Cabrilla a la Talla Sudcaliforniana

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Charcoal grill with a lid, large enough to hold a 4-pound butterflied fish flat
• •Chimney starter for the charcoal
• •Fish grilling basket or two long metal spatulas for flipping
• •Heavy comal or cast iron skillet for toasting chiles
• •High-powered blender
• •Sharp boning knife (if butterflying the fish yourself)

Instructions

1. 1

   Butterfly the cabrilla

   Have your fishmonger butterfly the whole cabrilla for you, splitting it open along the backbone so the fish opens flat like a book, skin still on, both fillets attached at the belly. The head can stay on or come off, your choice. In Mulege and La Paz they leave it on. The flat butterfly is the dish. Without it, you have grilled fish, not pescado a la talla.

   Cabrilla is a Pacific grouper that swims in the Sea of Cortez. If you cannot find it, ask for any small whole grouper, snapper, or corvina in the 3 to 4 pound range. The fish must be whole and butterflied. Fillets will not work.
2. 2

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium. Toast the guajillo, ancho, and morita chiles separately, about 20 seconds per side. The skin will puff and the kitchen will smell sharp and smoky. Do not let them blacken. Burned chile is bitter chile and a bitter adobo will ruin a delicate fish.

   The morita is small and dries fast on the heat. Pull it before the others. It is there for smoke, not for body.
3. 3

   Soak and blend the adobo

   Place the toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with hot tap water. Hot, not boiling. Soak for 15 minutes until pliable. Drain. Transfer to a blender with the garlic, lime juice, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, oregano, cumin, salt, and olive oil. Blend until completely smooth and glossy. The adobo should be the color of a clay roof tile, thick enough to coat a spoon. Taste and adjust salt. The mayonnaise is not a shortcut. It is the binder. Sudcaliforniano cooks at the beach palapas have used Mexican mayonnaise in their adobo for two generations. No me vengas con atajos.

4. 4

   Adobar the fish

   Lay the butterflied cabrilla flat on a sheet pan, flesh side up. Season the flesh with a generous pinch of salt. Spoon half the adobo over the flesh side and spread it into every crevice with the back of the spoon or your hands. Flip the fish carefully and cover the skin side with the rest of the adobo. Let it rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes while you build the fire. Do not marinate longer than an hour. The lime in the adobo will start curing the flesh and turning it mealy.

5. 5

   Build a mesquite fire

   Light a chimney of mesquite charcoal or hardwood lump charcoal. Mesquite is what grows wild across the peninsula and what every palapero in BCS grills over. The wood gives the fish a smoke that no gas grill can match. When the coals are covered in white ash and you cannot hold your hand over the grate for more than three seconds, you are ready. Oil the grate well with a folded paper towel dipped in oil and held with tongs.

6. 6

   Grill skin side down first

   Lay the cabrilla on the grate skin side down, flesh side up, splayed flat. Cover with a lid or a sheet of foil tented loosely over the fish if your grill allows. Grill for 10 to 12 minutes without moving it. The skin will char in places and the flesh will turn opaque from the bottom up. The adobo on the flesh will darken and crust. You want that crust. It is the talla.

   The traditional method on the BCS coast uses a tabla, a wooden plank or a metal grilling cage, that holds the butterflied fish flat and lets the cook flip the whole thing in one motion. If you have a fish basket, use it. Otherwise two large spatulas and a steady hand.
7. 7

   Flip and finish

   Flip the fish so the flesh side is now down on the grate. Grill for 4 to 6 more minutes. The flesh should release easily from the grate when it is ready. Press the thickest part with a finger. It should feel firm but yielding, and the flesh should flake when nudged with a fork. A 3-pound cabrilla cooks in about 16 minutes total. Do not overcook it. Cabrilla is delicate and dry fish is a tragedy in any state.

8. 8

   Serve at the table

   Slide the whole fish onto a wide platter, skin side down so the burnished adobo crust faces up. Surround with the lime halves, sliced white onion, avocado, salsa de chiltepin, and a stack of warm flour tortillas wrapped in a servilleta. Yes, flour. Sudcalifornia is northern coastal Mexico and the flour tortilla is the tortilla of this state. Each diner pulls flakes of fish off the bone, builds a taco, dresses it, and eats it. Cada estado, su propia cocina. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Buy the freshest whole cabrilla you can. If the eyes are cloudy or the gills are brown, walk away. On the peninsula, the fishmongers at the morning markets in La Paz and Loreto sell what came off the boat that morning, and that is the standard. If you cannot find cabrilla, a whole snapper, corvina, or any small grouper in the 3 to 4 pound range will work. Fillets will not. The whole butterflied fish is the dish.
• •Mexican mayonnaise made with lime (Mayonesa McCormick con limon) is what palaperos use, and it is what you should use. American mayonnaise is too sweet and lacks the lime brightness. If you cannot find Mexican mayonnaise, mix regular mayonnaise with an extra tablespoon of lime juice and a pinch of salt. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Mesquite is non-negotiable for the smoke. If you cannot find mesquite charcoal, hardwood lump charcoal with a few mesquite chunks added will get you close. Briquettes will not. Briquettes taste like lighter fluid and chemistry, not like the Sea of Cortez.
• •This is a flour tortilla dish. Do not serve it with corn. The northern half of Baja California Sur eats wheat. Hand-pressed flour tortillas with manteca, the kind they make in Sonora and the BCS interior, are what belongs on this table.

Advance Preparation

• •The adobo can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. The flavor deepens overnight as the chiles bloom in the lime and oil.
• •Do not adobar the fish more than one hour ahead. The lime will cure the flesh into something mealy if it sits longer.
• •Build the mesquite fire about 30 minutes before you plan to grill. The coals need to be covered in white ash, not still flaming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)