I want Mexican food for dinner all year round, but especially during the warm weather months. To my mind, September still qualifies. This simple menu features a zesty tostada as a first course, a rather garlicky fish main course and a satisfying caramel flan for dessert.
Tostadas, crisp tortillas topped with any number of ingredients, are an ideal start for this dinner, since they’re delightfully versatile. They can be dainty, made with small tortillas and just a spoonful of brightly spiced ceviche, or hefty, like an overstuffed sandwich. The choice of toppings is limitless.
For these, I wanted a smear of black beans topped with firm, diced avocado dressed with lime juice and salt. I often cheat here and use canned plain refried beans, seasoned at home with cumin, garlic and a bit of lard. To finish, I added slivered radishes, crumbled queso fresco, a sprinkling of chopped cilantro and epazote, and some spicy jalapeño-onion pickles. Making the pickles is quick work, but you can do it a day or two, or a week, in advance. And if you’d rather forgo the pickling, just use very thinly sliced red onion tossed with finely chopped jalapeño.
When I visited Veracruz, Mexico, a number of years ago, there was a wonderful seaside restaurant where the specialty was a whole fried fish topped liberally with lightly fried garlic chips, called huachinango (red snapper) al mojo de ajo. (“Al mojo de ajo” can also refer to more complex garlic sauces.) Along with a basket of soft, steamy tortillas, a dish of lime wedges and a bowl of salsa, the fish came to the table fried perfectly, with succulent flesh and lots of crunchy bony bits. Sadly, that restaurant was replaced with a pink high-rise hotel, but the memory of happy meals there lingers.
My variation here uses fillets, and any firm-fleshed white fish will work: halibut, sea bass, corvina, rockfish or snapper. First, a handful of sliced garlic is gently fried in oil until just barely golden, then the fish is fried in the same oil. (If preferred, you may grill or bake the fish instead.) Serve the fish drizzled with salsa macha, a ruddy red condiment made with dried chiles, garlic, peanuts and sesame seeds. Shower with the fried garlic chips. You could serve the fish with rice or potatoes, but I don’t mind having warm tortillas, which still feel very different from the first-course tostadas.
Traditionally homemade, flan is beloved all over Latin America. The only tricky part is making the caramel that coats the bottom of the pan. Use refined white sugar, which caramelizes easily. These days, most recipes call for sweetened condensed milk and fresh eggs to make the custard.
There are, of course, variations, like flan de queso, which includes cream cheese, or flan de coco, flavored with coconut. Some recipes call for cow’s milk and coconut cream, but mine skips the dairy altogether, using two kinds of coconut milk instead.
A mandatory night in the fridge helps it firm up for slicing. To serve, the flan is inverted onto a platter, so the caramel bottom becomes the top. Do this at the table if you dare, and you’ll have dinner and a show.
Sea Bass With Garlic Chips and Salsa Macha
When I visited Veracruz, Mexico, a number of years ago, there was a wonderful seaside restaurant where the specialty was a whole fried fish topped liberally with lightly fried garlic chips, called huachinango (red snapper) al mojo de ajo. (“Al mojo de ajo” can also refer to more complex garlic sauces.) Here, a version of that preparation is employed for fish fillets. First, garlic slices are gently fried in oil until golden, and then the fish is fried in the same oil. The fish is then drizzled with salsa macha, which isn’t traditional but nicely complementary, and tucked into warm tortillas, making for wonderful tacos.
By David Tanis
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the Salsa Macha:
2 dried guajillo or ancho chiles
6 dried chiles de árbol
1 cup olive oil or vegetable oil, divided
1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more to taste
For the Fish:
1 1/2 pounds boneless firm white fish, such as sea bass, cod, corvina, swordfish or halibut
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons lime juice (from about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced garlic cloves (from 2 to 3 heads of garlic)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
Pinch of cayenne
Vegetable oil, for frying
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus some sprigs, for garnish
Lime wedges and warm tortillas, for serving
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the salsa macha: Set a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the guajillo and árbol chiles to toast lightly for 1 to 2 minutes, turning them over occasionally, until puffed. This awakens the flavor in the chiles and makes them more pliable, helpful for removing seeds. When cool enough to handle, use scissors or a sharp paring knife to cut open the pods and scrape away seeds (discarding seeds and stems). Leave to cool completely. (Be careful not to rub your eyes.)
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil until it bubbles lightly at the edges. Add peanuts and let them lightly fry, about 30 seconds. Then add the chopped garlic, letting it brown ever so slightly, another 15 seconds or so. Finally add the sesame seeds and turn off the heat.
3. Prepare the fish: Cut fish into 4 or 6 portions and lay them on a plate. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lime juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. If time permits, let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. When the salsa mixture is cool, pour the contents into a blender jar or food processor and add the reserved toasted chiles, the salt and remaining 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Blend or pulse to make a rough-textured sauce.
5. Meanwhile, cut garlic lengthwise into very thin slices. You should have a good 1/2 cup. Set aside.
6. In a shallow bowl, mix together all-purpose flour and rice flour. Mix in cayenne and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Dip fish fillets into flour mixture on both sides, then repeat so the fish is well coated.
7. When ready to cook, heat a skillet (wide enough to accommodate fish in one layer) over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup vegetable oil. When oil is wavy, add garlic slices and stir. When they begin to sizzle, lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring, until garlic becomes lightly golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove garlic chips with a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside at room temperature.
8. Raise heat to medium-high and carefully slip fish fillets into the hot garlicky oil. Depending on the thickness of the fish, it should take 3 to 4 minutes per side to cook through, with a nicely browned exterior. Remove fish to another paper towel-lined plate.
9. To serve, arrange fillets on a platter or on individual dinner plates. Drizzle with some of the salsa macha, then sprinkle reserved garlic chips over fish. Garnish with cilantro, and serve with lime wedges and warm tortillas. (Store any leftover salsa macha in a tightly closed jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.)
Avocado-Black Bean Tostadas
Avocado-black bean tostadas. Zesty black bean-avocado tostadas and a coconut flan round out David Tanis’s menu for the waning warm days. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. (David Malosh/The New York Times)
Great for a snack or served as an appetizer with drinks, tostadas can be dainty, made with small tortillas and a dab of savory mashed beans and queso fresco, or they can be hefty, like an over-stuffed sandwich. Though you can buy tostada shells in packages, homemade ones are more delicious, and making them is as simple as rubbing tortillas with oil and crisping them in the oven. The better the tortilla, the better the tostada shell. This recipe calls for canned refried beans, seasoned to taste, but by all means use homemade if you are able. Avocados that are ripe but still firm, dressed with lime juice and salt, are key. If you wish, make the pickled vegetables a day in advance.
By David Tanis
Yield: 6 tostadas
Total time: 40 minutes, plus cooling
INGREDIENTS
For the Pickled Vegetables:
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 or 2 jalapeños, sliced
1 cup cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 tablespoon sugar
A few black peppercorns
1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
For the Tostadas:
6 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups black refried beans, from 1 (15-ounce) can, seasoned to taste with ground cumin, garlic and salt
3 small firm-ripe avocados
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice, plus more to taste
Crumbled queso fresco, to taste
4 to 6 red radishes, slivered
Cilantro sprigs, epazote leaves (optional), and crema, sour cream or crème fraîche (optional), for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Make the pickled vegetables: Put sliced onions and jalapeños in a small stainless-steel pot. Add vinegar, salt, sugar, peppercorns, cinnamon and bay leaf. Add water to barely cover.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer briskly for 5 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and let the vegetables cool in the brine. (The pickled vegetables are ready to eat, but they will keep, refrigerated, for a month. The onions will be fairly piquant.)
5. Make the tostadas: Rub both sides of the tortillas liberally with the oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then flip tortillas and bake for another 5 or so minutes, until browned and crisp. Remove and cool to room temperature. While the tostadas cool, cut avocados into cubes and place in a bowl. Warm the refried beans in the microwave, heating in 30-second bursts, or on the stovetop over medium heat.
6. Build the tostadas: Spread each toasted tortilla with refried beans. Season avocados with salt and lime juice, then spoon onto refried beans. Top with pickled onion and jalapeño slices.
7. Sprinkle each tostada with queso fresco and slivered radishes. Roughly chop about 3 tablespoons cilantro and epazote (if using), mixed together. Sprinkle over top. Add a dab of crema, if using. Once assembled, serve immediately.
Flan de Coco (Coconut Flan)
Flan de Coco (coconut flan). Zesty black bean-avocado tostadas and a coconut flan round out David Tanis’s menu for the waning warm days. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. (David Malosh/The New York Times)
Flan, a type of caramel custard and a traditional homemade sweet, is beloved all over Latin America and can be eaten any time of day. And best of all, it’s quite simple to make: The only tricky part is preparing the caramel that coats the bottom of the pan. These days, most recipes call for sweetened condensed cow’s milk, but mine skips the dairy altogether, using two kinds of coconut milk instead.
By David Tanis
Yield: 8 servings
Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus overnight chilling
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup/150 grams sugar
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 (11-ounce) can sweetened condensed coconut milk
1 (13-ounce) can coconut milk
Pinch of salt
Toasted shredded coconut, for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, and set an 8-inch round cake pan, deep pie pan, low-sided soufflé dish or flan mold next to your stovetop.
2. Make the caramel: Put sugar in a low-sided, small saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to melt, about 2 minutes, lower heat and continue cooking without stirring, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Tilt and swirl pan to incorporate any unmelted sugar and continue to cook gently until dark brown, about 5 minutes more. Turn off heat.
3. Quickly pour hot caramel into the flan pan. Tilt to cover the bottom completely with caramel. Set aside to cool; caramel will harden.
4. While the caramel cools, put eggs, egg yolks, both coconut milks and salt in a mixing bowl or blender. Beat or blend well. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, if you like.
5. Pour flan mixture into the caramel-coated pan, cover with foil, then place in a roasting pan. To make a water bath, add boiling water to the roasting pan so it comes halfway up the flan pan.
6. Bake on the middle rack for 60 to 65 minutes. To test doneness, remove foil and insert the tip of a paring knife in the center of the flan. The custard should still be a little jiggly, but the knife should emerge clean. Remove pan from water bath, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, preferably overnight.
7. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the custard, then carefully invert the pan over a platter. Flan will be surrounded by caramel sauce. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Cut into wedges to serve and spoon some caramel sauce over each serving.
Related Articles
Native restaurant Owamni to move to the Guthrie Theater this spring
Osteria I Nonni in Lilydale to close this month; Buon Giorno Deli hoping to relocate
Girl Scouts drop Exploremores: Is the new ‘rocky road’ cookie worth the hype?
Marinated pork tenderloin stars in this budget weeknight meal
With a skillet, moussaka doesn’t have to be a project dish
