With the arrival of Spring, I have started to cast about for new ideas. For some reason, out of the blue, I wondered how Primavera is interpreted by Mexican cooking. In general, we grow a lot of what we need for Mexican cuisines here in Maryland, and as far as Chef Jerry Pellegrino is concerned, the ideas came hard and heavy.
Spring is a great time for eggs, and my favorite dish is deviled eggs. I was glad to see that there is a Mexican version, called Mexican Street Corn Deviled Eggs.
The basic approach is the same. Hard boil the eggs, then slice them in two to remove the yolk. The yolks go into a bowl along with mayo and Dijon mustard. And now comes the twist! You’ll also be blending in feta cheese and paprika, chili powder, and some red pepper flakes. Mix everything together, getting it as smooth as possible. Then you want to stir in some corn that you have sautéed until it just barely starts to brown.
Scoop the filling into the egg halves and serve. Caramba! You’ve just put something on the plate that nobody has ever encountered, outside of Tijuana.
Maryland is home to the celebrated Rockfish, one of the tastiest fish on earth. This Spring, what could be better than featuring the Rockfish in a Baja-style fish taco? You’ll be assembling a soft taco with a fried fish fillet, a tangy pickled cabbage slaw, and a creamy salsa. Not too complicated.
You’ll want to pickle your cabbage beforehand. To do that you’ll combine 1/3 head of cabbage, a quarter of an onion and a quarter of a jalapeno pepper, all chopped up. The pickling brine is standard: vinegar, water, oregano, salt and pepper.
Place all the ingredients into a Mason jar, or equivalent, and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours, or even overnight.
Next, you’ll want to tackle the creamy sauce. The key ingredient is the Mexican marinade called “adobo”. This piquant sauce is sold in jars and isn’t too hard to find. The adobo comes in as a marinade for a pair of sliced up chipotle peppers. Add them to a big cup of mayonnaise along with a couple garlic cloves, a dollop more of adobo and salt and pepper.
Blitz the whole thing in a food processor until it’s nice and creamy. A squeeze of lime finishes the sauce.
For the fish, you’ll make a standard beer batter with some chili powder as seasoning. Dip the rockfish fillets into the batter and fry in oil that is heated to 360°. As you work in small batches, allow the oil to re-heat and it will lose temperature when you toss the fish in.
Dry off the fried fish, and you’re ready to assemble. Warm up a soft corn tortilla, lay the fish on it and drizzle the creamy sauce on it. Garnish with a generous serving of the pickled cabbage, then hit it with a squeeze of lime. Perfecto!
A fresh Spring fruit salsa is a great idea for this time of the year. You can combine strawberries, blueberries, onion, mint and a cut up jalapeno pepper. Lime juice, honey and olive oil make up the liquids. Combine everything in a bowl and finish it off with a few sprigs of cilantro. Serve with chips for a snack that captures the season.
