Pátzcuaro Battered White Fish

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Dry cast iron comal for roasting tomatoes and chiles
• •Volcanic stone molcajete for the salsa
• •Wide heavy skillet for shallow frying
• •Instant-read thermometer for the lard
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
• •Green-glazed Michoacán barro platter for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the fish

   Pat the pescado blanco very dry. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and black pepper, then touch it with the lime juice. Do not drown it. This fish is delicate, and the lime is there to clean the flavor, not cook the flesh. Let it stand 10 minutes while you heat the comal.

2. 2

   Roast the salsa

   Heat a dry comal over medium-high. Roast the tomatoes, chile perón, chile serrano, onion, and unpeeled garlic until the skins blister and blacken in patches. Turn them with tongs. The tomatoes should slump, the chiles should soften, and the garlic should smell sweet under its skin. This is the lake-region table salsa, not decoration.

3. 3

   Grind the salsa

   Peel the garlic. Grind the garlic and a pinch of salt in a molcajete first, then add the chiles, onion, and tomatoes. Leave the salsa a little rough. Stir in the cilantro and the teaspoon of lime juice. Taste for salt. If you use a blender, pulse only a few times. A smooth sauce is not what belongs beside this fish.

   Chile perón, also sold as chile manzano, has a bright heat and thick flesh that Michoacán cooks know well. If you cannot find it, use serrano, but understand the salsa will lose that rounded fruitiness. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
4. 4

   Whip the egg whites

   In a very clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the fine sea salt until they hold firm peaks. This is the capeado. The women around Pátzcuaro perfected this with a whisk and a strong arm, not with a culinary-school lecture. The whites should look glossy and stand up when you lift the beaters.

5. 5

   Finish the batter

   Beat the egg yolks lightly in a small bowl. Fold them into the whites with a gentle hand. Sift in 1/3 cup flour and the baking powder, then fold again just until no dry streaks remain. Do not beat the air out of it. The batter should be thick, pale yellow, and light enough to cling to the fish without crushing it.

6. 6

   Heat the lard

   Melt the manteca de cerdo in a wide heavy skillet over medium heat until it reaches 350F. You need enough lard to come about 1/2 inch up the pan. Yes, lard. La manteca es el sabor, and it fries the egg batter cleanly when the temperature is right. If the fat is too cool, the capeado drinks it. If it is too hot, the outside browns before the fish cooks.

7. 7

   Dredge and batter

   Spread the remaining 1/2 cup flour on a plate. Dredge each piece of fish lightly, shaking off every excess bit. Dip into the egg batter, coating both sides. The flour gives the batter something to hold. Without it, the capeado slides off and you blame the fish. The fish did nothing wrong.

8. 8

   Fry until golden

   Lay the battered fish into the hot lard without crowding the pan. Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until the batter is puffed and golden with lightly crisp edges. Turn once with a thin spatula. Pescado blanco cooks quickly. When the center just flakes and still looks moist, take it out.

9. 9

   Drain and serve

   Drain the fish on a rack, not on a stack of paper towels where the bottom turns soft. Serve immediately on a green-glazed Michoacán barro platter with the roasted chile perón salsa, warm corn tortillas, rice or corundas, and lime wedges. This is not a dish that waits. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for true pescado blanco de Pátzcuaro if you are in Michoacán, and ask who brought it in. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina. The fish should smell clean and freshwater-sweet, never muddy.
• •Outside Michoacán, use a thin fillet of sole, trout, sand dab, or fresh lake whitefish. It will not be the same. It will teach the technique, not replace the geography.
• •Keep the lard at 350F. Egg batter is honest. It tells on you immediately. Too cool and it turns greasy, too hot and it browns before the fish is done.
• •Do not add cumin, chile powder, or garlic powder to the batter. This is not a fried fish taco. The seasoning belongs in the salsa and the fish should still taste like fish.
• •Serve this with corn tortillas, not flour tortillas. Flour tortillas belong to northern traditions. This is Michoacán lake country.

Advance Preparation

• •The salsa can be roasted and ground up to 4 hours ahead. Hold it at room temperature if serving the same day so the tomato flavor stays open.
• •The fish can be cleaned, patted dry, and held refrigerated for up to 6 hours. Season it only 10 minutes before frying.
• •The egg batter must be made right before frying. Whipped whites lose their strength as they sit, and a tired capeado gives you a flat, oily crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 405g)