean, but they have actual white bread in Latin America, which is "the white bread of the Latino countries". A Summer supper in a middle class home in the middle of Mexico might be grilled sandwiches on white, or hotdogs in buns. Tortillas, in many houses, are served with the main meal, which might consist of a sopa (usually a pasta or rice dish, not a wet soup), a meat course, salad and fruit. This is the meal that's most likely to have something like enchiladas that you recognize from a restaurant menu. Tortillas are best brought home warm in the tortilla warmer from the corner store, though might be heated at home. The leftovers often show up with breakfast, but there might be regular old toast. This, of course, is as variable as the eating habits are anywhere, and is the more old fashioned, Siesta based, way to live. They have McDonald's too.

Tortillas are more like the "artisan bread" of Mexico. Takes a little skill, not that much effort, must be good or not worth eating, and must be fresh.

One of my fave easy and relatively low calorie, homemade tacos is: chicken (store bought roasted), sour cream, salsa on soft (plain, not fried) corn tortillas. Good lunchable.

There are food trucks in L.A. selling Korean tacos, and Kevin has said that they are the worst tacos he has ever had. Maybe the ones in Portland are better. I have not yet put kimchee in tacos, as I do not like cabbage in tacos, and so I have avoided those trucks. However, there are plenty of people who like them. I like a lot of fusion food, but have concerns about Korean/Mexican, and I do like both Korean and Mexican food, but separately. I think that Japanese cuisine lends itself less to fusion interpretations because it is so meticulous, but I did like the Japanese/Peruvian restaurant in Marina Del Rey, which unfortunately has closed. They had an interesting sauce that combined Yuzu and wasabi, neither of which are Peruvian, but I still want to try making it. As I recall, the dishes were either Peruvian or Japanese, and the only way they were combined was on the menu. There is a Persian/Italian restaurant near me that has Persian food on one side of the menu and Italian on the other side, but again they do not mix the two styles, and I have only ordered Persian food there.

Y'all weren't kidding! Made my first flour tortillas today. I'll never go back to store bought.

While I love freshly made flour tortillas, store bought are still a convenience food I am willing to buy most of the time. There are times when standing over a hot cast iron skillet to cook them is not worth it and my family can eat those far too quickly! Yours look great.

Store bought tortillas (bagels, croissants, etc.) differ in quality depending on where you live. In NM they're likely a lot better than some parts of the country. :)

I think our population here in El Paso would revolt if they couldn't get tortillas!

and, forgot to mention . . . breakfast tacos!

Homemade flour tortillas are definitely better, but they do not keep well. One restaurant in Venice (Casa Blanca - not a Mexican name, but this is L.A. where movies are more important) has a person making flour tortillas in the middle of the restaurant, and so their tortillas are the best I've had at restaurants. In Mexico City I would buy freshly made corn tortillas (still hot) from small tortilla factories that would sell them through a window, and these were all over the city. I never bought flour tortillas there, however, but I do like the flour tortillas from Trader Joe's. The disadvantage is that these (like homemade) do not keep well. The ones from the regular supermarkets keep for a long time, and the taste suffers because of the preservatives.

In order to store homemade tortillas (since we only eat one each per meal), I stack them with wax paper between them and store them in a FoodSaver vacuum sealed bag. They are still somewhat difficult to separate. Perhaps I should try freezing them and not vacuum sealing them.

I've had breakfast tacos in Austin, where they are also extremely popular (and cheap), but I make migas instead, which is somewhat similar. I do make breakfast burritos frequently, however, and generally use the inferior supermarket tortillas, unless I have some TJ's on hand.

When I went to Vancouver in the late 1970s, I did notice that it was difficult to find tortillas (or even Mexican food) north of the California/Oregon border. In Vancouver I only found frozen tortillas in the market, and so I did not bother.

Those are lovely tortillas -- some restaurants (not just Chevy's, lol) make their own as well. I've made both corn (but shortcut from masa, not grinding my own corn) and flour, and the freshness sure is nice.

There used to be a tortilla factory about a mile away, and they used to sell direct from the front office. There are still places around, and small producers sell at the farmer's markets. However, I did recently buy the pre-made, uncooked kind from Costco and they are a convenient product. You just finish them on a comal or griddle pan. I avoid the big brands at the supermarkets, especially Mission (ugh).

Japanese Peruvian is a common hybrid, as Japanese (and Chinese) immigrants made a big influence in Peru. I've eaten several Korean-Mexican hybrid products at several different restaurants, and I found most of it not-so-good. The bulgogi tacos in a chinese-style buns are the best tasting, but they are really not a taco at that point.

Lars, you might try using parchment instead of waxed paper between the tortillas. That might work better with the vacuum sealer.

There are places where you can get freshly made tortillas at the market. :)

"When I went to Vancouver in the late 1970s, I did notice that it was
difficult to find tortillas (or even Mexican food) north of the
California/Oregon border"

I lived in Seattle when in my teens in the 70s, and tried to make something with tortillas (I forget what) -- and the only tortillas I could find were CANNED tortillas. You think the supermarket varieties that are widely available today are bad, you should have tasted these abominations!

I find the supermarket tortillas perfectly acceptable; the corn ones keep pretty well. I had egg soft tacos last night for dinner -- scrambled eggs, cheese, sour cream, and salsa, yum!

I cut the cereal liners to separate my tortilla shells. Grainlady, I know you don't buy cereals, but the bags are real nice heavy-duty and I use them often when freezing fruit, dollops of tomato paste, canned chipotle peppers and adobo, etc.

I also use a cereal bag when I pound a chicken breast.

Those are some good ideas for separating tortillas - I will not use wax paper again. I have also used parchment and butcher paper, but that seemed like overkill. I do save all the plastic bags I get from the grocery store, and in Mexico, they wash these bags and reuse them several times. I've noticed clotheslines in Mexico City with plastic bags hanging on them to dry. I will try plastic sheets next time.

Like Jasdip, I find all kinds of uses for the cereal liner bags. The bags also seal nicely with a foodsaver (but you can't vacuum them, darnit.) They're esp. good to line a sheet pan when you're freezing individual portions. I use them to line the sheet pan to freeze individual green beans--after the beans are frozen, I bag them up in Foodsaver bags and then vac & seal. And as Jasdip said, they're great for pounding chicken breasts...one of them is sturdy enough to hold up to pounding a meals' work of chix breasts.

I bought some corn tortillas this weekend. I notice the package says, "refrigerate after purchase." What? I've never refrigerated them and they seem to keep just fine. I wonder if this is a standard instruction, or peculiar to the brand.

I've never refrigerated tortillas, corn or flour. Many packaged and bottled foods a say "refrigerate after opening", I think it's just a liability thing. I use my best judgment on when something needs refrigeration...

OK that's it...taco night tonight. Not going into town, too nice a day so will have to go with what I have.....flour tortillas, pulled smoked pork, sour cream, cream onions , homemade salsa and green onions

Cindy did you use lard in your tortillas?

Some are on the shelf with the bread. The un-baked flour tortillas i buy are in the refrigerated case and say to keep refrigerated.

All depends on how they are 'preserved'.

Chase, I used LouAna peanut oil.

flour tortillas