Name: Tacos de Gobernador (Shrimp, Poblano, and Cheese)
Yield: Makes 8 (5-inch) tacos
Ingredients: 4 teaspoons neutral cooking oil, such as canola oil; 1 onion, peeled and diced; 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced; 2 poblano chiles, stems removed, cut into 1⁄4-inch-wide strips; 8 corn tortillas; Juice of 3 limes; 1 slice bacon, diced small; 8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp (preferably sizes 36/40 or 41/50; if you have bigger shrimp, slice them in half lengthwise); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup Queso Asadero cheese (if not available, substitute Teleme or Monterey Jack); 2 limes, cut into wedges; Homemade or store-bought tangy red salsa

Photo of two plates with two baja shrimp tacos each lime wedges and two glasses of beer.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

Tacos de Gobernador are a cultural import that crossed the Sea of Cortez. They come from Sinaloa, where they are supposedly named in honor of a local mayor who liked his shrimp tacos topped with cheese and chiles. The name of the politician is lost to time, but the name of the taco has become very popular in northern Baja California and also across the border in San Diego and Los Angeles.

As a fairly new folk food, gobernadores tend to be different any place you have them. In fact, I think there are as many versions as there are mayors! The one constant is that they include shrimp. Sometimes they also incorporate smoked marlin. They usually include some kind of mild chiles. More often than not, cheese, which is included here, is melted on them. This recipe also integrates a little bacon, giving it a surf-and-turf feel that is a signature of contemporary Baja food.