“Swaddled Baby” Seafood Omelet (Niño envuelto)
I’ve seen this name used for a dessert rolled around a filling like a jelly roll. But it isn’t (or wasn’t) familiar in a savory context. I had no idea what to expect when we picked it from a menu at the La Viuda restaurant in Alvarado. What they brought us was a...Shrimp Filling (Relleno de camarón)
A recipe like this is really an invitation to play around. The choice of herbs, the amount of pickled ingredients, tomatoes, and seasonings are all up to your judgement. Are you planning to serve something else with a lot of olives, like Pato con salsa del cura? Then...Hashed Crab (Tostadas de jaiba)
I first had this rich but delicate appetizer in Tlacotalpan, made with spanking-fresh crabmeat from the wonderful jaibas (relatives of our U.S. blue crab) fished from the Papaloapan river system in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. I now make them with lump...
Crab Enchiladas (Enchiladas de cangrejo)
My food career was born out of necessity with little expectations or big dreams. I was working as a social worker at the Texas Department of Human Resources, was married to a widower with three children, and had given birth to my twin boys Aarón and Rodrigo Sánchez...
Tuna Turnovers (Empanadas de Atún)
My friend Elisa sent me her friend’s grandmother’s recipe for these tuna turnovers that I remembered from my university years in Guadalajara, Jalisco. During Lent, bakeries would feature them on Friday. Tuna Turnovers (Empanadas de Atún) Tuna Turnovers are...
The many lives of Zarela Martínez
Culinary legend Zarela Martínez introduced finely tuned, highly researched regional Mexican cuisine to a national stage, and has continued to blaze trails for more than three decades.