Pescado Sarandeado!!

We have recently started serving Pescado Sarandeado at the beach, it is a unique and delicious traditional grilled fish dish served along Mexico's Pacific Coast.  Do not miss the chance of savouring this magnificent dish of our region.

For those of you home, here is the recipe.

It uses a chile and garlic-based seasoning paste and a final glazing of flavored mayonnaise before it goes on the grill.

You can use any thin fish filet for this very special dish, or even very large shrimp. In Mexico, the whole fish makes one huge portion, but it can easily serve two people. For the authentic preparation, select a whole fish of about 2 - 2 2 pounds and have the fishmonger remove the head and butterfly it (or do it yourself), leaving the skin on.

You may cook the fish whole, in one, large flat piece, plus a smaller one with the meat on the backbone, or you can trim each fish down to two fillets. You can grind the annato seeds to a powder in a coffee grinder. You could also use New Mexico chile powder, but it will be hotter, so, if you do, leave out the de arból or cayenne. You will notice that the marinade calls for a small amount of soy sauce. This is not inauthentic, as, since the early twentieth century, many Chinese immigrants have lived along Mexico's west coast.

1/4 cup olive oil
10 cloves chopped garlic
2 teaspoons annato seeds (available in Hispanic markets)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder, or substitute New Mexico chile powder
1/4 teaspoon powdered chile de arból or substitute cayenne
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 butterflied red snappers of 1 2/3 - 2 2 pounds each, or substitute another type of fish, either butterflied or filleted with the skin left on.

In the oil, cook the garlic and powdered annato seeds over medium low heat until the garlic is soft, but not browned, (unless you like the more assertive taste of browned garlic, but under no circumstances allow it to burn). Lower the heat to very low, add the soy sauce, the two chile powders, and salt, and continue to cook for 1 - 2 minutes, but do not allow the powder to burn as it will be bitter.

Remove the pan from heat and allow the mixture to cool for about 20 minutes. This will permit the powdered spices to fully hydrate. Grind the mixture to a paste in a molcajete or mortar and pestle. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of the paste with the mayonnaise and reserve in the refrigerator, then spread the rest of the paste over the fleshy side of the fish, rubbing it in well and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.

Preheat your grill.

Just before grilling, remove and reserve 1 heaping tablespoon of the flavored mayonnaise to use as a garnish for the finished dish, and spread the rest of the mayonnaise over the seasoning mixture on the fish. Grill the fish until well browned on the flesh side, then turn the skin side down and continue grilling until done.

Serve the fish with lime wedges, your favorite sauces, guacamole, and hot corn tortillas.

We have popsicles availableas well around the pool area for everyone to enjoy.

Sushi Classes

Today we had the “How To Make Sushi” Class as we normally do every Tuesday at noon outside Palmita Market.

Our Deli Chef Gerry Martinez Sanchez with the help of our translator and very well know Activities Manager Manuel Bernal, guided us through the art of making Sushi.

Here are some very basic and simple steps taught during the class:

 

1. "The rough side of the nori"

Feel the nori Sheet from both sides and you will find one side to be a bit smooth and the other a little rough. The nori should lay on the rolling mat with the rough side facing upwards.

2."Getting busy with rice"

Get your hands wet, and make about a handful of rice to a ball of rice. It's important to keep your hands wet while working with sushi rice because it is sticky. When you work with the nori though, you should keep them as dry as you can. That is why you should have a bowl of water (with a bit of rice vinegar added to it) and a dry hand-towel nearby when making sushi.

3. "The spread"

Gently put the rice ball in the middle of the nori sheet, and start spreading it equally on the nori, creating a layer of rice covering almost the entire sheet except the upper margin of about 2 cm that should be kept uncovered. Later on, the margins need to be empty of rice in order to close to sushi roll properly. Be careful not to compress the rice, but merely spread it over the nori.

 

 

 

4."Can you fill this?"

Now it's time to place a slice of fish (preferably no more than one) on the edge of the nori, along with 1-3 pre-cut slices of vegetables (carrot, cucumber, green onion, asparagus, and so on... allow yourself to get wild on this matter).

 

5."Commence the rolling sequence"

Using the closer edge of the rolling mat, close on the filling with the nori making a rectangular shaped hill and tighten it from above.

6."continue the rolling sequence"

Move forward, continue rolling in the rectangular hill steps, keeping it tight with every move until you reach the end of the nori. Put pressure on the roll from all three sides at all time, especially on stops to allow it to roll tightly.

7."And....cut!"

Use a wet, sharp knife to cut the roll in to little sushi units. 6-8 units per roll - that's your call.

We hope these basic step help you prepare Sushi at home, if you still need to learn from our professionals we welcome you join us every Tuesday!

Tuesday night Talent Show.

An activity that started a couple of months ago has already manage to be one of the guests' favorite nights. This is a show where everyone can show their talents.
When it sterted it only had a cuple of spectators and one or two of our guests participating in it, but now it has more than 100 expectator every Tuesday and the number of guests wishing to show their talents is increasing.

Here are some of the photos taken during these Talent Shows:

We have had people sing, dance, do magic tricks and more. So next time you are at Flamingos be prepared to show off your talents at our Talent Show!

Learning how to make Aguachile in Villa del Palmar Flamingos!

As mentioned dring the class by Manue Bernal, aquachile is essentially a very spicy version of ceviche typically made with shrimp (camarones in Spanish) or scallops. A mouthful of lime and burning chilies is as my friend from Jalisco says, "Very good!" If you exclaim similarly, you can proudly call yourself an adoptive Mexican. If not, tone down your aguachile by adding half the serrano chilies. 


You can also mitigate the heat with a small helping of sliced avocado. Its smooth creamy texture helps to cool the mouth as you eat. Even if you like it hot, the avocado is still a great option.


Aguachile is best served cold. As such, keep your shellfish chilled at all times as it will not have enough time to cool properly while marinating. If it's a particularly hot day, rest your shellfish on a plate of ice as you work to ensure that it remains cold.


Ingredients:

• 1
  lb fresh shrimp or scallops
• 4
  serrano chilies, stemmed and rough chopped
• Juice of 5-6 limes
• 1/3
  cup cilantro
• 1
  tsp salt plus 1/4 tsp more
• 1/2
  small red onion, finely sliced
• 1/3
  cucumber

Garnish

• 1
  avocado, sliced
• 8-10
  tostadas as desired
• 
  

If using shrimp For the best mouth feel, you will need to butterfly and devein your shrimp. Using a sharp knife, cut each shrimp lengthwise along the back. For larger shrimp, cut them cleanly into two halves. For smaller shrimp, do not cut all the way through so that the two halves stay together. Once open, remove the gray line of guts running through the center of the shrimp.

If using scallops For large scallops, chop them in half or quarters so that each piece is about 1/2 inch across. Smaller scallops (often called bay scallops) can be used whole.


To complete In a blender, add the chilies, lime juice, cilantro, and the first teaspoon of salt. Blend until the chilies are just broken up. Don't worry about making a smooth paste. A few chunks of chili are not a problem. 

Cover the shellfish with the blended sauce. Marinate in the refrigerator for 15 - 20 minutes. You will know it's done when the surface of the shellfish begins to turn opaque and white. If the sauce does not completely cover the shellfish, stir the mixture after about 5 minutes to ensure it marinates evenly.

While the shellfish is marinating, peel the cucumber and scrape out the seeds. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes.


To serve Add the cucumber to the bowl of shellfish and toss to combine. Spoon the shellfish, cucumber and sauce into a large flat serving dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Top with the sliced onions and serve with tostadas and sliced avocados.

Here are some photos taken during the class.