Guerrero Talla Chile Paste (Recado a la Talla)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for toasting chiles
• •Blender
• •Small clay cazuela or heavy skillet for frying the paste
• •Pastry brush or clean spoon for painting the fish
• •Charcoal grill or grill pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the guajillo, ancho, and chile de arbol separately, 15 to 25 seconds per side, just until the skins puff and the smell turns deep and fruity. Do not blacken them. Guajillo gives Guerrero's talla paste its clean red color, ancho gives body, and arbol gives heat if you want it. Burned chile makes bitter paste, and no amount of vinegar fixes that.

   The chile de arbol is optional. Pescado a la talla is chile-rich, not a dare. Not all Mexican food is built to punish you.
2. 2

   Soak the chiles

   Put the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water. Hot, not boiling. Let them soften for 20 minutes, then drain. Boiling water roughens the skins and can pull bitterness into the paste. Hot water softens the flesh so the blender can do its work cleanly.

3. 3

   Roast aromatics

   On the same comal, roast the unpeeled garlic and thick onion slices until the garlic skins spot black and the onion edges char in places, 6 to 8 minutes. Peel the garlic. Toast the cumin seed and cloves for 20 seconds, just until fragrant. This is where the paste starts to smell like the coast, smoke, chile, garlic, and acid waiting for fish.

4. 4

   Blend red paste

   Blend the soaked chiles with the achiote paste, vinegar, sour orange juice, roasted garlic, roasted onion, Mexican oregano, toasted cumin, toasted cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Blend longer than you think, scraping down the jar, until the paste is smooth and brick red. If the blender struggles, add one or two tablespoons of water. Not more. This should be a paste, not salsa.

5. 5

   Fry the paste

   Melt the lard in a small cazuela or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the red paste carefully. It will sputter. Cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes, until it darkens slightly, thickens, and the fat shines at the edges. La manteca es el sabor. This frying step rounds the vinegar and wakes the achiote. Skip it and the paste tastes raw. No me vengas con atajos.

   Use oil if you are cooking for someone who does not eat pork, but understand the compromise. The paste will be cleaner and sharper, with less depth.
6. 6

   Blend green paste

   Blend the cilantro, parsley, serrano, garlic, lime juice, oil, and salt until smooth but still bright green. Taste it. It should be herbal, acidic, and direct. This green paste is the fresh side of the fish, the counterpoint to the red achiote paste. Do not cook it.

7. 7

   Use on fish

   For pescado a la talla, salt the butterflied fish on both sides. Brush the flesh side generously with the red paste and let it sit 20 to 30 minutes while the grill gets ready. Grill skin side down first, then turn and brush one half with more red paste and the other half with the green paste, the way cooks along Barra Vieja serve it. The fish should be marked by fire, glossy with chile, and still juicy at the center.

8. 8

   Store the pastes

   Pack the red paste and green paste into separate clean jars. Cover the surface of the red paste with a thin spoonful of melted lard or oil if storing. Refrigerate the red paste up to 5 days. Use the green paste within 24 hours, because cilantro and parsley lose their color and character. The market teaches you this: fresh herbs have a clock.

Chef Tips

• •Buy chiles that are flexible and glossy, not dusty and brittle. A good guajillo bends. A dead guajillo cracks. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Achiote paste should taste earthy and peppery, not like red dye. Look for brands with annatto, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and spices. If the color is loud but the smell is flat, leave it on the shelf.
• •For the fish, use huachinango, robalo, pargo, or another firm whole fish that can handle the grill. Thin fillets are not the same dish. They overcook before the paste has time to grip.
• •The green paste is best the day you make it. The red paste improves overnight. That is why coastal cooks plan: red paste ahead, green paste fresh, fish from the market the same day.
• •Do not serve this with flour tortillas unless you are making a northern meal. Guerrero fish wants warm corn tortillas, lime, and a table that expects people to eat with their hands.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the red paste up to 5 days ahead and refrigerate it in a clean jar. The flavor deepens after one night.
• •Make the green paste no more than 24 hours ahead. Press plastic wrap directly against the surface before refrigerating to slow darkening.
• •The chiles can be stemmed and seeded one day ahead, but toast and soak them the day you make the paste for the cleanest flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)