71 replies to this topic

[mongo_jones]

And proceed at your own pace, we're doing all this on Mexican time. It's a lot like Indian time.

in that case i will report back somewhere between next week and 2009.

[cristina]

in that case i will report back somewhere between next week and 2009.

You'll be just in time for dessert.

[Tamar G]

does it have to be key limes? i have some limes--don't know if they're key limes or not.

Key limes are the small, round ones. Regular limes are bigger and more oval.

Use whatcha got, I will refrain from calling the lime police.

Is there a difference in taste? I got key limes for a key lime pie and could not notice any difference except that they are so small they are a pain to juice.

[Jaymes]

Huachinango a la Veracruzana (Red Snapper Veracruz Style)

I clipped this recipe from a newspaper while visiting Mexico some time ago. It is from Emilio Allende Hernandez of Pardino's Restaurant in Veracruz. Here it is in paraphrased form:

1 3lb (approximately) red snapper, cleaned and scaled, with head and tail intact

Marinade:
3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
juice of 2 Mexican limes
2 T water
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground black pepper

For cooking of fish:
Vegetable oil for sautéing
1/2 C chicken stock
1 white onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 pinches dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1/2 C freshly-made tomato puree (tomatoes, dash of olive oil, little water if needed)
4 plum tomatoes
6 chiles in escabeche, sliced (you can buy pickled jalapenos jarred or canned)
8 green olives pitted and crushed, plus 12 green olives, whole
1 T capers
salt
3 T chopped flat-leaf parsley

Score the fleshy part of the fish with a sharp knife. Combine the ingredients for the marinade. Pour the marinade over the fish and marinate for 30 minutes.

Put 1 T of oil into hot large skillet and sear the fish for a few minutes on each side. Add broth and begin to add remaining ingredients thusly (stir a little after each addition):

First, the onion, bay leaves and oregano. Then the puree; then whole plum tomatoes. Then the chiles, crushed olives, and capers. Season with salt and continue simmering for 15 minutes or until snapper is cooked and flaky. Remove fish to hot serving platter. To skillet add whole green olives and stir. Ladle sauce over fish and top with parsley. Serve immediately.

[cristina]

Is there a difference in taste? I got key limes for a key lime pie and could not notice any difference except that they are so small they are a pain to juice.

Yes, there is a huge difference. The regular lime is much more acidic and has a much 'lime-ier' taste. The key lime (or limón criollo, as we know it here), is sweeter, has a less acid taste, and is usually juicier.

The limón is a snap to squeeze if you use a Mexican citrus squeezer.

[kalypso]

Here's a variation on the Coctales idea. I used to do cooking classes at a local cooking school and this one was always pretty well received. The recipe calls for shrimp, but you can use any seafood, or combination of seafood you like.

BLOODY MARIA SHRIMP COCKTAIL

1 can V8 juice
1 can Spicy V8 or Snappy Tom
1/2 Cup Tequila (vodka or gin can be substituted)
1 Tbls. Lime juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
1 Tbls. Horseradish, prepared
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco or Crystal. I use Valentina)
Salt?Pepper to taste
1 Lb. shrimp, steamed and peeled (use U15 shrimp if you can get them)
1 Cup Pico de Gallo/Salsa Cruda
1 Avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
Salt/Chile powder, lime slices, cilantro for garnish.

To Prepare

1. In a non-corrosive bowl combine the V8 & Snappy Tom (or Spicy V8), tequila, lime juice, horseradish, worcestershir sauce, hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to combine.

2. Pour into an 8" x 8" metal baking dish and place in the freezer for 45 mintues or until ice crystals begin to form around the edges. Remove from the freezer and with a fork, scrape ice crystals and stir. Return to the freezer and repeat scraping and stirring every 30 mintues until the crystals begin to become grainy, about 3 hours.

The mixture will be quite soupy at the beginning, but by the last couple of stirs the grains for the granita will begin to become apparent and the mixture will turn fairly slushy. Once the crystals form the granita can be frozen but should be stirred every few hours to keep it loose enough to work with. The tequila in the granita will keep it from ever freezing solid. If the granita is really hard when you begin to assemble the dish, allow it to stand for about 5 minutes to soften up enough to scrape.

Granita can also be made without alcohol

To Assemble

3. Set aside 8 of the steamed shrimp (4 cut in half, if using U15 size shrimp) and coarsely chop the rest of the shrimp and stir it into the Pico de Gallo/Salsa Cruda.

4. Mix some fine salt with some chile powder to taste on a plate with a flat bottom. Rub the rims well of 4 martini glasses with lime juice or water. Dip each of them into the salt/chile powder mixture and twirl the glass. Rim should be well coated. Set aside to dry.

5. In the bottom of the prepared martinin glass place about 2 tablespoons of the bloody maria granita. Top with the reserved shrimp and 1-2 Tbls. of the pico/shrimp mixture. Place about 1/4 Cup more of the granita on top, add more pico/shrimp and top with a little bit more granita.

6. Garnish with the diced (or sliced if you perfer) avocado and cilantro. Slit a lime round from edge to center and hang on the side of the glass.

Pico de Gallo has many guises and what it is depends a lot upon where you live. In this recipe it's really salsa cruda, that wonderul mix of finely chopped fresh tomato, white onion, serrano, cilantro and salt. When I make or demo this recipe I usually use the Diana Kennedy recipe from The Art of Mexican Cooking as the pico)

The recipe makes 4 generous servings.

[guajolote]

Is there a difference in taste? I got key limes for a key lime pie and could not notice any difference except that they are so small they are a pain to juice.

Yes, there is a huge difference. The regular lime is much more acidic and has a much 'lime-ier' taste. The key lime (or limón criollo, as we know it here), is sweeter, has a less acid taste, and is usually juicier.

The limón is a snap to squeeze if you use a Mexican citrus squeezer.

christina, i spoke to a juice expert and here's what he said:

key limes and limes have the same pH
it would vary more by growing region than any other factor, like variety
as for brix (sugar content), it's recorded but not controlled.  Standard of ID is pegged to % acid,  ~ 4.5%..
mexican lime is higher brix than FL even if both examples are persian/tahitian

[Mabelline]

kalypso, I am going to make your coctele. It's juicin' up my fangs, even as I write it. My fish man will have the shrimp in this weekend. Ooooh...I can't wait.

[mongo_jones]

i will be making the veracruz a la cristina's recipe tonight. the bass in the freezer turned out to be too small. and so i will make it with two croakers instead. results to be posted later.

[mongo_jones]

change of plan--didn't like the smell of the fish once i defrosted it. into the trash they went, and the veracruzana plan has been pushed back to another day.

[cristina]

Too bad you pitched the fish, I bet the cat that shot that guy would have eaten it.

[mongo_jones]

Too bad you pitched the fish, I bet the cat that shot that guy would have eaten it.

i'm sure the neighbourhood cats will find a way into the trash can--the winds up here usually knock the lids off anyway.

i hate throwing things out unless i absolutely have to, and i'd been looking forward to making this, so i was in denial for some time, trying to convince myself i was imagining the smell. good sense finally prevailed. on the plus side, when i make it now it probably will be with red snapper.

[Mabelline]

Yesterday was an odd day; had sleet after 65* the day before. But made it to my fish man, and bought some beautiful large shrimps-raw. Also got some scallops-just a half dozen. When I brought them home I put them into the pickle I learned as a teen in Puerto Penasco-lime juice, lemon,onions, salt, and pickled jalapeno slices- to cook. I picked kalypso's coctele because I didn't have to try and get any out of season stuff, and because I thought the tequila granita sounded good.
It was great! We had the cocteles with fresh grilled flank steak, tortillas, Jaymes' cooked tia-style salsa, plain grilled onions, and blanched then grilled shredded cabbage. I vow to make it South this year!!

[Jaymes]

Mabel, what a great meal. I've got to try that granita as well.

And I'm pretty excited that I have finally found a source here in Springfield MO for fresh tortillas. I was afraid I was going to have to start making my own. Which I've done before. But which at this old age I'd rather not.

And glad you liked the salsa. It's so good and quick and simple that it's a staple in our house and has been for some twenty years.

[kalypso]

I had a nice piece of halibut that I needed to do something with yesterday, so I decided to try a Pescado Veracruzana recipe that I had picked up in Mexico a couple of years ago. Not quite a home run. More like a solid double with the runner safely on the way to 3rd base. In other words, close, but no cigar, the recipe needs tweaking. Well, actually, the recipe had an error a rather substantial error in it, not enough cooking liquid!

The liquid for the sauce was supposed to come from juicing the tomaotes and the tomato pulp, but my tomatoes certainly didn't yield enough juice and pulp to do the job. Now granted tomatoes in March are not the greatest, nor the juiciest. I used hot-house cluster tomatoes, which are better than regular tomatoes this time of year. Oh well, I keep a tube of good quality tomato paste in the fridge just for problems like this, so a couple of squirts of that and some hot water and we were back on track. I also thought the final product could have used a little more zip to it.

What I liked about the dish was the inclusion of tiny new potatoes, the overall balance of flavors, and the fact that the olives, capers and raisins didn't get overwhelmed by the tomato, nor did they overwhelm the fish. My 80+ year old mother, for whom I cooked this dish, loved it. I may continue to tweak the recipe I tried last night, or I may try one of the ones that's been posted here, or something altogther different. But even with a recipe that doesn't quite work, this is a wonderful dish