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Tacos de pejelagarto

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Taco type
Also known as: Tacos de peje, Tacos de pejelagarto asado

Tacos de pejelagarto are a Tabasco specialty of roasted, shredded gar fish, sautéed with tomato and onion and served in corn tortillas with a sharp sauce of sour orange and chile amashito.

Contents
  1. The fish
  2. Preparation
  3. Other preparations
  4. Recipe
  5. Reviews
  6. See also
  7. References

The fish

Pejelagarto, the tropical gar, is an armored, long-snouted freshwater fish found in the rivers and swamps of Tabasco. Por Esto! calls it one of the most eaten foods in the state and a pillar of Tabasco cooking, noting that it is also known as pez armado, machorra and pez Gaspar. Citing UNAM, the paper describes the species as a living fossil that has changed little over an enormous span of time, and says specimens up to three meters long have been recorded. The thick, scaly hide is the reason the fish is typically cooked whole over the fire and then opened up to remove the flesh.

Preparation

The most common way to cook it, according to Por Esto!, is asado: grilled over wood or charcoal. For tacos, the roasted flesh is pulled off the bones and shredded, then cooked briefly in a pan. The recipe by chef Verónica Ramírez published by Tortilla Digital fries the flaked fish in butter with ground tomato and finely chopped onion, seasoned only with salt, so the smoky character of the fish comes through.

The salsa is where Tabasco announces itself. Chopped onion and chile amashito, a tiny, very hot wild chile typical of the region, are steeped in sour orange juice with salt. The result is bright and fierce and cuts the richness of the fish.

Other preparations

Tacos are only one way the fish is eaten. Por Esto! also lists pejelagarto tamales and empanadas, and pejelagarto en verde, a stew thickened with masa and colored with chipilín, chaya and amashito leaves. Roasted gar sold whole is a familiar sight at roadside stands and markets in Tabasco.

Recipe

Makes About 12 tacos · Time: 15 minutes prep; 20 minutes cooking

Ingredients

  • 600 g smoked or roasted gar meat, picked free of bones (or substitute grilled whole catfish or smoked trout)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tomatoes, blended
  • 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
  • Salt
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • For the salsa: 1/2 white onion finely chopped, 4 amashito chiles (or 1 habanero) finely chopped, juice of 3 sour oranges, salt, chopped cilantro

Steps

  1. Make the salsa first: combine the onion, chiles, sour orange juice and salt and let stand 15 minutes.
  2. Shred the fish finely with your fingers, checking for bones.
  3. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the onion and cook until soft.
  4. Add the blended tomato and cook until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
  5. Stir in the fish, season with salt and cook until nearly dry, 5 to 8 minutes.
  6. Fill warm tortillas with the fish and top with salsa and cilantro.

Outside Tabasco, gar can be hard to find; a smoky, firm freshwater fish is the closest stand-in.

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Pejelagarto, el manjar icónico del edén llamado Tabasco". Por Esto!. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "Tacos de pejelagarto". Tortilla Digital. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Fish tacos Seafood tacos Tabasco cuisine Taco types