El Restaurante Mexicano
Spring 2000
Sensational Seafood
By Kathleen Furore
Editor, El Restaurante Mexicano
Abridged from Spring 2000 issue
©2000 Maiden Name Press LLC
G rowing up in Ixcapuzalco in Guerrero, Geno Bahena learned early on to appreciate the fresh seafood and other quality food products readily available in his home state on Mexico's Pacific Coast. Now, as chef/owner of Chicago's Ixcapuzalco Restaurante, Bahena – formerly managing chef at Chef Rick Bayless' acclaimed Frontera Grill – is preparing authentic Mexican seafood dishes for diners who visit his ten-month-old eatery.
Many of those customers order seafood items-so many that Bahena always features three seafood entrees plus one appetizer on his menu, which changes bi-weekly.
The Atún en Tomamole – pan-roasted Gulf tuna with aromatic sauce of tomatillos, grilled pineapple, sesame seeds, peanuts and pumpkinseeds – is one of the most popular seafood dishes. Tomamole isn't a mole sauce, Bahena explains, but a "rich, rustic sauce from Guerrero." The tuna, served medium-rare, comes with a rice pineapple tamal that features chunks of fresh pineapple and has rice cooked right into the corn husk. Another favorite: the Shrimp Seviche with Roasted Cactus.
The role of seafood
Though many people don't immediately associate seafood with Mexican cuisine, fresh fish and shellfish have always been important ingredients in Mexican kitchens. Says Richard Sandoval, the bi-coastal executive chef/owner of Maya restaurants in San Francisco, Calif. and New York, NY: "Seafood is very important in Mexico. There is an ocean on both sides [of the country]-on the Gulf and in Acapulco where I grew up," Sandoval notes. "Growing up on the coast, I worked more with seafood than anything else. In all my reviews, I'm noted for my seafood rather than my other [Mexican] dishes."
Between 65 percent and 70 percent of Maya's menu items on both costs, in fact, feature seafood, Sandoval reports. "We serve a lot of seviches, oysters, lobster and shrimp," he says.
One of Sandoval's best-sellers is his Mariscada – a shellfish medley of sea scallops, shrimp, mussels and clams sautéed with garlic. The seafood is served around and atop black rice and drizzled with a coriander-red pepper emulsion.
Other seafood sensations include such appetizers as the Sopes Surtidas – homemade corn tortillas topped with salsa, black bean puree and an assortment of red snapper, chicken and rajas; Tacos de Atún – pan-seared tuna set on individual flour tortillas topped with sesame seed salsa and served with jicama salad; and Ostiones Sandoval – baked oysters topped with goat cheese, habanero-chive rouille and crispy bacon accompanied by a black bean and apple salad.
Popular Maya entrees include the Quetzal, a pan-roasted Chilean sea bass served with black bean puree, cactus salad, cilantro shrimp, red bell pepper sauce and cactus vinaigrette; Huachinango a la Talla – pan-roasted red snapper marinated with achiote served on a bed of red cabbage and tomato salad then topped with a sweet and spicy chipotle rouille.
Increasing check averages
Not only is Mexican seafood popular with the dining-out public: It also offers the opportunity to introduce higher prices on restaurant menus. "My check average is $43.00 per person in New York and San Francisco," says Sandoval, who recalls being "very afraid" about putting that high a price tag on Mexican food when he opened his New York eatery three years ago.
"People always had the idea that Mexican food meant things like bur- ritos-that it was inexpensive," Sandoval explains. But once they saw Maya's menu, customers accepted the prices.
Indeed, customers from coast to coast are willing to foot the bill for quality Mexican food. Bahena's Chichihuhuliti Cóctel de Marisco, Estilo Ixca is a mixture of shrimp, scallops and crab in a tangy tomatillo-avocado sauce that's priced at $7.00. Ixcapuzalco's Atún en Tomamole sets diners back $18.50, and the Pescado al Mojo de Ajo de Lujo-the Atlantic day-boat catch with sweet roasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil, avocado, smoky green onions and white rice pilaf hits the $17.50 mark. Maya's prices are comparable. Seafood appetizers range from $7.95 for the Taco de Camaron – shrimp sautéed with achiote paste and tamarind, then wrapped in a crispy flour tortilla – to $9.95 for the Tacos de Atún.
"I always say the only difference between fine French food and what I serve is that I use white mole, for example, and they use wine. I use ingredients like fresh red snapper, shrimp and lobster. Not everything is made with just rice and beans," Sandoval concludes.
From Executive Chef/Owner Richard Sandoval
Maya restaurant, San Francisco and New York
|
Mariscada Serves 4 | ||||
| 12 | U/10 scallops | |||
| 16 | pei mussels | |||
| 8 | little neck clams | |||
| 8 | U/15 shrimp | |||
| 2 | oz. canola oil | |||
| black rice | ||||
| coriander-red bell pepper emulsion | ||||
| Black rice | ||||
| 1 | lb. black beans | |||
| 2 | gal. water | |||
| salt | ||||
| 1 | c. long grain enriched rice | |||
| 6 | oz. unsalted butter | |||
| 2-1/2 | c. black bean broth | |||
| 1 | yellow plantain | |||
| salt | ||||
|
Put beans, water and salt in stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until beans are tender. Drain water and reserve. Heat 3 oz. butter and rice in sauce pan. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add black bean broth and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover pan with foil and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve. Dice plantain into 1/4-inch pieces. Heat remaining butter in sauté pan and cook plantain until golden brown. Mix with rice. Reserve. | ||||
| 18 | red bell peppers | |||
| 3/4 | c. canola oil | |||
| 3 | oz. coriander seeds | |||
| 1 | t. honey | |||
| 1 | t. sherry wine vinegar | |||
| salt | ||||
|
Remove seeds from bell peppers. Put pepper in juicer and squeeze pepper into a juice. Put the juice into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, reducing liquid by three quarters. Using a hand blender, blend the red bell reduction, coriander seeds and canola oil, slowly adding oil until it is all integrated. Add vinegar, honey and salt to taste. Strain the sauce through a fine chinois. The seafood Heat oil in sauté pan; add clams and mussels. Pan sear the scallops for 2 minutes on each side or until each side is golden brown. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper. The presentation Place serving of black rice in center of a large dinner plate. Set scallops on side of rice along with the mussels. Put two clams on top of rice and 2 shrimp inside the top shell of the clams. Drizzle with coriander sauce and serve.
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
From Chef/Owner Geno Bahena
Ixcapuzalco Restaurante, Chicago
|
Shrimp Seviche with Roasted Cactus Serves 6 | |||
| 1 | lime, halved | ||
| 1 | lb. med.-lg. shrimp, unpeeled (about 24 shrimp) | ||
| 7 | med.-size fresh cactus paddles (nopales) | ||
| 1 | T. vegetable oil for brushing cactus | ||
| 1 | t. salt, plus some for sprinkling on cactus | ||
| 1 | sm. red onion, finely diced | ||
| 1/3 | c., plus 2 T., fresh lime juice | ||
| 2 | T. cider vinegar | ||
| 1 | c. plus 2 T. fresh lime juice | ||
| 1/2 | t. dried oregano, preferably Mexican | ||
| 2 | T. cider vinegar | ||
| 1 | c. plus 2 T. fresh lime juice | ||
| 1/2 | t. dried oregano, preferably Mexican | ||
| 2-3 | fresh serrano or jalapeņo chiles, finely chopped | ||
| 2 | med.-lg. ripe round tomatoes, diced | ||
| 3 | T. chopped cilantro | ||
| 1 | lg. ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and diced | ||
| Lettuce leaves for lining serving bowl | |||
|
The shrimp Squeeze juice from 2 lime halves into medium-size (2-3 qt.) saucepan, then add squeezed rinds and 1 quart water. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Raise heat to high, add shrimp, cover and let liquid return to full boil. Immediately remove from heat, hold lid slightly askew and drain off liquid. Set pan of shrimp aside, tightly covered, for 15 minutes to complete cooking process. Spread shrimp on tray to cool. Peel and devein shrimp. Remove tails and place shrimp in mini chopper to cut into 1/4-inch bits. The cactus Preheat toaster/broiler oven to 375°. Holding cactus paddle gingerly between nodes of prickly spines, trim off edge that outlines paddle, including blunt end where paddle was severed from plant. Slice or scrape off spiny nodes from both sides. Cut into 3/4-inch squares; there will be about 3 cups. Transfer cactus to metal baking sheet, toss with oil, sprinkle with a little salt and roast in toaster/broiler oven, stirring occasionally until tender and all exuded liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Cool. Finishing the dish Mix shrimp with onion, lime juice, vinegar, thyme, oregano and chiles in medium-size bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature up to 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in cactus, tomatoes, cilantro and avocado, then season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon. Line a decorative bowl with lettuce leaves, toss the seviche with its dressing, then scoop the mixture into the bowl and serve.
| |||
|
|
|
|
|
From Executive Chef/Owner Richard Sandoval
Maya restaurant, San Francisco and New York
|
Tacos de Atún Serves 4 | |||
| 1 | lime, halved | ||
| 1 | gal. pomegranate juice | ||
| 1 | lb. fresh Ahi tuna | ||
| 4 | flour tortillas, 12-in. diameter, cut into triangles | ||
| 6 | oz. jicama | ||
| 3 | oz. canola oil | ||
| 5 | tomatoes | ||
| 3 | oz. sesame seeds, toasted | ||
| 2 | t. honey | ||
| 2 | chile de arbol, roasted | ||
| Salt and pepper to taste | |||
| Black sesame seeds for garnish | |||
|
The jicama salad Julienne jicama and mix with juice of one lemon. Salt and honey to taste. Reserve. The sauce Blend tomatoes with sesame seeds, 2 or 3 teaspoons honey, 2 oz. lemon juice, salt and chiles de arbol. Reserve. The pomegranate reduction In sauce pan over medium heat, bring pomegranate juice to a boil, reduce heat and reduce liquid until about 1/2 quart remains. Cool and reserve. The tuna Dice tuna into 1/2-in. cubes. Heat oil in sauté pan and add tuna and tomato-sesame sauce. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Do not overcook tuna. The presentation Place 1/4 of jicama salad in center of dinner plate. Place 3 heated flour tortilla triangles around salad. Add tuna to each triangle. Drizzle with pomegranate reduction and garnish with black sesame seeds.
Kathleen Furore is the editor of El Restaurante Mexicano. |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
