This Crispy Aguachile-Inspired Fish Sandwich In Boyle Heights Is Worth Eating Even Beyond Lent Season

Every year around this season, everyone suddenly becomes obsessed with fish sandwiches. Blame Catholic guilt or blame it on people wanting to be healthier and introducing more seafood into their diets since summer is around the corner. Los Angeles, in particular, has been obsessed with new-school fish sandwiches since 2020.

Most riff off the OG fast-food fish sandwich that started it all, but Jonathan L. Perez, the chef behind Macheen, took the classic a few notches earlier on his menu at Distrito Catorce by giving a crispy fish sandwich the aguachile treatment—except with yuzu juice instead of limes.

"Asian cultural cooking techniques are similar to Latino ones, so I like to bring together those ingredients and see how they can evolve," Perez tells L.A. TACO.

Add a couple of fat pieces of hand-breaded cod, some frisée with red onions, a slice of white cheddar, and their house tartar sauce with chopped cornichons, cilantro, dill, jalapeño, Kewpie mayo with a splash of malt vinegar on squishy-yet-toasted brioche buns, and you have a sleeper contender for one of the best fish sandwiches available every day in Los Angeles.

The best part is that you can eat this sandwich every week of the year and not just during those infamous 40 days!