Sitting under a shady thatched roof in an open-air restaurant on a wide
beach, I’m enjoying a study in ceviche. A Mexican specialty of raw fish
“cooked” in lime juice and served with green chilies and tender corn
tortillas for wrapping, it’s the sushi of the south – a light snack
that’s a refreshing antidote to the tropical heat. And here in San Blas,
a traditional fishing village on Mexico’s wild Pacific coast, the
ceviche comes in many guises.
We start with the finely chopped local grouper, combined with bits of
minced onion, jalapenos and tomatoes. It comes topped with guacamole to
scoop up with crisp tortilla chips. Then there’s the local specialty, aguachile,
a ceviche made with delicious local shrimp marinated in sweet lime
juice with spicy green tomatillo salsa and cooling chunks of cucumber, a
particularly winsome combination of hot and cold.
San Blas, a two-hour drive north of the busy tourist hub of Puerto
Vallarta, is a historic seaport, dating to the 1700s. Cathedrals and
counting houses, built by the Spanish, are now just crumbling stone
shells still surrounded by cannons on the high cliffs. But for the last
150 years, fishing has been the lifeblood of San Blas – local fishermen
still supply the shrimp, mahi-mahi and tuna served in restaurants and
resorts from Mazatlan to Acapulco. We actually smell the smoky mangrove
fires of street-side fish vendors before we see them as we drive into
town.
Fresh fish is sold in street markets and the popular grilled-fish dish, pescado zarandeado,
is on the menu everywhere. Perch on a stool at a portable kiosk in the
historic plaza, head to a fine hotel restaurant, or come to one of the
many beaches that skirt the bay (where river estuaries thick with
mangroves empty into the sea), and you’ll be served incredible fish.
Las Islitas is just one of the many wide sandy beaches lined with
outdoor, thatched roof restaurants. At Mysis 3, a spot at the end of the
road, Pedro Garcia is busy seasoning a large snapper to lay across his
makeshift grill. Basted with a spicy, garlicky butter flavoured with
citrus and achiote paste, the zarandeado comes to the
table garnished with sliced onions, tomatoes and oranges, smoky and
juicy and ready to wrap in tortillas with a splash of Salsa Huichol hot
sauce.
It’s a seafood feast that starts with his crispy fish chicharrones
– deep-fried strips of battered fish that mimic the usual crunchy pork
cracklings (or pork rind) – and shrimp ceviche on tostadas. Perfect with
an icy, long-necked Pacifico beer.
The scene is repeated throughout our stay in San Blas. Whether walking
the streets around the historic square or exploring the wide beaches,
there’s always a place for a little ceviche snack and a fresh fruit
juice or agua fresca.
At Hotel Garza Canela, the comfortable hotel run by chef Betty Vazquez
and her siblings, the elegant Restaurant El Delfin serves intriguing
guava and chili martinis and fine wines with an upscale menu. We
especially enjoyed fish ceviche with oregano and serrano, and marinated
shrimp with the fruity local guajillo chilies and orange sauce.
Ms. Vazquez says there’s an ongoing debate about the origins of ceviche –
Peruvians say they were the first to cook seafood in acidic citrus
juices, but Mexicans “have a unique way with fresh fish and seafood” –
adding cilantro, cucumber and avocado to the traditional combination of
raw seafood, onions, chilies and lime or bitter orange juice.
But it’s also the sweet freshwater shrimp found near San Blas than make the aguachile such a special treat.