Baja Fish Tacos with Peach Salsa
The California-Mexican home run, on weeknight time. Grilled cod (not battered - the SEASON move keeps it bright) takes a quick chile-lime rub and hits a hot grill for under 8 minutes. Two sauces stack on the warm tortilla: smoky fire-roasted poblano crema underneath, bright peach salsa on top. Cabbage slaw with lime brings the crunch. The whole thing reads like vacation.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Method
- Grill
The technique that elevates this from a fish taco to the dish. Char the poblanos directly over fire - grill grates, a gas burner, or even under the broiler - until the skin is completely black on every side. Then the part most home cooks skip: cover them in a bowl and let them steam for 10 minutes. The steam loosens the blackened skin from the flesh underneath, and it slips off in sheets when you rub it with your fingers. Skip the steam step and you spend twenty minutes scraping pepper off skin and losing half the flesh to the trash. With the steam step, you get clean smoky pepper meat that blends into a real sauce.
What actually matters here
- Char the poblanos black, then steam them in a covered bowl for 10 minutes. The skin peels off in sheets after the steam u2014 without the steam step, you scrape pepper off skin and lose the smoky meat.
- Cod is delicate u2014 flip it once and use a wide spatula. The instinct to fuss with it on the grill is how it falls through the grate. One flip at the 4-minute mark, off at 7.
- Warm the tortillas directly on the grill, not in foil. Ten seconds a side over the fire revives them; foil just steams them limp.
Ingredients
Serves 4.
Cod & Rub
- 1 1/4 lbcod fillets (or other firm white fish), patted dry
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 1 tspchili powder
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1/2 tspkosher salt
- 1lime, zested
Fire-Roasted Poblano Crema
- 2poblano peppers (produce section of any major chain)
- 1/2 cupsour cream or Mexican crema
- 1/4 cupfresh cilantro leaves
- 1garlic clove
- 1lime, juiced
- 1/2 tspkosher salt
Peach Salsa
- 2ripe peaches, pitted and diced small
- 1/4red onion, finely diced
- 1jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cupfresh cilantro, chopped
- 1lime, juiced
- 1/4 tspkosher salt
Cabbage Slaw & Tortillas
- 4 cupsgreen cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1lime, juiced
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 1/4 tspkosher salt
- 12corn tortillas
Before you start
- Heat the grill to high. Char the poblanos directly on the grates, turning until black on all sides (about 8 minutes total). Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap, and let them steam for 10 minutes.
- Make the peach salsa: combine diced peach, red onion, jalapeu00f1o, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Stir and let sit.
- Make the slaw: toss shredded cabbage with lime juice, olive oil, and salt. Let sit so it softens slightly.
- Rub the cod with olive oil, then with the combined chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and lime zest.
Method
- Peel the steamed poblanos: skins slip off easily. Pull the stems and seeds. Blend the peeled poblanos with sour cream, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and salt until smooth and pale green.
- Bring the grill back up to high. Oil the grates well with an oiled paper towel and tongs.
- Grill the cod for 4 minutes on the first side without moving, then flip carefully with a wide spatula and grill another 3 minutes until just opaque and flaking. Transfer to a plate.
- Warm the corn tortillas directly on the grill, 10 seconds per side, until pliable and lightly charred. Stack in a kitchen towel to keep warm.
- Flake the cod into rough chunks with a fork.
- Build the tacos: warm tortilla, a generous smear of poblano crema, a pile of slaw, flaked cod, peach salsa spooned over. Extra lime wedges on the table.
How you know it is right
- The cod is opaque and flakes into clean chunks under a fork, not translucent at the center.
- The poblano crema is pale green and smooth, with visible black flecks of charred skin.
- The peach salsa is glossy with peach juice and smells sharply of lime.
- The tortillas show light char marks and bend without cracking.
How to serve it
Set it up taco-bar style: a plate of warm tortillas, the flaked cod, two small bowls of sauce (crema and salsa), a bowl of slaw, lime wedges. Each person builds their own. Two tacos per person at the low end, three at the high - buy generous on the tortillas.
If you want it simpler
- A jarred salsa verde and a quality store-bought crema or sour cream cut the sauce prep in half.
- Pre-shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix from the produce aisle is a real shortcut. Dress it the same way.
Smoky underneath, bright on top, warm tortilla in your hand.
This dish came from the SEASON plan for June 1 - 7, 2026, alongside nine other dinners and one shopping list.
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Written and tested by Chef Michael Rossi, who has spent thirty years in professional kitchens including Napa Rose, THE RANCH, The Masters at Augusta National, and The Beach Club. Every SEASON recipe is one he has cooked on a real line before it reaches a home kitchen.