Charales del Lerma Fritos

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal for roasting tomatillos and chiles
• •Volcanic stone molcajete for salsa verde
• •Wide heavy pot or deep clay cazuela for frying
• •Kitchen spider or slotted spoon
• •Wire rack or brown paper for draining

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry the fish

   Rinse the charales gently in cold water and pick out any broken bits or lake grass. If you see a fish larger than 3 inches, pinch out the belly and rinse it clean. Spread the charales on a clean cotton towel and pat them very dry. Leave them uncovered for 15 minutes while you make the salsa. Water is the enemy here. Wet fish steams before it fries, and then you get softness where you need crunch.

2. 2

   Roast the salsa

   Heat a dry comal over medium heat. Roast the tomatillos, chile serrano, onion quarter, and unpeeled garlic, turning as needed, until the tomatillos blister and turn olive green, the serranos spot with black, and the garlic softens in its skin. This takes 8 to 10 minutes. Do not burn the tomatillos black. A little char gives flavor. Too much makes the salsa bitter.

   If the tomatillos are pale, hard, and sour in the wrong way, do not pretend the salsa will fix itself. Ask the women at the market which crate came in ripe. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
3. 3

   Grind the salsa

   Peel the roasted garlic. In a molcajete, grind the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt until it becomes a paste. Add the roasted serranos and grind them into the garlic. Add the tomatillos and roasted onion, crushing until the salsa is juicy but still has texture. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Taste for salt. Blender salsa works when it must, but this one is better with the stone bruising the chile and tomatillo.

4. 4

   Season the dredge

   In a wide bowl, mix the masa harina nixtamalizada, all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon chile piquin, and the crushed Mexican oregano. Sprinkle the dry charales with the lime juice and toss once. Add the charales to the flour mixture and coat them lightly, shaking off the excess. You want a thin dusting, not armor. The fish should still look like fish.

5. 5

   Heat the oil

   Pour the aceite de maiz into a wide heavy pot or deep cazuela to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Heat to 350F. If you do not have a thermometer, drop in a pinch of the masa mixture. It should sizzle immediately and rise to the surface without turning dark in five seconds. This is fish, not carnitas. Use clean oil. Stale fat will cover the taste of the lake.

6. 6

   Fry in batches

   Fry the charales in small handfuls, stirring once with a spider so they do not clump. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the fish are golden, stiff, and make a dry tapping sound against the spoon. Do not crowd the pot. Crowding drops the heat and leaves you with greasy fish. Lift each batch to a wire rack or brown paper and let the oil drain.

7. 7

   Season while hot

   While each batch is still hot, sprinkle with a little salt and the remaining chile piquin. Taste one charal from the first batch. The head and bones should be crisp enough to eat without thinking about them. If the center bends softly, return the next batch to the oil for another 30 seconds. Recetas probadas y garantizadas means you check the food, not the clock.

8. 8

   Serve the plate

   Pile the charales on a warm platter. Put the salsa verde, sliced white onion, lime halves, extra chile piquin, and hot corn tortillas on the table. Make tacos with a spoonful of salsa and a hard squeeze of lime. Eat them right away. Fried charales wait for nobody, and the first ten minutes are when the cook gets paid for her work.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh charales are best near the water: Lake Yuriria, Lerma River markets, and the Bajio towns that still know their freshwater fish. Outside Mexico, look for dried charales in Mexican markets. Use 8 ounces dried charales in place of the fresh, rinse quickly to remove surface salt, dry them completely, and fry for 60 to 90 seconds. That is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Do not use large ocean fish cut into strips and call it charales. The dish depends on whole tiny fish turning crisp enough to eat head, tail, and bone. Different ingredient, different dish.
• •Chile piquin belongs here because it hits fast and clean against the fried fish and lime. Chile de arbol powder is sharper and heavier. Use it only if you cannot find piquin, and know what you are missing.
• •The masa harina in the dredge is there for corn flavor and a dry surface. Too much wheat flour makes the coating taste like a fish fry from somewhere else. This is Guanajuato, not a paper basket on a beach boardwalk.

Advance Preparation

• •The salsa verde can be made up to one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it back to room temperature before serving so the tomatillo and serrano taste alive.
• •The charales can be rinsed and dried up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them uncovered on a tray in the refrigerator, then pat them dry again before dredging.
• •For a picnic, fry the charales until very crisp, cool them fully on a rack, and pack them in a paper-lined container with the salsa and lime separate. Do not seal them while warm or they will soften.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)