Yahoo for Wahoo’s fish tacos and more

John Volo

On the day after Christmas, while many folks are busy returning

gifts, my family and I will be returning to Wahoo’s Fish Taco in

downtown Huntington for another awesome lunch. Wahoo’s has been a

family favorite since 2000, when we started this post-holiday

tradition.

Wahoo’s started out as a place for surfers to score tasty tacos

with fresh ingredients. The surfing culture (embraced by Wahoo’s) is

evidenced by their decor. Surfboards hang from the ceiling, multiple

televisions show surf videos, and the walls are plastered with

boarding stickers.

My usual at Wahoo’s is the No. 2 Combo Plate ($5.49) -- two tacos

(blackened fish for me), with rice and beans. The type of fish varies

daily, depending on what’s fresh, but is constantly incredible. The

blackened fish is placed in corn tortillas, dressed with crisp

cabbage and topped with fresh salsa. No dried-out yellow rice or

lard-loaded refried beans here. Wahoo’s serves all combos with Ahi

rice -- steamed and delicately seasoned with herbs and spices. The

beans are either Brazilian-style stewed black beans or Cajun white

beans. It’s all good.

My wife favors the Maui Bowl ($6.99). Medallions of steak

marinated in Wahoo’s own teriyaki sauce are served over Ahi rice. The

teriyaki steak juice flows into the rice, infusing every forkful with

a Polynesian flare.

The kids enjoy the chicken tacos (big chunks of white chicken

meat) and fries. Wahoo’s is one of the few places where they

completely clean their plate (that makes me happy).

With a print deadline looming, I made a pre-Christmas visit to

familiarize myself with some menu items I had yet to try. First up

was the Baja Rolls appetizer ($3.99). Picture a Mexican version of a

California roll. A tortilla is spread with cream cheese and stuffed

with leaf spinach, chopped chicken and salsa, rolled up like a

burrito, chilled, and then sliced into eight pieces. It comes with a

cup of freshly made salsa (always mild), better suited for spooning

than dipping. The Baja Rolls are a good way to get your table

started.

Next up I dug into one of Wahoo’s Classic Burritos ($3.99). All

Classic Burritos are wrapped in a large, lard-free flour tortilla and

include green leaf lettuce, cheese, salsa and your choice of filling.

My filling of choice was carnitas (lean pork, pot-braised and

shredded).

For an additional $1.50, any burrito can be transformed into a Wet

Burrito. They top it with melted jack and cheddar cheese and smother

it with either mild red enchilada or fat-free roasted pepper cilantro

green sauce. Undecided, I got half red sauce and half green sauce.

The red sauce was good but the creamy green sauce was phenomenal

(hard to believe it’s fat-free). The pork was plentiful and tender,

making for a great burrito.

I also got a shrimp taco ($2.49). The shrimp is pan-grilled in a

blend of soy sauce, garlic, herbs and a spicy Cajun blend. The shrimp

taco, like the fish, is topped with cabbage and salsa. The warm,

flavorful shrimp contrasts well with the cold cabbage and salsa,

creating an explosion of tastes when bitten into.

Vegetarians can use the blackened mushrooms to fill any taco,

burrito, or enchilada. I’m not a big veggie guy but I’ve enjoyed the

blackened mushroom taco on more than one occasion. There’s also the

Veggie Bowl ($5.99) that tops Ahi rice with teriyaki-sauteed veggies.

Following our post-holiday lunch, which is consistently awesome,

we head over to Huntington Surf & Sport for post-holiday sales and

deals, and then we take a leisurely, sun-soaked walk along the pier.

We revel in the fact that, while East Coast relatives must endure

snow shoveling and sub-zero temperatures, all we have to deal with is

finding a parking space on Main Street.

I hope everyone has a healthy and fun-filled New Year.

* JOHN VOLO is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, e-mail hbindy@latimes.com