Where: Nexus Brewery, Albuquerque, NM
Price: $13 for 3 tacos
Fish: catfish (comes either grilled or fried; I chose the former)
Extras: shredded cabbage, chipotle ranch (on the side, thank goodness)
Review: This one is very interesting. As a rule, I don’t think catfish makes for good fish tacos: the fillets are too long and they hang over the edge of the tortilla. But this restaurant is unapologetically dedicated to soul food, so in that context, catfish (with some blackened seasoning) makes sense.
The tortillas were not made fresh in-house, obviously, but they were definitely made that day, because they were not stale at all. The chipotle ranch dressing blessedly stayed in its “on the side” ramekin, so it did not offend me too much.
I was impressed by the chef’s ability to keep the taco simple: tortilla + fish + cabbage + a little bit of lime is pretty hard to mess up. Another cool part of the dish was a side salad made of black-eyed peas, corn, and quinoa. It complemented the catfish quite well.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 chickens
