I always figured that there is a room at Yum! Brands headquarters where employees and management bet on what kind of stupid things they can get people to eat. Well, in their ad for their latest, um, creation, I believe Yum! has finally fessed up.
The commercial features Long John Silver’s Baja Fish Taco. In it, both through their supposed taste test guy and in their tagline, they say the taco “sounds weird.”
This is the same corporation that gave us the KFC Famous Bowls, that oversized cracker they call The Edge, as well the Chalupa, Gordita and all that other non-Mexican Mexican crap on the Taco Bell menu. Since they’re suddenly being honest about their ideas of their menu items, why don’t they come clean about that “technically a” taco salad they advertised earlier this summer? “Batshit insane?”
At any rate, true fish tacos usually have grilled fish diced or in strips, lettuce, pico de gallo and a few other things that vary between restaurants and chefs. The funny thing is that with their “Freshside Grille” items, Long John Silver’s could have come closer to what most people would consider a fish taco to be.
Of course, that’s not what they did.
What they actually did was place one of their fried fish fillets in a flour tortilla, add shredded lettuce and “crumblies” and cover it with a “Baja” sauce.
“Wait a minute. ‘Crumblies?’ What the hell are ‘crumblies?’” I hear you ask. Good question.
Well, when Long John Silver’s fries their fish, they use enough batter to coat a fillet from a great white shark. The fried run-off of the batter or the bits of batter that fall of the fish (or chicken, or hushpuppies, or whatever) are known as “crumblies.”
Yes, Long John Silver’s is making those a selling point.
To be fair, though, it isn’t as if they are selling the taco for a ridiculous price. Then again, for 99ยข, you do have quite a few choices for a cheap bite to eat. So is the Baja Fish Taco worth it?
As long as you remember you are getting a fast-food version of a fish taco (and that you paid a dollar for it), there is nothing to be overly disappointed about. The fish was cooked well, but, not surprisingly, dry. The lettuce was good, and the “crumblies” worked better on the taco than they do on the bottom of the box of your typical Long John Silver’s meal. You might expect the Baja sauce to be hot. While it does have a kick, you don’t have to steer away from the sauce if you’re not inclined to eat spicy foods.
Now I did mention I found the fish dry, but I always find Long John Silver’s fish dry, and that is nothing the Malt Vinegar Sauce doesn’t easily take care of for me. However, your mileage may vary.
The Baja Fish Taco is a decent item. It isn’t worth making a special trip to Long John Silver’s for, nor is it something that will make you choose Long John Silver’s over anywhere else that has a value menu.
But if you are headed to Long John Silver’s or one of the “multi-branded” restaurants with a Long John Silver’s menu, the Baja Fish Taco is worth a try, especially if you’re looking for an add-on to a meal. You may even like it more than the tacos at the Yum! restaurant better known for them, though I suppose that’s really not much of an endorsement.
In other words, the Baja Fish Taco is nothing to write home about, but nothing to completely write off, either. A 3 out of 5.
