Coctél De Mariscos

Name: Coctél De Mariscos
Yield: makes 8 tacos
Ingredients: 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lime juice; 1/2 cup water; 1 serrano chile, stemmed and seeded; 4 sprigs of cilantro; 1 clove garlic; Fine sea salt; 4 ounces boneless, skinless red snapper fillet, cut into 1/4-inch dice; 4 ounces calamari; 2 large scallops; 2 cups ketchup; 1 cup Tabasco; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 teaspoon celery salt; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 8 large Pacific oysters, freshly shucked, with their liquor; 4 ounces fresh crabmeat, picked over for shells; 1 tablespoon very thinly sliced chives; 8 (5 1/2-inch) crispy yellow corn tortilla shells (page 17), for serving; Garnish: Shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped fresh cilantro leaves, lime wedges, and fine sea salt

January 26, 2012

What Mexicans call a cóctel de mariscos is similar to what most Americans think of as a mixed seafood cocktail. Every port city of Mexico, even inland Mexico City, offers them (look for a sign advertising mariscos or shellfish). Mexico has some of the freshest seafood in the world, and definitely some of the spiciest. Look for stands where you can smell the ocean and see the seafood without a blanket of sauce so you can judge freshness by color and aroma. The classic accompaniment is crispy tortilla rounds—either chipotle or corn-flavored (usually found next to the tortilla chips in a Mexican market; saltine crackers are another option). You need the crunchy texture of the fried tortilla against the softer, juicier texture of the seafood—so this works great in a crispy taco shell as I’ve done here.

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