Mexico Month - Toro Two Ways (and a Ceviche)

On the day of my 30th birthday, we went fishing.  I have never been ocean fishing, and it generally seemed like a good excursion.  Besides, the chance to catch - and, yes, kill - a fish or two to eat with my formerly vegetarian best friend was too good to pass up.  We spent a lot of time not catching anything, got really close to some humpback whales, then finally caught three Pacific Jack Crevalle, or Toro, as the Mexicans call it. I had never heard of this fish, but our guides assured us that it is delicious.

I should mention here that after returning from fishing, our guides beached our boat, but we did not leave the boat.  We stayed to drink and hang out for quite a while.  It's a trip hanging out on a boat that is not actually in water.  I am sure one of our guides, Victor, will not mind being featured on my blog.  He was clearly enjoying the relaxing time.


Back to cooking...

We had leftover - and uncooked - Mahi Mahi from the fajitas we made the night before, so first thing on the list was ceviche mixto.  This isn't exactly a recipe I can write out, especially since my job was to dice veggies, but generally one should dice equal parts fish, tomato, green bell pepper, and onion.  Place the fish in a bowl and squeeze some lime on top.  Let cook.  Add remaining ingredients along with some minced serrano (or jalapeno) peppers.  Enjoy.  

The ceviche was just an appetizer, and we still had lots of toro left.  We decided to cook it two ways; one a simple seasoning of salt and pepper sauteed in oil, the other dredged in flour and cooked in butter and garlic.

Overall, a perfect meal.


Bon appetit.

Mexico Month - Mahi Mahi fajitas

My 2010 blogging ended poorly with no posts since Montreal.  I aim to fix that in 2011 starting with January as Mexico month.

I turned 30 on January 2, and to celebrate I visited Santina and Ben in Sayulita, Mexico.  I love Mexican food, and I was fortunate to not only eat a lot of good food but also cook good food during my trip.  I am going to post my meals from Mexico, then spend the rest of the month cooking Mexican food.

New Years day was the first time we cooked at home.  Ben and I were hurting pretty badly from partying the night before - estábamos crudos, as the Mexicans say - so it was a perfect night to stay in and cook.  Also, we had been burned the day before by a  fish market completely sold out of fish, so we (perhaps I should only speak for myself and say I?) were/was itching to cook.


We didn't even have to consider what to cook; we already knew we would be making fajitas.  It's an easy meal to throw together, and you couldn't wish for anything more delicious.  Santina took care of the rice, beans, fajita veggies, and cooking the fish.  Ben and I took care of the pico de gallo and guacamole.  I know, it was a bit uneven, but Ben and I were in a weakened state.


I don't really have a recipe to post.  The pico is diced tomato, green bell peppers, onion, and serrano peppers with lime squeezed over the top and seasoned with salt and pepper.  The guac is smashed avocado with a couple spoonfuls of pico, lime, and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Santina seasoned the fish with salt and pepper then cooked in a pan with a tiny bit of oil.


I hadn't eaten all day, and I was really excited the my stomach felt strong enough to eat dinner.  I put back 5, yes 5, fajitas.  That's how good they were.


Bon appetit.