Tacos de atún
Tacos de atún are tacos filled with tuna, which in northwestern Mexico may be seared fresh, shredded into a machaca, slow-cooked like carnitas, or, in Sonora, made from long-simmered tuna fin.
Overview
Tuna is one of the main catches of Mexico's Pacific fisheries; Mexico News Daily counts it, together with shrimp and sardines, among the species that make up most of Sinaloa's landings. On the taco stand, though, it is less common than shrimp or battered white fish, and it tends to appear in cooked, shredded forms rather than as a raw steak. Toppings follow the coastal pattern of avocado, lime and salsa, and the cream-based chipotle sauces of the Baja fish taco also turn up on tuna tacos in Ensenada.
Ensenada
In Ensenada, a 2026 guide to the city's taco stands by Discover Baja singled out Tacos Marco Antonio, a warehouse-style taquería in the Zona Centro, for its tuna tacos, offered as tuna machaca or tuna carnitas alongside chicharrón de pescado and shrimp tacos with chipotle crema. Machaca in this sense means fish cooked and shredded with aromatics, the same way dried beef is handled in northern Mexico.
Tuna fin in Sonora
A more unusual variation comes from southern Sonora. The Arizona Daily Star described tacos of aleta de atún, or tuna fin, at a Tucson mariscos and cahuamanta restaurant inspired by Ciudad Obregón: the fin is boiled slowly for hours with manta ray until glossy and served in a taco together with ray and octopus.
Home cooking
Home recipes generally use fresh tuna. One published by the Spanish site Directo al Paladar sears seasoned tuna fillets in olive oil, cuts the cooked fish into pieces and folds it into a mixture of diced avocado, tomato, onion, lime and optional jalapeño, served in warm corn or flour tortillas with a green or red salsa. The contrast of warm tortillas and a cool, lime-bright filling makes it a light alternative to fried fish tacos.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 450 g fresh tuna steak, about 2.5 cm thick
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme or oregano
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 avocados
- 1 ripe tomato, finely diced
- 1/2 white onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 8 corn or flour tortillas
- Salsa verde to serve
Steps
- Season the tuna on both sides with oregano or thyme, salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over high heat and sear the tuna about 2 minutes per side. For fully cooked tuna, lower the heat and cook a few minutes longer; for rare, remove it now.
- Dice one avocado and slice the other. Combine the diced avocado, tomato, onion, jalapeño and lime juice and season with salt.
- Cut the tuna into small cubes and fold gently into the avocado mixture with a little olive oil.
- Warm the tortillas, fill with the tuna and top with avocado slices. Serve with salsa verde.
For a machaca-style filling, flake cooked tuna and sauté it with onion, tomato and chile until fairly dry.
Where to try it
- Tacos Marco Antonio, Ensenada: Named by Discover Baja in 2026 for tuna machaca and tuna carnitas tacos.
- Baja Mar - Mariscos y Cahuamanta, Tucson, Arizona: Served tuna-fin tacos inspired by Ciudad Obregón, per the Arizona Daily Star in 2016.
Reviews
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See also
References
- "Dining on a Budget in Baja: Four iconic taco stands in Ensenada". Discover Baja Travel Club. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Tuna fin tacos". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Tacos de atún: receta mexicana fácil". Directo al Paladar. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "State By Plate: Sinaloa". Mexico News Daily. Retrieved 2026-10-10.