Cooking around the world

“Recipes do not make food taste good….

People do”   Samin Nosrat

Szechuan cooking is very spicy, peppery and savory.

Szechuan beef marinated with Szechuan peppercorns, sliced carrots to even the spicy ness, fried vegetable rice using no MSG soy sauce – “Tamari” ~ cream cheese/ scallions wonton ~ an experience to make! Been a Chinese food lover and find non allergenic ingredients to work with, it is a task and a joy.

A colorful way for a refreshing fish cocktail made with sea bass, vegetables and serrano peppers! One of my favorites!  It is a family recipe inspired by the three Mexican-flag colors, red, white and green. “Never ketchup, please.”

In our home in Acapulco, my grandmother made this recipe for years ~ it is her creation, however, some of us cousins added a little more to raise it a little notch to perfection.

The key ingredients are the freshest available fish.

Ingredients:

2 pounds tomato, firm. (You can substitute for red peppers)

2 cups of chopped onions

1 tablespoon of mince garlic

1 cup green olives chopped

1 cup of pickled jalapenos

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of oregano (dry)

2 bay leaves

½ cup chopped cilantro

6 ounces fresh orange Juice

4 ounces lime juice

½ cup Olive oil

2 pounds fresh white fish, tilapia or halibut

Method

Peal and chopped tomatoes. Combine in a bowl with onions and garlic, olives, jalapenos and pepper, one teaspoon of salt, oregano, bay leaves, cilantro and orange juice. Refrigerate the sauce of 2 to 3 hours. To prepare the fish, boil the water with a teaspoon of salt. Remove from fire and add the fish fillets, slightly cooking for 30 to 45 seconds. Drain and cool. Combine fish in a bowl with lime juice for 30 minutes, drain. Combine fish with a very cold sauce. Add the olive oil. Marinate the ceviche in the refrigerator, covered 2 to 4 hours before serving.

Garnish with slice avocado

Serves 6 to 8

Also great as an appetizer.

Huachinango or as called in English red snapper.  Originated out of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. The way to prepare it is either deep fry, grilled or fried. A joy is to work eating the flesh as getting rid of the skeleton. This recipe is made with guajillo chile pods and garlic ~ Al Ajillo.  “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”