Vuelve a la Vida (“Come Back to Life” Seafood Cocktail)

Name: Vuelve a la Vida (Mexican Seafood Cocktail)
Yield: Serves 6 to 8 generously as an appetizer, 4 to 6 as a light main course
Ingredients: 1 pound firm, mild white fish fillets, such as flounder, snapper, or sea bass, cut into 1⁄2-inch dice; 2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice (from 12 to 14 limes); 6 Tbsp. olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 dried chiles de árbol; Kosher salt; 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 2 tomatoes, finely chopped; 1 to 2 jalapeños, finely chopped; 2 pickled jalapeños, finely chopped, or to taste; 2⁄3 cup finely chopped white onion; 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and upper stems; 1⁄3 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives; 1⁄4 cup chopped drained capers; 1 1⁄2 cups ketchup; 1 1⁄2 tsp. dried oregano; 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage; 1⁄4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste; 1 to 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and sliced or diced; Corn tostadas, tortilla chips, or saltine crackers for serving

By Pati Jinich

February 3, 2023

Seafood cocktail in a large bowl with diced avocado.

Photo by Angie Mosier

One of Mexico’s most famous pick-me-ups after a long night out, this very saucy, almost soupy, mixed seafood cocktail gets its name because it is tossed with a bracing mix of tart, pungent, and spicy ingredients. In restaurants all along the Gulf and Pacific Coasts, vuelve a la vida is usually made to order. Many people will ask for the dish con todo, with every possible seafood in the kitchen. Others will request their favorite mix.

The cocktails play around with different chile concoctions, including fresh and pickled, and various seasonings and hot sauces. It’s essential that the fish be very fresh, not thawed from frozen, because it’s just cold-cooked in a lime juice marinade, as in a traditional Mexican ceviche.

Here’s my favorite take on the classic Mexican seafood cocktail. The seafood here is a combination of lime-marinated fish, cooked shrimp, and crabmeat. Olive oil seasoned with garlic and chile de árbol gives the saucy mix added depth and a hefty punch.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Pati Jinich Treasures Of The Mexican Table' by Pati Jinich. Buy the full book on Amazon and get a full meal plan from Pati Jinich here.

Cook's note:

You can play around with the fish (marinate any fresh fish in lime juice as instructed) and seafood combinations, substituting or adding other varieties of shellfish, such as raw oysters and/or clams, raw conch, and/or raw scallops, as well as cooked lobster, squid, and/or octopus, to equal 3 pounds total.

Recipe notes

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Recipe notes

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