This Sonoran fish truck is a hidden treasure on the south side of Tucson Tucson Restaurant News

The Tostada de Jaiba (crab) from Cocteleria La Palma Mariscos Y Mas is as fresh as it is fresh, says Sally Kane.

Courtesy Sally Kane

From Sally Kane Special to Arizona Daily Star

Why did I keep driving past this Sonora food truck?

Was it because we are 380 miles from the Sea of ​​Cortez, deep in the Tucson inland desert? Was it because it is at a busy, noisy intersection that is a gateway to the I-10 freeway?

Was it because there is one of my all-time popular Sonoran hot dog carts, Ruiz Hot Dogs Los Chipilones, across the street, so every time I approach this intersection, I wonder if I have any money with me? to get a hot dog ;; I wonder if I should really be eating a hot dog. Rationalization that the hot dog won’t eat itself … etc.

In the truest sense of the word, I was unaware of my own backyard and was robbed of the excellence myself, the Cocteleria La Palma Mariscos Y Mas, 1143 S. Sixth Ave.

Anyone who drives by has to admit that it looks super cool and is dirty to the corner. They have a really stylish truck and a large permanent concrete slab to cover the tables. They provide good shade every day to protect us from our sun. That care and attention is wonderful, but what is really wonderful is the food.

The shade is lovely in the Cocteleria La Palma Mariscos Y Mas, 1143 S. Sixth Ave., but the food makes this a place not to be missed.

Photos courtesy of Sally Kane

The tostada de jaiba (crab) is sublime. I know you think I’m exaggerating, but I am not. Really. Every time I eat it I am overwhelmed by how perfect it is. As with all offers here, it is as fresh as it can be. I don’t ask how because I don’t want delusions that I’ve shattered. I imagine the crabs hitchhiking every night from the sea, patiently waiting every morning to be silently brought to the boil. Pssst, night crabs.

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