Cali Baja Cuisine: Tijuana Tacos, Ensenada Aguachiles, San Diego Cali Burritos + More

The vibrant flavors of Baja California inspire home cooks to recreate the flavor forward and passionate cuisine, inspired by the sea, and the land.

There’s a line between Northern Baja and Southern California but nature knows no such borders and, neither does food nor the people. Baja’s food culture has long influenced Southern California and vice versa. The fish taco may be San Diego’s signature dish but it comes from Baja and the streets of Tijuana, sport nearly as many takes on the hot dog as on the taco. The Baja region has a wealth of distinctive ingredients from the ocean and the land such as: the fish of Popotla, San Diego’s sea urchins, the wine of the Valle de Guadalupe, California artichokes or the ubiquitous avocados on both sides of the border.,

Baja chefs, street stand vendors and home cooks use these ingredients and flavors to create dishes from old homes elsewhere. The mission of this book is to help it be the next big thing out of your kitchen. Featuring a mix of both traditional and modern takes on signature Baja dishes, such as: Crab with Pickled Asparagus in Guajillo -Pork Broth; Cantaloupe Aguachile al Estilo de Californios, Puerto Nuevo-style Lobster Tortas; Golden Beet Pozole; and Smoked Pulled Lamb Shoulder with Seared Tomatillo.

­Michael Gardiner is the author of Modern Kosher: Global Flavors, New Traditions (Rizzoli 2020). He is a regular food feature writer for The San Diego Union-Tribune, Edible San Diego magazine and a contributing Editor for The Cook’s Cook. He was a restaurant reviewer for the San Diego CityBeat. Gardiner won 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 San Diego Press Club awards (Golds and Bronze) Gardiner has also written for Thrillist, and Fox News Latino, amongst other publications.