Tacos de langosta
Tacos de langosta are lobster tacos, best known in the Puerto Nuevo style of Baja California, where split spiny lobster is fried, bathed in butter and eaten wrapped in fresh flour tortillas with beans, rice and salsa.
History
Puerto Nuevo is a small fishing village on the Pacific coast of Baja California, about 10 to 11 miles south of Rosarito Beach. According to a history published by Baja Nomad, several fishing families from Lake Chapala in Jalisco settled in the cove around the middle of the twentieth century, drawn by the plentiful California spiny lobster. The first modest eatery opened in the mid-1950s, with families such as the Ortegas serving lobster in their own homes. By about 1970 several families were setting tables in their living rooms, and the phrase "Puerto Nuevo style" had come into use. Demand eventually outgrew the local catch, and much of the lobster served there is now brought in from elsewhere.
The official Baja California tourism site tells a similar story, describing fishermen in the 1950s who took visitors out on fishing trips while their wives cooked the day's catch at home. One travel writer adds that the village name comes from a Newport cigarette billboard that once stood nearby, Newport translating to Puerto Nuevo; that account is not confirmed by the other sources.
The Puerto Nuevo plate
The classic preparation splits a lobster lengthwise and fries the halves, traditionally in lard, before dousing them in butter; boiled and grilled versions are now also offered. The meal arrives family style with freshly made flour tortillas, refried beans, rice, melted butter, salsa, chips and limes. Diners pull the tail meat from the shell and roll it into a tortilla with beans and salsa, which is how the lobster taco is usually eaten in the village.
Beyond the village
Restaurants in Ensenada, Tijuana and further afield list Puerto Nuevo-style lobster on their menus, and the lobster taco has spread to upscale restaurants elsewhere in Mexico. The Mexico City guide Chilango describes lobster tacos as originating in Puerto Nuevo and notes medallions that may be boiled, fried or grilled.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 spiny lobsters, about 500 g each, or 4 large lobster tails
- Lard or vegetable oil for shallow frying
- 120 g butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt
- 12 flour tortillas
- 2 cups refried beans, warmed
- 2 cups Mexican red rice
- Salsa roja or pico de gallo
- Limes, halved
Steps
- If using whole lobsters, chill them in the freezer for 20 minutes, then split each lengthwise with a heavy knife and remove the stomach sac and intestinal vein. Tails can be split lengthwise through the shell.
- Heat about 1 cm of lard or oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the lobster flesh with salt.
- Fry the halves flesh side down for 3 to 4 minutes, then turn and cook shell side down for 3 to 4 minutes more, until the meat is opaque.
- Meanwhile melt the butter with the garlic over low heat.
- Spoon the garlic butter over the lobster and serve at once with warm flour tortillas, beans, rice, salsa and lime.
- At the table, pull the meat from the shell, dip it in butter and roll it into a tortilla with beans and salsa.
Grilling the split lobsters over medium-hot coals for 6 to 8 minutes is a lighter alternative.
Where to try it
- Puerto Nuevo village, Puerto Nuevo, Baja California: A few blocks of lobster restaurants that gave the style its name.
Reviews
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See also
References
- "Puerto Nuevo". Baja Nomad. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Try the Puerto Nuevo style Lobster". Baja California Travel (state tourism). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Puerto Nuevo Lobster in Baja, Mexico". Luggage and Lipstick. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Los ocho tacos más exóticos de México". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.