By Chris Erskine
Why: Best fish taco ever. Yes, ever.
What: OK, admittedly, I haven’t tried every fish taco stand in the state, or even Los Angeles, though I’ve tried. That’s a bucket list all its own.
But in Cayucos , just north of Morro Bay, rests a beloved little taco stand that elevates the art by smoking its fish, and serving it chilled with chunks of apple. Sure, you fish taco purists will scoff. Don’t knock it till you try it — and try it and try it some more.
Ruddell’s Smokehouse keeps it simple. It offers albacore, ahi, salmon, shrimp, pork loin and chicken, all smoked, in tacos or sandwiches, out of a seaside shack just south of the pier. The tacos come on a tortilla so large it weighs about as much as a burrito, with the apple, red-leaf lettuce, celery, carrots and green onion.
There are several salads, but that’s pretty much the menu, though you can also purchase the smoked albacore and salmon by the pound, $18.99 and $20.99 respectively. A whole smoked chicken is a very reasonable $9.
Another memorable find in tiny and appealing Cayucos is the fine breakfast burrito ($7.99) at the Cayucos Deli, adjacent to the mini-mart gas station at the center of town. It too, is a local favorite, with good reason.
Where: Ruddell’s Smokehouse, 101 D St., Cayucos, San Luis Obispo County, about 210 miles northwest of downtown L.A.
How much: Smoked tacos from $5. Albacore is $6.
Info: Ruddell’s Smokehouse <https://www.smokerjim.com/> , (805) 995-5028
