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Tacos de tikin xic

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Taco type
Also known as: Tikin xic, Tikin xik, Pescado tikin xic

Tacos de tikin xic are Yucatecan fish tacos made from a whole butterflied fish marinated in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaf and cooked, then flaked into tortillas.

Contents
  1. Name
  2. Preparation
  3. Context
  4. As a taco
  5. Recipe
  6. Reviews
  7. See also
  8. References

Name

The name is Yucatec Maya. English-language Wikipedia and Posta both translate it as dry fin or dry wing: tikin means dry and xic refers to the fin or wing, an allusion to the way the fish is cut. The fish is split down the back and opened flat like a book, a butterfly cut that exposes the flesh to the marinade and lets it cook evenly.

Preparation

Tikin xic uses a firm white fish, usually grouper or red snapper. The fish is coated in an adobo of achiote paste thinned with sour orange juice, the same marinade family that colors cochinita pibil, which gives the flesh a deep red-orange color. Posta notes that the fish is often cooked or served on a banana leaf.

Traditionally, according to English-language Wikipedia, the marinated fish was wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in an earth oven over a wood fire, the Maya píib. Modern cooks usually steam the wrapped fish or cook it on a grill instead, a simpler method that changes the flavor somewhat.

Context

Tikin xic belongs to the same Maya cooking tradition as cochinita pibil: an achiote and sour orange seasoning, a banana-leaf wrapping and, in its older form, slow cooking underground. Applying that method to fish made sense on a peninsula surrounded by sea, and today the dish appears on Yucatecan menus and in lists of the tacos eaten in the region.

As a taco

Tikin xic is usually presented as a whole fish to share, but the cooked flesh flakes easily and is naturally eaten folded into corn tortillas. Posta includes tikin xic among the tacos eaten in Yucatán, alongside cochinita, castacán and tzic de venado. The fish is sometimes prepared ahead and served with extra achiote sauce. At home, a taco made from leftover tikin xic needs little more than a spoonful of the cooking juices, some sliced onion and a bit of habanero, ingredients that recur across the Yucatecan taco table, from cochinita to castacán.

Recipe

Makes About 12 tacos · Time: 1 hour marinating; 25 minutes cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 whole red snapper or grouper (about 1.5 kg), butterflied and boned, or 800 g skin-on fillets
  • 100 g achiote paste
  • Juice of 4 sour oranges (or 2/3 cup orange juice plus 1/3 cup lime juice)
  • 3 garlic cloves, mashed
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Banana leaves, passed briefly over a flame to soften
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 1/2 white onion, sliced
  • 1 sweet pepper, sliced
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • Pickled red onion and habanero salsa

Steps

  1. Dissolve the achiote in the citrus juice with the garlic, oregano and salt.
  2. Rub the marinade over the flesh side of the fish and marinate 1 hour, refrigerated.
  3. Lay the fish skin side down on a double layer of banana leaves. Top with tomato, onion and pepper slices.
  4. Grill over medium heat with the lid closed, or wrap fully in the leaves and bake at 200 C, until the flesh flakes, 20 to 25 minutes.
  5. Flake the fish off the skin, mix with the softened vegetables and fill warm tortillas. Top with pickled onion and habanero salsa.

Fillets cook faster; check after 12 minutes.

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. "Tikin Xic". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "¿Cuáles son los tacos que se comen en Yucatán?". Posta. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Fish tacos Seafood tacos Taco types Yucatecan cuisine