Skip to Content
Featured

T.J. Taco Safari With Ed’s Manifesto: Where to Find Albóndigas de Camarón (Shrimp Meatballs)

2:29 PM PDT on March 22, 2022

If I had to think of a turning point in my Tijuana taco-eating life, it would be the moment I first bit into the juicy, cloud-like albóndigas de camarón at "Albóndigas de camarón 'Las Originales' in Tijuana's busy Zona Río. The flavor speaks for itself and shows the depth of taco culture in one of Mexico's most misunderstood regions. I found out it one day on Facebook while researching ways to maximize my Tijuana eating and maximize I did.

Tijuana is just as much a mariscos capital as it is an epicenter of delicious tacos. The ocean, even though it is divided by wall, is just about 25 minutes away.

The taco de albóndiga de camarón is the kind of taco that you can't wait to bring someone to try. It shatters your expectations because most of us only know a traditional beef albóndiga, served in soup. At Las Originales, the albóndiga is chopped up shrimp, with a couple of secret herbs and spices, and maybe bound together with 1% binder of some kind (which I suspect is breadcrumbs). It is shaped into a ball and delicately cooked in broth. Then seared on a hot plancha so it gets a little crispy, and placed atop a tortilla blanketed with cheese. You go buck wild on the salsa mocha and red onion at your own discretion and of course lime.

It was a bold and brave move for someone born and raised in L.A. to dare to bring a Tijuananse to try; a taco risk. On the line was 17 years of taco media street cred, the pocho palate, and the alliance between Los Angeles and Tijuana. But the risk paid off. Check out our latest episode to see Ed Calderón's reaction after that first bite.

José Maria Velazco 2632, zona urbana río tijuana.

Already a user?Log in

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Become a Member

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA

Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!

September 22, 2023

This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living

Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform. 

September 21, 2023

Meet ‘Carnitas Rogelio,’ The Family-Run Stand With The Best Michoacán-Style Carnitas O.C. Has to Offer

Michoacán-raised Rogelio Gonzalez slices the cuerito (the pig skin) in a checkered pattern to ensure a light crunch in each bite and utilizes every part of the pig, from the feet to the liver and intestines, which he binds together in a braid. 

September 20, 2023

‘The Office’ Star Rainn Wilson Brought Jerk Chicken Tacos to the Picket Lines Outside of Paramount Studios

In three hours, D's Tipsy Tacos and her team passed out “roughly 100 plates” of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, nachos, and quesadillas to striking screenwriters and actors.

September 19, 2023

Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.

Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.

September 19, 2023
See all posts