Bottom Line: While not too spicy, the Pueblo Indian Taco from The Angry Marlin packs in a lot of flavor, especially from the red and green chili, and it is a surprising find on the coast.
When you are along the Gulf Coast of Texas, New Mexican cuisine is not necessarily something you expect to find. Seafood is a common attraction, and the coast definitely delivers on that. Tex-Mex is another staple, and there are plenty of places serving that up. But New Mexican food? Not so easy to find. Unless you stop in at The Angry Marlin on North Padre Island, just a short jaunt over the bay from Corpus Christi.
That local establishment offers some fine seafood, some tasty-looking burgers, and even Pork Osso Buco (!?) among its many selections. In addition, they have what they call “New Mexico Fusion” selections which include Enchiladas Grande, Santa Fe Smothered Burrito, ABQ Carne Adovada, and the Pueblo Indian Taco. As you would guess from the title of this review, I got the latter and following is the description:
A large Frybread open-faced with Pork, pinto beans, red or green chile, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Served with a side of dirty rice.
I am a particular lover of Indian tacos and I usually give them a try when I see them on a menu. They are based around Indian fry bread which is a staple of Native American cuisine, and they are given a spin with Mexican-style toppings. The fry bread itself is generally the key to this dish, and The Angry Marlin does a good job with that. It consists of flour, water, salt, and usually some sort of leavening, and despite the dubious origins (displaced Indigenous people were given only meager rations to survive and came up with fry bread), it is still commonly eaten by Native Americans.
The fry bread from The Angry Marlin’s Pueblo Indian Taco has a nice crispiness on the outside while inside it is light and fluffy. It has just a touch of sweetness (perhaps they added some honey to the mix?) with a little kick of salt. It makes the perfect palette for a taco (really a tostada) and you can pile anything you want on it.
The Angry Marlin starts with roast pork which is tender and well-seasoned with a nice richness. The menu offers the option to substitute grilled chicken or ground beef, but I recommend sticking with the pork. The shredded cheddar cheese was plentiful and added both some creaminess and sharpness. They didn’t overdo it with the pinto beans (which all too often act as filler), and those added some earthiness. The veggies were plenty fresh and brought a nice brightness to the plate, but it was the sauces that took this to the next level.
You can get it topped with red chili or green chili sauce, or what they call Christmas chili sauce which is a combination of both. (Get it? Red and green, Christmas colors?) I went with the latter and that proved the right choice. The red chili had a nice earthiness and richness to it with a little kick of heat. The green chili had plenty of the mellow flavor from the titular chili and it had a nice bite as well. I couldn’t really decide which was my favorite, but I would probably lean towards the green chili.
Heat-wise, each of the sauces was a little above Mild on my scale, though when you add them with the other ingredients, the overall heat comes in below that. But that was okay because the sauces delivered a nice tingle while I was eating and the taco overall was quite delicious. And the dirty rice on the side (which is a Cajun specialty) was a surprise, but it was rather tasty as well. Next time I am in town I will definitely be stopping at this place again, and I will try the other New Mexican selections, though it will be hard not to re-order the Indian Taco.
One of the owners of The Angry Marlin is from New Mexico which explains the connection to that style of food. If you are just wanting seafood or a burger (or Osso Buco?), this place will certainly satisfy. And they have a full bar with several craft beers on tap, so there are plenty of drink options to go with the food. But I do recommend checking out their New Mexico selections because those are quite tasty and the red and green chili deliver a nice, pleasing kick.
The Angry Marlin
15605 South Padre Island Dr.
Corpus Christi, TX 78418
Phone: (210) 272-9973
Email: gmier@theangrymarlin.com
Website: theangrymarlin.com