Mexican Fruit...and a Recipe

In Mexican beach restaurants, once you have drunk the coconut water from the fruit, the waiter removes the coconut and returns it, ready to eat, complete with ubiquitous lime and chile

Mexican Fruit...and a Recipe

by Victoria Challancin

I often wax poetic on the beauty and virtues of Mexican produce, but nowhere do I become so over-the-top as when exposed the the glory of the Mexican tropics.  And although I live in the Central Highlands of Mexico, far from the beaches of either coast, I do get great fruithere--in fact, I counted no fewer than 10 different types this morning alone in my kitchen and fridge!).  But one trip to the beach, the same beach I have written about for the last few posts, reveals a completely different world--a world of fabulous roadside stalls, each one out-doing the other with the beckoning displays of local produce, rather like sirens' booths, luring the weary car travelers as they try to pass unscathed.  Of course, we had to stop.

See if you can recognize the fruits in the photos.  A couple were completely new to me.

When I saw this fruit, I was intrigued, thinking perhaps it was young tamarind.  It isn't.  Called guamuchil locally in Jalisco, the fruit has a tart-sweet white pulp

Tangerines and local sea salt

Star fruit, called carambola, is common

Coconut-shell vessels 

Coconuts for about 75 cents U.S.

Jackfruit (called yaka in local Spanish) is served already cut up in local fruit stands and bananas of all sorts are everywhere

A light-kissed box of ripening starfruit

So many types of bananas...

Another new fruit (slightly blurry)--smalled berries called arián.  I had never seen these before. 

Again, the coconut...

Fruits called coco de aceite (literally "oil coconuts")

The fruit in the foreground is mamey

Vendors everywhere have machetes ready to hack a coconut open for drinking/eating

We purchased two of these beauties to eat in the car on the long trip home

More coconuts--I'm only sorry I didn't get a photo of the 15- to 20-foot-high piles of them

Avocado Stuffed with Shrimp

The dish that inspired this recipe wasn't the one we actually ate in La Manzanilla, (I posted a photo last week), which, although excellent, couldn't compare to this one served by my friend Jennifer at her ranch one warm day last spring.  Her version featured dill, which is non-existent in traditional Mexican cuisine.  The recipe below is my take on her perfect dish--the best I have ever eaten.  Hers.

 Jennifer's perfect plate, complete with the stuffed avocado and fresh local asparagus, all  served atop the wildly festive Mexican oilcloth tablecloth

My version.  I can see now that I forgot the celery.

Cook's Note:  This was a terrific recipe, albeit maybe not as good as Jenny's.  Her version contained celery, which would be a nice addition.  I also cooked my shrimp in the shells.  To do so, simply drop them in some boiling water with a few bay leaves and lime slices, immediately turn the heat off, and allow them to sit for a few minutes until cooked through.  When the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, drain and allow to cool enough so that you can peel and devein them. I used medium-large shrimp (they don't grade them by numbers as in the U.S., but these were fairly large).

Recipe:  Avocado Stuffed with Dilled Shrimp Salad

(Recipe by Victoria Challancin, inspired by her friend)

1 1/2 lbs (750g) shrimp, cleaned, boiled, drained, and cooled

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 ripe avocados, halved and pitted

Lemon or lime wedges and dill sprigs for garnish

Cut each shrimp into thirds.  Set aside.

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, lemon zest, dill, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Stir to combine.  Check and adjust seasoning.  Add cooled shrimp and gently mix.  Fill avocado halves with the shrimp salad.  Serve with lemon wedges and extra dill for garnish.

Variations:  Add chopped capers, jícama, celery, cucumber, and/or tomatoes.

Parting Shot:

©Victoria Challancin.  All rights reserved.

Like love and life, recipes are meant to be shared, but please ask permission before using text or photos.  Thanks!

The Beach, The Vendors, Street Food...and a Recipe

 Mariachi Coconut Mask Dolls in the La Manzanilla Friday Market

The Beach, The Vendors, Street Food...and a Recipe

by Victoria Challancin

Still basking from the afterglow of a week at the Mexican beach town of La Manzanilla in Jalisco, I thought I'd show you today a few more photos and give you a new recipe I am displaying in a beach purchase.

 I wish I had a better photo of Isobel, but I didn't want to ask and thus took this from across the street

Isobel and Bargaining

Having lived in the Middle East for so many years, leading annual trips to Morocco, and just generally having poked about in markets all over the world, you'd think I'd be a great bargainer.  Clearly, that isn't always the case.  But I am a happy shopper, and I make lots of friends with my efforts. And I am never afraid to be silly or poke fun at myself.

Every where I travel, it seems I make market or souk friends.  Probably because I look like an easy mark, or just possibly because I approach them with an open heart and a lot of curiosity.  Isobel is just such a new friend.  From the Mexican state of Guerrero, Isobel is proud of her wares, with good reason.  Our conversation, which was in Spanish, though it is the not the native language of either of us (Isobel is a Nahuatl speaker and also proud of that).  Here is a sample of conversations with Isobel.

While strolling near the alligator reserve, I spotted this gentle woman selling wooden objects, which were lovingly spread out on the ground on a mat.  Knowing I wanted a salad bowl, but without any money on me, we started what I imagined would be the bargaining.  So wrong.  So wrong.

Me:  Your wares are so beautiful.  Are they from here?

Isobel:  No, they come from the state of Guerrero, where I was born.

Me:  The wood is so beautiful, what kind is it?

Isobel:  In Nahuatl, my language, it is called caüba de zopílotle.

Me:  Caüba de zopílotle?

Isobel:  No, caüba de zopílotle.  (Correcting me--clearly I don't have the fine nuances of Nahuatl).

Me:  (Hoping to dazzle her with my smattering of terms...) I only know a few words in Nahuatl, mainly cooking terms like ahuacatl, chilli, xocolatl, xitomatl, and epazotli  (avocado, chile, chocolate, tomato, and skunkweed).

Isobel:  (Smiling, but clearly unimpressed)  Yes, we use epazotli in our beans.

Me:  (Having failed to astound her with my boundless food terminology in her language, I started on the bargaining).  How much is this piece?  How much is the small bowl?  How much is the rectangular one with the three bowls?

The larger salad bowl, the one I had my eye on,  was 230 pesos.  I told her I had no money with me, but that I would come back or see her in the market and then she could give me a good price.  A good price for me!  We were both all smiles.  We had bonded over language, once again probably over my poor use of it.

At the Friday Market, I found Isobel and after some general pleasantries, I asked her for my good price on the large salad bowl.

Isobel:  Three hundred fifty pesos.

Me:  (Yikes, I am going backwards!)  (Laughing, I plunged on)  But Isobel, you told me 250 before!

Isobel:  No, that was for the small one.  This one is 350.

Me:  (Feigning shock)  No, no, it is the same size as before.  What about the other one with the three bowls?

Isobel:  That is 150.

Me:  One fifty?  You told me 135!

Isobel:  (removing one of the spoons from the set)  For 150 you can have it with two spoons.

Me:  Isobel!  What good will it do me with two spoons?  It looks like a poor orphan, alone and naked with only two spoons!

The vendor at the next stall hooted and said he would like to learn to bargain from me.  I said, "I don't know why.  I haven't gotten a deal yet!

Both smiling, we sealed our deal.  I paid the original price of 230 pesos  for the bowl and 135 for the rectangular piece (that's about US$18 for the bowl and $10 for the 3-bowl piece with THREE spoons).  Not one peso less than she originally asked.  I was happy.  She was happy.  And another day of unsuccessful bargaining was completed.  And of course, later she found me on the beach and presented me with a keychain as a gift, a sure sign I had paid "too much" in the eyes of some.  For me, it was lovely generosity from a lovely woman.  I'll look for Isobel again.  And practice my Nahuatl beforehand

 Hand-blown Mexican glass

 Car plate signs seem to be popular all over

  More silliness in the form of Coconut Mask Dolls

Mexican artists love to make art out of found pieces of wood.  It was the bowl that caught my attention.

 Yet more...

Frying pecans to make a praline-like sweet

 Rolling cigars with a blur of fingers in action

 Fresh oysters and clams from a street vendor in nearby Melaque

 What do you eat on fresh seafood in Mexico?  Cilantro, guacamole, salsa, onion, tomato, more chiles, and crema with spices

 Each morning we passed a vendor frying carnitas or pork belly.  My husband and sister-in-law were horrified at the smell.  I was intrigued and thankful for the taste they gave me.  Utterly delicious!

 Local fish tacos from the food truck

 Avocado stuffed with shrimp--one of the best meals I had at the beach, from Yoli's

Salsa, crackers, and tostadas--always served with seafood here in Mexico

My new salad bowl, purchased from Isobel

I love salads and am always looking for new ways to dress them.  When I found this recipe on the Shockingly Delicious blog, I new I had to try it.  It didn't disappoint.

Cook's Notes:  The original recipe calls for Pixie tangerines, but as we don't have access to them, I substituted regular tangerines.  The greens were simply a base for sampling the dressing; obviously, you could amplify this salad any way you wish.  Add tomatoes, jícama, avocado, radishes, shrimp, chicken, and practically any fruit you might normally add to a salad, such as strawberries, pear, melon, papaya, apple, star fruit, mango, or use your imagination.  In fact, this would be a terrific dressing on any pure fruit salad.  Light, refreshing, tart-sweet, this dressing makes a wonderful addition to your repertoire of salad dressings.

Recipe:  Tangerine Dressing

(Recipe Adapted from a recipe by Malibu caterer Diana Temple via shockinglydelicious.com)

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 tablespoon chopped shallot

1 1/2 tablespoon honey (or agave)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh)

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Grind of fresh pepper, or to taste

Zest of 2 tangerines

1/4 cup tangerine juice

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Add mustard through rice vinegar to a blender container and blend for 15 seconds until combined.  With blender running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until the dressing emulsifies and holds together.

Taste and adjust for salt, pepper, tartness, and sweetness.

Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

My new salad bowl again, with a tangerine that contributed it's zest

Parting Shot:

Art for sale in one of the local beach restaurants, Figaro's

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

Like life and love, recipes are meant to be shared.  But please ask permission before using text or photos.  Thanks! 

Beach Signs...and Coconut-Dusted Shrimp with Curry Butter

A local vendor sums it up with his wares

Beach Signs... and Coconut-Dusted Shrimp with Curry Butter and Coconut Rice

by Victoria Challancin

I love signs.  I am just drawn to them.  Wherever I travel, I look for signs, both literally and metaphorically.  I never get enough.

And in my week of vacation in La Manzanilla, Mexico, which I wrote about in my last post, I wasn't disappointed.

A metaphorical sign:  I just knew it would be a great vacation when I saw this welcome mat with a gentle flower at the steps of our borrowed house

A friend told me where to buy the best fresh shrimp in nearby Malaque--just look for the shrimp sign

The ever-present Mexican skull

A watermelon moon?  Of course!

Local alligators, which grow up to 18 feet in length, abound--and the signs warn you to be careful

A less easy-to-decipher sign, warning not to put your hand close to the fence or feed the gators

Not certain why they are there, but what's not to love about a building painted with turtles?

En route in the state of Colima, we found this sign at a gas station, with the yellow warning light illuminated warning of possible activity in the local Nevado de Colima Volcano (also Volcán de Colima or Volcán de Fuego).  In Spanish, it is said to be inquieto, or restless.

Known to be the best fish tacos in town, Pedro's truck is always busy

Even the departed are provided with drink

On a wall in town

Local alligators figure in advertising here

A stencilled painting around a door

My absolute favorite sign, because who wouldn't want to eat at a restaurant named Jesus, Mary, and Joseph?  Right?

                                 Coconut-Dusted Shrimp with Curry Butter                            Photo by Jennifer Haas

When I try something in a restaurant that delights my palate, I never rest until I can recreate it in my own kitchen.  This recipe is just such a result of such a tasting in the lovely, family-run Café de Flores in La Manzanilla, Jalisco, Mexico, by far the best restaurant in town.  My sister-in-law ordered this dish (I chose the Macadamia-Crusted Mahi Mahi with Thai Red Curry Sauce), and were I a lesser person, I feel certain I would have fought her for it.

Cook's Notes:  The original dish was softer in flavors, but I seem to have a penchant for punching up the ingredients as I did here.  If you want a dish closer to the original, omit the ginger juice  and garam masala and opt for only 1 tablespoon or less of the curry powder.  I think a bit of chopped mango would also be a lovely addition.  I used desiccated coconut, which was already fairly finely ground.  If using sweetened, simply blitz it in a blender first.

      Recipe:  Coconut-Dusted Shrimp with Curry Butter

                                                       (Recipe by Victoria Challancin)

For the shrimp:

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 to 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut, unsweetened, finely ground

2 tablespoons olive oil or mild vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds medium-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

For the curry butter:

1 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup onion or shallot, very finely chopped

1 teaspoon ginger juice (grate fresh ginger and squeeze)

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 tablespoons top quality curry powder, or to taste

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

In a small bowl combine coconut and garam masala.  Brush shrimp with oil and roll in coconut mixture.  Shake off excess.  In a lightly oiled, heated skillet, sauté the shrimp in batches, if necessary, for 1 to 2 minutes or until barely cooked through.  Remove to a plate and set aside.

Melt butter in same pan.  Add onion, ginger juice, and garlic.  Stur until mixed and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Return shrimp to pan.  Stir to coat shrimp with butter sauce.  Serve with Coconut Rice (recipe below).  Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Photo  by Jennifer Haas

Cook's Notes:  My dear friend, Chris Hamilton, in Florida, created this recipe after eating it at a favorite Key West restaurant.  After multiple tweaks, Chris was finally satisfied.  This is the result--and my oh my, is it good!  Thanks for sharing, Chris.

Often when I cook rice, I wrap the top of the pot with a clean kitchen towel, replace it, and allow it to steam off heat for 10 minutes.

Coconut Rice

(Recipe by Chris Hamilton)

2 cups jasmine rice

2 cups coconut milk

1 3/4 cups water

2 heaping tablespoons shredded coconut (I used the same desiccated coconut described above)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Rub oil in pan.  Put ingredients in pan on medium-high heat until it gently bubbles.  Cover and cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Allow to steam another 5 to 10 minutes off heat.



And thanks to Jennifer Haas, another precious friend, who often snaps photos for me as I finish up with my class!

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

Like life and love, recipes are meant to be shared, but please don't use photos or text without asking permission.  Thanks!