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 Entertainment | Restaurants & Dining | January 2007 
Off-Limits - Or On the Menu?
 Pete Thomas - LATimes
| | Dorado Sushi - see recipe below |
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - The colorful game fish, with its iridescent green and yellow hues, is called dorado, which roughly translates to "golden one."
It's wildly acrobatic at the end of a line and wonderfully delicious off the grill.
Tourists in southern Baja California can find it at many restaurants, usually listed under its other name, mahi mahi.
But the difference between the fish served here and that in Hawaiian restaurants is that the Mexican variety, in some cases, is tainted gray . . . as in gray area.
Dorado and striped marlin, another species commonly sold as table fare, are among six types of fish in Mexico that are off-limits to commercial fishers inside of 50 miles.
Clearly, then, something is fishy in paradise.
This is nothing new, but with mounting concerns about exploitation, the local sport-fishing association is asking tourists to consult their consciences before ordering dinner.
It is also requesting, thus far with little success, that restaurant owners stop selling these fish.
"We want to promote the non-commercialization of any species reserved for sport fishing," said Marco Ehrenberg, owner of Pisces Sportfishing and a member of the sport-fishing and restaurant owners' associations.
The federal protection, also afforded roosterfish, sailfish, swordfish and tarpon, is in support of a multimillion-dollar sport-fishing industry. Marlin is king, and most caught are released. Dorado is a close second.
Many restaurants legally import dorado. But dorado and marlin also come from commercial fishers and even sport-fishing captains who persuade clients to donate their catch so they can feed their families, then sell it to restaurants.
"Instead of looking for excuses and trying to find who's at fault, we have to start in our own homes," said Ehrenberg, who is also director of international affairs for the state of Baja California Sur.
The grass-roots campaign is a reaction to a much larger issue. Mexico reportedly is close to publishing into law a shark-fishing regulation that would allow commercial long-line fishing as close as 10 miles from shore. Various groups contend that the legislation could result in widespread exploitation of untargeted fisheries, notably dorado and marlin.
Perhaps naively, Ehrenberg and his supporters hope ultimately to persuade federal lawmakers to impose an outright ban on the commercial sale of dorado and marlin.
In Mexico, Sushi seems to be catching on. Even Wal-Mart has sushi bars – although they don’t have all the ingredients for sale. Most sushi ingredients can be purchased easily on the Baja, down the West Coast until Puerto Vallarta and are hit and miss through other parts of Mexico.
Sushi Rice
2 cups Japanese-style rice such as Cal Rose
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
Wash the rice and drain. Add water and rice to a pot and cook for 15 minutes stirring every 5.
In the interim heat the rice vinegar, salt and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Cool.
When the rice is cooked you want to cool it. I find that if you have a large bowl, it cools quickest. Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and stir by folding a spatula through the rice. Use a big fan to help the cooling process. Don’t stir or otherwise mash the rice. It takes just over an hour to completely cool. (Do NOT use warm rice for sushi. It tastes bad and wrecks the Nori.
This makes about 4 cups of sushi rice.
Dorado Nigiri
Prepare your Dorado the day before. Cut into the longest chunks you can make with a 1 ˝ inch x by 2 inch diameter; wrap with cello and freeze overnight. Take out of the freezer just before you make the rice. This allows the Dorado to semi-thaw and aids the cutting uniformity.
Slice the sushi into rectangular pieces 1 ˝ inches by 2 inches. I use a wet sharp knife to aid with the cutting.
Wet the palm of your hand with water and place 2 tablespoons of rice into the center. Shape into the trademark rectangular somewhat oval shape. Dab a touch of wasabi on the top and place a slice of Dorado on top.
Serve immediately.
Dorado Rolls
Put a sheet of Nori on a special bamboo mat. If you didn’t bring a bamboo mat you can use a clean dish towel wrapped with cello wrap. This is tricky but will do in a pinch.
Spoon on the rice and spread into a very fine layer making sure you reach the edges.
Lay bits of Dorado (this is where you can use up all the tiny scraps left over) and thinly sliced cucumber lengthwise on the edge of the nori/rice closest to you.
Rollup the mat and press inward to create long cylinder shape roll. Press to ensure the edge closes.
Cut the roll into 6-8 pieces using a wet knife.
Serve immediately.
Spicy Dorado Roll
Same as above except marinate the Dorado for 1 minute in 3 tablespoons of Soya Sauce, 2 Tablespoons of sesame seed oil and 1 teaspoon of ground chili in sesame seed oil. Omit the cucumber. |
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