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 Entertainment | Restaurants & Dining | June 2005 
Snapping Up A Fresh Catch
 Vicky Cowal - The Herald Mexico
I spent most of the summers of my childhood in Cape Ann, Massachusetts. My family's house was right on the harbor of the small town of Rockport. As the sun rose, I would wake up to the sound of squawking seagulls and the motors of fishing boats as they went out for the early morning catch. When the boats returned, I would often go with my mother to the fish market to pick out our dinner. There was quiveringly fresh codfish, flounder, haddock, halibut, swordfish and if the boat went out to deep sea crabs, scallops, clams and lobsters. It was heaven. Unfortunately, a lot of the waters off the coast of Massachusetts have been almost fished out and it is getting harder and harder to find what I had in my youth.
If you have the same yen for really fresh seafood in Mexico City, the very best place to go for the freshest seafood is the Central de Abastos, the world's second largest market. (I am told that the world's largest is in Bangkok). The market is practically a city onto itself and there are dozens and dozens of seafood locales (like small stores). Though it can be a real trek to get there, I think the sacrifice in time and energy is well rewarded by the thrill of what you will see and be able to buy there. While it is mainly a wholesale market, you can buy any quantity you like; just don't get there until after about 10 a.m. By that time most of the merchants will have finished their main early morning business and will be happy to take care of you. Don't worry, there will be plenty still to choose from. You might want to bring along a cooler with ice for your purchases and be sure to wear sneakers as the pavement gets wet from all the hosing down the merchants do. It's a fantastic place and the prices are about half what they are in supermarkets.
The easiest way to find out how to get there is to look on Planos 97 and 98 of the everhelpful Guia Roji guide to Mexico City.
WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR FISH
While volunteering at the second-hand bookstore Caza Libros,* I came across a cookbook, "Good Food from Mexico," written in English in 1950 by Ruth Watt Mulvey and Luisa María Álvarez. Usually cookbooks written by U.S. citizens in that period are pretty dreadful as the authors tended to make Mexican food more like U.S. cuisine with a lot of chile powder, Tabasco sauce, ketchup, and the frequent substitution of bell peppers for chiles. But this cookbook, long out of print unfortunately, has mostly really good recipes, especially the seafood ones. The following recipes, slightly adapted, come from that book.
If you have a chance to travel or live near the Mexican coasts, either side, this is, of course where you will get fantastic fresh fish. I especially like the seafood in Veracruz and so, apparently did the authors of "Good Food from Mexico." I quote: "One of the chief delicacies in Mexico is fish. It is served baked, boiled, pickled, broiled over open fires or fried lovingly. Fish was so favored by one of the last of the Aztec emperors that he had a special contingent of runners, 300 of them, whose sole duty it was to carry fresh fish up the steep slopes to Mexico City from Veracruz, some 454 kilometers away. Today, the process is often reversed. Residents of Mexico City make pilgrimages to the seaport town to sit in the portales which surround the square and eat themselves into fantastic dreams."
CAMARONES EN FRIO (PICKLED SHRIMP)
Served with crackers, these make an excellent hors d'oeuvre.
- 1 1/2 pounds medium-size shrimp.
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced.
- 2 medium-size white onions, one finely chopped and the other thinly sliced.
- 3/4 cup olive oil.
- 1/3 cup apple vinegar.
- Salt, black pepper, dry mustard.
- 3 canned jalapeños en escabeche, seeded and cut into strips.
- 2 tomatoes, sliced.
Wash the shrimp, peel and clean. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Fry the garlic and the finely chopped onion until lightly browned. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 7 minutes. Remove from the skillet, place in a glass or ceramic dish and let cool. Then chill thoroughly, covered, in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, cover with the following sauce.
Mix the vinegar and 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, dry mustard. chiles and 2 tablespoons of liquid from the chiles. Place the shrimp on a platter, cover with the sauce and garnish with slices of tomato and slices of the other onion which have been soaked in salt water for a few hours and drained.
PESCADO EN SALSA DE AJO (FISH IN GARLIC SAUCE)
- 6 red snapper (huachinango) fillets, about 150 grams each.
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced.
- 6 tablespoons olive oil.
- 2 oranges.
- 1 teaspoon black pepper.
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley.
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste.
Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C.
Arrange the fillets in a large lightly greased baking dish. Mix together half the garlic and half the olive oil and spread the mixture over the fillets. Squeeze the juice of one orange over all and sprinkle with pepper. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Fry the rest of the garlic over medium heat in remaining olive oil. Remove garlic and fry the parsley for about 3 minutes. Add the juice of the other orange, salt and a little pepper. Pour sauce over the fish before serving. 6 servings.
PESCADO FRIO CON GUACAMOLE (COLD FISH WITH GUACAMOLE)
- 2 pounds white fish fillets, about 150 grams each.
- 3 tablespoons lime juice.
- 1 large white onion, slivered.
- 1 teaspoon salt.
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram.
- 1 bay leaf, crushed.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- 1 tablespoon apple vinegar.
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- 1 1/2 cups guacamole.
- 2 jalapeños en escabeche, seeded and cut into strips.
- 10 green olives.
Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C.
Put the fish fillets in a large lightly greased baking dish and cover with the lime juice, onion, salt, thyme, marjoram and bay leaf. Bake until it flakes easily, about 10 to 12 minutes. Place fish on a serving dish with the onions. Mix together the olive oil, vinegar and pepper and pour over the fish. Place in the refrigerator and chill. To serve, cover with the guacamole and garnish with the chile strips and olives. Makes 6 servings.
Vicky Cowal is a weekly contributor to The Herald. VickyCowal@prodigy.net.mx |
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