Keeping Cool with Los Cocos Fruit Ceviche

Summer heat is setting records in 2011

 The scorching sun has sent the summer temperatures well over 100 for more than 41 days, only considered cool in a "I survived that kind of way",  I'm all for prepping meals with little or no oven time right now. To heck with conventional cooking, please don't turn up the heat.  The Summer of 2011 could almost be considered the Summer of Ceviche for our family. We've had many endless variety in this popular Latin American dish. This fruity Ceviche version is named after one of my favorite Fruiteria stands in Monterrey Mexico. I've only had fruit cups there at Los Cocos but if they had a Ceviche with fruit it would taste  something like my version. Make a Ceviche with whatever seafood is on hand and be liberal with choice of fruits. Ceviche is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices & spiced with chili peppers. Our family enjoys Ceviche & it seems like the perfect way to cool things down at the end of a long hot day. Follow it with a crisp wine or cold Mexican beer & it's a meal. Salute!

Los Cocos Fruit Ceviche
1 pound medium-size raw shrimp, shelled and veined

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2cup lime juice, divided in half
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup melon, cubed
1 avocado, diced
2 kiwi fruit, skinned & diced
1 cup pineapple diced, juice reserved
1 orange, cut in sections and diced, juice reserved
Salt and pepper**

Directions

Blanch the shrimp in boiling water until no longer translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain & quickly cool down in iced water. (Chill shrimp approx 30 min)

Combine the shrimp, red or yellow pepper, cilantro, jalapeno, and 1/4 c.lime juice in a large bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain off most of the liquid.

Whisk together the olive oil, ketchup, all citrus juice, and cilantro. Pour over shrimp and add diced avocado, melon, (add all fruits at this time), orange pieces &  pineapple. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.**Fruit juices are natural tenderizing agents so remember to prepare approx. what will be consumed in given meal.  The shrimp tend to keep tenderizing with the fruit juices & become mushy in more than 24 hrs.

Tuesday Tacos, true Gulf Coast Flavor!

I see fish tacos as a very Baja Mexico creation, in recent years I have noticed them appearing many menus across Texas as well.  The fish can be grilled, fried or seared but however it is prepared they are almost always enjoyable.  I used to rate a good Tex-Mex restaurant on the enchiladas & salsa alone, now I guess the establishment had better be on the game with the Fish Tacos too! The fish must be super fresh.  We are fortunate to have fresh Gulf seafood nearly at our fingertips here in Texas.  (You can substitute any fresh fish of choice.) I added one of my favorite fruits to these tacos.  We are just now finding fabulous pomegranates here in the markets.  I even have some small pom varieties in my garden however they are not ready yet to eat. This week on Tuesday we had Fish Tacos with a twist of course. The combination of Pomegranate & Jalapeno give these Fish Tacos a real star rating in the Texas to Mexico household.  Like most tacos they are pretty fuss free & easy to prepare. They make a perfect dinner for a night of things that go bump in the night & trick or treating!  Enjoy my friends & buen provecho!

Gulf Coast Fish Tacos
1 1/2 lb *Gulf Sea Bass, *any fish of your choice is great
1 Pkg Louisiana Fish Fry
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup Guacamole
1 cup chopped cabbage, either red or green
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded & diced
1 Pomegranate, Seeded
Fish Taco Sour Cream dressing
1 cup sour cream
1/ 4cup milk
2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp oregano or cilantro, chopped fine either dry or fresh
Pepper & Salt to taste

Fry Fish dipped in to the Louisiana Fish Fry,  in 1 1/2 inches of oil, I used favorite cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cook time for fish while frying: 4-5 minutes, turning once during the frying process. The fish should have a crisp texture on the outside & have a nice golden color.  The fish should easily flake once it is cooked. (do not over cook) Drain the fish on paper towels, keep warm in oven preheated at 225*.  Heat corn tortillas thoroughly, on comal or griddle.

Assemble the Fish tacos placing a layer of guacamole on the bottom of the tortilla, add few tablespoons of cabbage, piece of fish, top with Sour Cream Sauce (recipe above) then sprinkle liberally with the pomegranate seeds.  I served this with Spanish Rice & also garnished that with the red pomegranate seeds.

 Louisiana Fish Fry is our favorite fish fry.  When I attended college in Louisiana these products earned my eternal favor!  What goes better with Gulf Seafood?  If there is a product out there I haven't found it yet but still open to try new things! Let me know what your favorite Fish Fry is? 

Cinco de Mayo & Why all the Hoop-la?

For perplexed Cinco de Mayo celebrants & shrimp lovers I offer some South of the Border explanations.

The first year lived in Mexico I asked my Spanish teacher about how people celebrated Cinco de Mayo in Mexico? I seriously thought people strung up those Jose Cuervo banners I saw at home in all the Tex-Mex restaurants & had one day long extravaganza! I mean why not?? Back in the states it's a day of culture & foods. I'd already seen how they threw parties for Diez y Sies & other big events. I was quite surprised to find out that the celebration is called Cinco de Mayo but hardly rates a blip on the radar across most of Mexico. As we leave Mexico soon I have to wonder if I'll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo next year in the Estados Unidos with a different appreciation for the event?

The state of Puebla recognizes the day but it's not a national holiday throughout Mexico. The day actually celebrates the Battle of Puebla when the French under estimated how the Mexicans were seriously fed up with & quite angered concerning French expansion on Mexican soil. It took Mexico several more battles albiet years to clear out foreign intervention in Mexico. The real hero of the Battle of Puebla was a young General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin. Texans may recognize the name Zaragoza as he was born in near the town of present day Goliad Texas. Ignacio Zaragoza moved from Goliad to Monterrey, entered a Seminary then later joined the Mexican Army. There he rose through the ranks & actually fought for reestablishment of a constitutional democratic government in Mexico & defeated the dictator Santa Anna. (I knew there was a reason I liked this historical personage!) General Ignacio Zaragoza died after contracting Malaria & dying at the youthful age of 33. So when you celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the States just remember this true hero of Cinco de Mayo. My tribute to General Zaragoza involves giving some South of the Border flair to a standard Thai dish. All Texans know that premium shrimp can be found in the Gulf. The shrimp I cooked for Cinco de Mayo are from the state of Veracruz & of course the Gulfo de Mexico! Feliz Cinco de Mayo~


















Our dinner menu featured Drunken Noodles with 2 Different Chilies (which I am sending onto Girlichef for her Chili Pepper Challenge) & Krupek/Shrimp crackers sprinkled with Tajin, a Mexican Lime & chili seasoning~

Cinco de Mayo Drunken Noodles
16 oz wide Thai rice noodles
1 medium Onion, sliced
1 Red Bell pepper, sliced
1 Yellow Bell pepper, sliced
3-4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 lb raw, peeled shrimp
1 can baby corn, drained & halved
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
fresh basil leaves, about 2-3 stems of leaves.
fresh cilantro leaves, about 2-3 stems of leaves.
3-4 Chilis Arbol*
oil for cooking
1 large or 2 small limes for juicing in sauce and garnish

Sauce Ingredients:
6 TB Oyster sauce
3 TB rice vinegar
2-3 TB fish sauce
3 TB sugar
3 TB fresh lime juice
1 TB Ground Chipotle Chilis (ground chiles processed or blended into paste)

Start noodles & have boiled & ready to add to dish since the veggies & shrimp come together quickly. Keep them in water so they don't stick together.
Saute onion, garlic & peppers in 2 Tbsp. Oil in large skillet. When the veggies are still crisp add the Chilis Arbol, Shrimp & cook till just pink but not over cooked. Add in the drained baby corn & water chestnuts. Drain the noodles & add them into the skillet, toss the shrimp, veggies & add sauce, stir well enough to blend the sauce over the mixture. The noodles are now drunken with the sauce, add basil, cilantro & serve with limes.
*Chilis Arbol are thin skinny Mexican Chilis the size of a small finger. Leave them whole when cooking with them. It makes it easier for a non-Chili lover to pick them out!

No, don't go looking at this blog that way. The Blogger powers that be are watching...

Yes, I think I have corrected the problem of someone putting links in my comment section of this blog. I was told to add word confirmation & it seemed to work. The sad people who sit around trying to mess with blogs & photo pages have depraved minds finding joy in chaos!!!! So, all is well again with the Texas to Mexico blog. I will continue to yammer on about life here, there & continue posting recipes & photos. If the flipping strange links start up again someone better make mine a double. (Tech issues throw me & take some time to work out!)

This new recipe is based on a new favorite Spinach Shrimp salad. We had this in Torreon & thought the home version might be even better...


















Spinach Shrimp Salad
4 Tbsp. red onion, chopped & caramalized in 2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced, add to the pan of onion & olive oil
1 dozen fresh large Gulf shrimp, cleaned: saute in same pan as onion
1/4 cup toasted, Texas pecans
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced & peeled
1 medium mango, sliced
Layer all of the above ingredients on bed of spinach while it is warm & add Asian Sesame dressing.
1 bag of spinach, washed

Asian Sesame Dressing
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. sesame seed
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. powdered ginger

Combine first 5 ingredients in jar with tight fitting lid and shake well. Add oil and shake again. Chill until ready to serve. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Buen Provencho!

Paella tiempo!

Last evening there was a whole lot of cooking going on here! The barefooted cooks were fabulous in the kitchen. We dined outside on the Paella, bread, wine all from the freshest ingredients possible to find in Mexico. Spectacular end to our day.






















Spanish Paella Serves 6-8

2 pinches of saffron threads
1 7/8 cup of short grain rice
16 live mussels (*instead, I generally throw more shrimp in South of the Border)
6 Tbsp. oil
6-8 unboned chicken thighs, excess fat removed, skin on
5 oz chorizo sausage, cut into 1 inch slices, as much casing removed as possible
2 med. onions, chopped
4 lg. garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp. mild or hot Spanish paprika, to taste
3 1/2 oz. green beans chopped
7/8 cup of frozen peas
5 c. chicken or vegetable stock
salt & pepper
16 uncooked shrimp, shelled & deveined
2 sweet red peppers, sliced
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped finely

1. Put the saffron threads in a small bowl & pour in 4 Tbsp. hot H2O, set aside. Scrub mussels, removing any beards, & discard any with cracked shells or open ones that do not close when tapped, set aside.

2. Heat 3 Tbsp. of oil in 12-16 in. Paella pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin sides down & cook for 5 min. until golden & crispy. Transfer to bowl.

3. Add the chorizo to the Paella pan & cook for 1 min. until it starts to crisp. Add to the chicken.

4. Heat another 3 Tbsp. oil in Paella pan. Add the onions and cook for 2 min. then add the garlic & paprika & cook for an additional 3 min. until the onions are soft, but not brown.

5. Add the rice, beans, and peas to the Paella pan and stir until coated in oil. Return the chicken thighs & chorizo & any accumulated juices to the casserole Stir in the stock, saffron liquid *or saffron Paella powder, salt & pepper & bring to a boil stirring.

6. Reduce the heat to low & let simmer, without stirring, for 15 min. or until the rice is almost tender & most liquid is absorbed.

7. Arrange the mussels, shrimp, & sweet pepper strips on top, cover the casserole/Paella pan & continue simmering, without stirring for about 5 min. until shrimp become pink & mussels open.

8. Discard any mussels that do not open. Taste & adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with parsley. Cover pan with foil then cover that with a clean large towel. Let rest for about 4-5 min. Serve with lemon wedges & crusty bread.