The impact of Mexican cuisine on the culinary world has changed how people view certain elements and components. Mexican dishes give your pallet a treat and create beautiful memories in line with the traditions and culture. The rich heritage of some cuisines will take you on a tour of the beautiful country. The techniques you will use in this cooking might sound familiar, but you can add Mexican flare to recreate the cuisine. 

Your simple three-course Mexican meal will be:

Mexican Ceviche

Ceviche is a type of cured fish in citrus juices. Initially, people used bitter orange juice, but nowadays, people use various citrus juices to cure the fish. 

You can use any seafood like halibut, cod, snapper, or bass, but the most common and delicious type of seafood used is shrimp. The appearance and tastiness of the shrimp, together with its accompaniments and condiments, make it perfect for the dish. 

As a rule of thumb, you should never serve Mexican ceviche without a side dish ^[1]. You can introduce a crunchy element like taco cups ^[2] or tortilla chips to introduce texture to your dish. Alternatively, you can go for something cool like the cucumbers or edamame, which will pair well with the shrimps.

As passed down from one generation to the next in Mexican families, the perfect Mexican ceviche recipe ^[3] involves making a simple marinade where you marinate your shrimp for approximately four hours until ready. Your marinade will consist of lemons, chilies, avocado, salt, and onions. Please give it a good mix and let your shrimp rest in the marinade till it turns pink or translucent. 

It will give you plenty of time to work on your sides and ensure you complement the Mexican flavors and taste of the shrimp. The trick to getting the perfect ceviche is in the preparations. 

Mixed Jelly (Jalea Mixtra)

After a perfect Mexican appetizer, you can do an excellent main dish with the same seafood theme. Mixed jelly consists of numerous seafood coated with tempura batter and deep-fried. The texture of the fried fish coupled with the perfectly cooked fish variants from octopus, shrimp, or calamari creates a beautiful (actually Peruvian) dish. 

The diversity in the platter of fish makes it more irresistible. There is fried cassava to complete the meal that gives the main dish a vessel to take it home. Yucca (cassava) is a staple in South American dishes and, as such, should be treated with extra care. Most people usually add a slaw or salad to give you some relief from the rich fried foods. 

Mexican Flan 

The flan is a common type of creamy dessert that brings you to the tail end of the meal. The creaminess and sweetness of this caramel-based dessert ^[4] will cut through the greasiness of the previous courses, thus balancing out the tastes and flavors of the entire meal. 

Understanding how to balance your Latin meals and cuisine will play a significant role in determining the deliciousness of the meal. Through the ceviche’s freshness, the playfulness of the jalea mixta, and the richness of the flan create a perfect trio combo that will wow your guests. Now let’s go eat!

Poke has become popular all over the country.  But what exactly is poke?  Pronounced Po-Kay, it is a raw fish dish that originated in Hawaii.  The word poke means “to section” or “to slice”.  It is typically made with soy sauce, seaweed, sesame oil and chili peppers.  I had heard a lot about it, but never tried it.  I’m a sushi fan, so I’m not sure why I avoided poke – and then I had some!  Oh my – I’m hooked!

Here is the recipe for two different versions of the dish – one for a spicy salmon and one with ahi tuna.  Both are made with ingredients that can be found at almost any grocery store and both are delicious!

Note:  Make sure the fish you buy is high quality – either sushi quality or a good, flash frozen piece that you know will be extremely fresh!

What you need:

Ahi Poke

• 5 oz. Sushi grade Ahi steak
• The white of two green onions
• A sheet of baked seaweed
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon flaked sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon mirin (a sweet, Asian cooking wine)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Spicy Salmon Poke

• 5 oz. Sushi grade salmon steak
• The white of two green onions
• A sheet of baked seaweed
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon ponzu sauce
• ½ teaspoon flaked sea salt
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 Tablespoon mirin (a sweet, Asian cooking wine)
• ½ of a large Serrano chili, minced
• 1 Tablespoons soy sauce

How to Do it:

Cut the fish into equal sized bite sized pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

Cut the green onion whites into thin strips, length-wise.

 

 

 

 

 

Slice the baked seaweed sheet into strips. 

Mix everything together (except one of the green onion whites – save that out for garish), cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but not more than 8.

Serve cold with more whites of green onions for garnish.

Makes 1 serving each.

Serve it alone, with sticky rice or on top of a fresh, green salad!

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