Cenote Fish Tacos
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Cenote Fish Tacos
with Tomatillo-Radish Salsa and Cilantro Corn Serves 4 Cenotes are cave openings where an underground river has popped through to the earth’s surface. They can be found throughout the Yucatán Peninsula (and elsewhere). Swimming in this fresh, clear blue water with the tiny fish that dwell here is an experience not to be missed. These tacos are inspired by my family’s most recent trip to Mexico. No contest: the best things about our days there were these simple, fresh tacos and finding our bodies once again moving through the cool blue water of a cenote.
————— ——————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— ———— 16 TO 20 SMALL CORN TORTILLAS
1 EGG
6 OZ/170 G QUESO FRESCO, CRUMBLED
1 CUP/130 G ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
1 CUP/235 ML MEXICAN CREMA (SUBSTITUTE FULL‑FAT SOUR CREAM) 2 HASS AVOCADOS, PITTED AND PEELED 2 TSP FRESH LIME JUICE 1 1⁄ 2 TSP KOSHER SALT 1 LB/455 G U.S. FARMED CATFISH
1 ⁄ 2 CUP/70 1 ⁄ 4 TSP 1 ⁄ 4 CUP/60
G CORNMEAL
CAYENNE PEPPER
ML PEANUT OR VEGETABLE OIL
FLAKY OR COARSE SALT TOMATILLO-RADISH SALSA (RECIPE FOLLOWS) CILANTRO CORN (RECIPE FOLLOWS)
Preheat the oven to 200ºF/95ºC. Spread out a sheet of aluminum foil. Dash a little water on it with your hands—maybe a teaspoonful. Wrap the stacked tortillas tightly in the foil, crimping the edges carefully so that no air can get in, and put them in the oven. Put the crumbled cheese and the crema in two pretty bowls, cover, and refrigerate. Toss the avocados with the lime juice and 1⁄2 tsp of the kosher salt. Cover and set aside.
latin fish Fish_Mechs.indd 122-123
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2/11/13 4:20 PM
Cut the fish into finger-size pieces. Crack the egg into a m edium bowl and beat. Put the flour, remaining 1 tsp of kosher salt, c ornmeal, and cayenne into another medium bowl. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan—ideally cast iron. Dip the fish, in batches, in the egg and then in the flour before placing it in the hot oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the fish. When it’s done, sprinkle the fish with a pinch of flaky or coarse salt and transfer to a plate. Place the plate in the oven with the tortillas. When you’re ready to eat, bring the queso, crema, avocados, T omatilloRadish Salsa, tortillas (wrap them up in a napkin, if you like), fish, and Cilantro Corn to the table. Pass and build your tacos, taking care not to overfill. The Cilantro Corn is delicious in the taco—but it’s really meant to be a side. Maybe a bit on the plate and a bit in the taco is the way to go. F ISH N OT E: Buy only U.S. farmed catfish. Alternatively, you can substitute pretty much any other seafood—although I’ve never had a clam or oyster taco, I’m sure it would be tasty! Avoid: imported catfish from China or other parts of Asia.
— Cilantro Corn — This is really double-cilantro corn. The recipe contains both the seed—coriander—and the fresh leaf of the plant. It’s a great combination. The quality of your olive oil and your corn matter. If you don’t have fresh corn, use frozen corn with great olive oil. 1 ⁄ 4 CUP/60
ML EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
3 1⁄ 2 CUPS/595 G FRESH CORN KERNELS, SHAVED OFF THE COB (ABOUT 8 EARS OF FRESH CORN; IN WINTER, SUBSTITUTE FROZEN)
1 ⁄ 2 TSP 1 ⁄ 4 CUP/10
KOSHER SALT
G CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO
FLAKY OR COARSE SALT
1 TBSP CORIANDER SEEDS, LIGHTLY CRUSHED Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the corn, coriander seeds, and kosher salt and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If you have local corn in the summer, simply heat it through. If you’re using frozen corn, cook for 8 to 10 minutes. When the corn is cooked to your liking, add the cilantro, stir, taste for salt, and serve with a pinch of flaky or coarse salt.
— Tomatillo-Radish Salsa — The tomatillo’s citrus-scented presence is always welcome on my plate. Mixed with radishes, as here, its pretty green color and unexpected brightness carry the salsa from plain to glorious.
8 OZ/225 G TOMATILLOS, PEELED
1 SERRANO CHILE, MINCED, WITH SEEDS
8 FRENCH BREAKFAST RADISHES, TRIMMED
1 TSP KOSHER SALT
3 GREEN ONIONS, WHITE AND TENDER GREEN PARTS, THINLY SLICED
1 TBSP FRESH LIME JUICE
1 ⁄ 2 CUP/20
G CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO
1 TSP CUMIN SEEDS, TOASTED (SEE PAGE 30) AND LIGHTLY CRUSHED
2 GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED Fill a medium bowl with cold water. Bring a medium pot filled with water to a boil and blanch the tomatillos for 1 minute, immediately transferring them to the cold water to cool. Drain, pat dry, core, and coarsely chop. Thinly slice the radishes, then cut across the slices to create small batons. In a pretty serving bowl, mix together the tomatillos, radishes, green onions, cilantro, garlic, chile, salt, lime juice, and cumin seeds. Taste for salt and heat. The salsa will mellow as it sits.
124
fish
Fish_Mechs.indd 124-125
latin fish
125
2/11/13 4:20 PM
Cenote Fish Tacos
with Tomatillo-Radish Salsa and Cilantro Corn Serves 4 Cenotes are cave openings where an underground river has popped through to the earth’s surface. They can be found throughout the Yucatán Peninsula (and elsewhere). Swimming in this fresh, clear blue water with the tiny fish that dwell here is an experience not to be missed. These tacos are inspired by my family’s most recent trip to Mexico. No contest: the best things about our days there were these simple, fresh tacos and finding our bodies once again moving through the cool blue water of a cenote.
————— ——————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— —————————— ———— 16 TO 20 SMALL CORN TORTILLAS
1 EGG
6 OZ/170 G QUESO FRESCO, CRUMBLED
1 CUP/130 G ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
1 CUP/235 ML MEXICAN CREMA (SUBSTITUTE FULL‑FAT SOUR CREAM) 2 HASS AVOCADOS, PITTED AND PEELED 2 TSP FRESH LIME JUICE 1 1⁄ 2 TSP KOSHER SALT 1 LB/455 G U.S. FARMED CATFISH
1 ⁄ 2 CUP/70 1 ⁄ 4 TSP 1 ⁄ 4 CUP/60
G CORNMEAL
CAYENNE PEPPER
ML PEANUT OR VEGETABLE OIL
FLAKY OR COARSE SALT TOMATILLO-RADISH SALSA (RECIPE FOLLOWS) CILANTRO CORN (RECIPE FOLLOWS)
Preheat the oven to 200ºF/95ºC. Spread out a sheet of aluminum foil. Dash a little water on it with your hands—maybe a teaspoonful. Wrap the stacked tortillas tightly in the foil, crimping the edges carefully so that no air can get in, and put them in the oven. Put the crumbled cheese and the crema in two pretty bowls, cover, and refrigerate. Toss the avocados with the lime juice and 1⁄2 tsp of the kosher salt. Cover and set aside.
latin fish Fish_Mechs.indd 122-123
123
2/11/13 4:20 PM
Cut the fish into finger-size pieces. Crack the egg into a m edium bowl and beat. Put the flour, remaining 1 tsp of kosher salt, c ornmeal, and cayenne into another medium bowl. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan—ideally cast iron. Dip the fish, in batches, in the egg and then in the flour before placing it in the hot oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the fish. When it’s done, sprinkle the fish with a pinch of flaky or coarse salt and transfer to a plate. Place the plate in the oven with the tortillas. When you’re ready to eat, bring the queso, crema, avocados, T omatilloRadish Salsa, tortillas (wrap them up in a napkin, if you like), fish, and Cilantro Corn to the table. Pass and build your tacos, taking care not to overfill. The Cilantro Corn is delicious in the taco—but it’s really meant to be a side. Maybe a bit on the plate and a bit in the taco is the way to go. F ISH N OT E: Buy only U.S. farmed catfish. Alternatively, you can substitute pretty much any other seafood—although I’ve never had a clam or oyster taco, I’m sure it would be tasty! Avoid: imported catfish from China or other parts of Asia.
— Cilantro Corn — This is really double-cilantro corn. The recipe contains both the seed—coriander—and the fresh leaf of the plant. It’s a great combination. The quality of your olive oil and your corn matter. If you don’t have fresh corn, use frozen corn with great olive oil. 1 ⁄ 4 CUP/60
ML EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
3 1⁄ 2 CUPS/595 G FRESH CORN KERNELS, SHAVED OFF THE COB (ABOUT 8 EARS OF FRESH CORN; IN WINTER, SUBSTITUTE FROZEN)
1 ⁄ 2 TSP 1 ⁄ 4 CUP/10
KOSHER SALT
G CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO
FLAKY OR COARSE SALT
1 TBSP CORIANDER SEEDS, LIGHTLY CRUSHED Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the corn, coriander seeds, and kosher salt and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If you have local corn in the summer, simply heat it through. If you’re using frozen corn, cook for 8 to 10 minutes. When the corn is cooked to your liking, add the cilantro, stir, taste for salt, and serve with a pinch of flaky or coarse salt.
— Tomatillo-Radish Salsa — The tomatillo’s citrus-scented presence is always welcome on my plate. Mixed with radishes, as here, its pretty green color and unexpected brightness carry the salsa from plain to glorious.
8 OZ/225 G TOMATILLOS, PEELED
1 SERRANO CHILE, MINCED, WITH SEEDS
8 FRENCH BREAKFAST RADISHES, TRIMMED
1 TSP KOSHER SALT
3 GREEN ONIONS, WHITE AND TENDER GREEN PARTS, THINLY SLICED
1 TBSP FRESH LIME JUICE
1 ⁄ 2 CUP/20
G CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO
1 TSP CUMIN SEEDS, TOASTED (SEE PAGE 30) AND LIGHTLY CRUSHED
2 GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED Fill a medium bowl with cold water. Bring a medium pot filled with water to a boil and blanch the tomatillos for 1 minute, immediately transferring them to the cold water to cool. Drain, pat dry, core, and coarsely chop. Thinly slice the radishes, then cut across the slices to create small batons. In a pretty serving bowl, mix together the tomatillos, radishes, green onions, cilantro, garlic, chile, salt, lime juice, and cumin seeds. Taste for salt and heat. The salsa will mellow as it sits.
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fish
Fish_Mechs.indd 124-125
latin fish
125
2/11/13 4:20 PM
