Many cooks in the port city and throughout Sotavento — the prime fish and seafood areas of Veracruz state — swear by a sauce enrichment consisting of puréed garlic cooked in butter. Sometimes onion is added as well. People make up the mixture, or buy a prepackaged version that I’ve seen at street markets, and add it to all sorts of prepared seafood dishes to give and extra dimension.

Garlic Butter Enrichment (Ajo preparado)

This version of Ajo preparado is based on a formula used by Tomasita Meléndez at the restaurant Las Brisas del Mar in Boca del Río. Try it in Hashed Fish with Fresh Herbs and Olives, Garlicky Stir-Fried Shrimp, or anything else you feel like. I suggest using a tablespoon for a dish to feed 4.

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Course Condiment, Ingredient

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 48

Calories 6 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ cup garlic cloves from 2 large heads of garlic
• ½ cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

 

• Purée the garlic with the water in a blender or food processor.
• In a small saucepan, gently melt the butter over medium heat, not letting it bubble. Add the garlic purée and cook without stirring for about 5 minutes, or until the water has evaporated and the mixture is bubbling up in ploppy craters.
• Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a small container. It will keep, tightly sealed, for up to a month in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 6kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 5mgPotassium: 6mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 15IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mg

Keyword butter, enrichment, garlic

NOTE: Nutrition values are approximate and for informational purposes only. Values do not include optional or alternate ingredients, nor do they include the nutritional values for any secondary recipes that may be listed in the ingredients.