Salpicón de Pescado Yucateco

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide saucepan or shallow stockpot for poaching
• •Slotted spatula for lifting the fish
• •Two forks for shredding
• •Wide ceramic mixing bowl, glass or talavera, never reactive metal
• •Sharp knife for the radishes and onion

Instructions

1. 1

   Cure the cebolla morada

   Place the sliced red onion in a small glass bowl. Pour the naranja agria juice over it and add a generous pinch of salt. Press the onion down so the juice covers it. Let it sit while you cook the fish, at least 20 minutes. The onion will turn bright pink and lose its bite. This is the foundation of every Yucatecan plate, the cebolla morada en su jugo, and you will see it on every table from Mérida to Tizimín.

   If you cannot find naranja agria, mix equal parts fresh lime juice and fresh sweet orange juice. A splash of white vinegar gets you closer. Bottled sour orange concentrate is a last resort, never the first choice.
2. 2

   Build the poaching broth

   Fill a wide saucepan with about two quarts of cold water. Add the halved white onion, smashed garlic, bay leaves, epazote sprig, and the tablespoon of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and let it go for ten minutes. You are building a court bouillon, the kind the cooks on the Progreso coast use to keep the fish from tasting flat. Cold water and a slow rise pulls the aromatics into the broth instead of boiling them away.

3. 3

   Poach the fish

   Lower the heat until the broth shows lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil. Slide the fillets in carefully. They should be barely covered. Poach for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness, until the flesh turns opaque and flakes when you press it with a fork. Boiling water seizes the protein and makes the fish chewy. A whisper of a simmer keeps the flake tender.

   Sierra is the traditional fish on the Yucatán coast because it is what the fishermen bring in. Corvina, mero, and huachinango all work. Salmon does not. Salmon belongs to other waters.
4. 4

   Cool and shred

   Lift the fillets out with a slotted spatula onto a plate and let them cool for ten minutes. Discard the broth or save it for a fish caldo tomorrow. Once the fish is cool enough to handle, shred it with two forks or your fingers into rough flakes. Pull out any pin bones you missed. You want pieces that hold their shape, not a paste. This is salpicón, not tuna salad.

5. 5

   Dress the salpicón

   In a wide ceramic bowl, combine the shredded fish, sliced radishes, diced tomato, chopped cilantro, and minced habanero. Lift the cured red onion out of its juice with a fork and add it to the bowl. Pour about three tablespoons of the curing liquid over everything, along with the olive oil and crumbled oregano. Toss gently with your hands so you do not break the fish apart. Taste. Adjust salt, lime, habanero. The salpicón should be bright, briny, and just hot enough to remind you where it comes from.

   The habanero is the chile of the peninsula. One is plenty for most palates. Two if your table knows what habanero tastes like. Do not substitute jalapeño. The flavor is wrong, citrusy versus grassy, and the dish stops being yucateco.
6. 6

   Chill before serving

   Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, up to one hour. The salpicón needs to be cold. The flavors marry as it sits, and the heat of the habanero settles into the fish. Any longer than an hour and the radish weeps and the cilantro darkens, so do not make this in the morning for dinner. Make it close to when you plan to eat it.

7. 7

   Plate over tostadas

   Just before serving, set out the tostadas, the avocado slices, the lime halves, and the chiltomate if using. Pile a generous spoonful of salpicón onto each tostada at the table, top with a slice of avocado, and finish with a few drops of lime. The tostada should crunch under the cold, dressed fish. Decorate the platter with a few radish rosettes if you want to honor the way they plate it at the Mérida courtyard tables. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Naranja agria is non-negotiable for the real flavor. If you live somewhere with a Latin market, ask for it. In Mérida it is called naranja agria, in Cuba naranja agria as well, in some parts of the U.S. labeled sour orange or Seville orange. The substitute, half lime juice and half sweet orange juice, gets you 80 percent of the way. A wedge of grapefruit added to the blend brings it closer. Bottled sour orange marinade is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The fish must be fresh. Salpicón is unforgiving of mediocre fish. If the sierra at your market smells like ammonia or anything beyond clean ocean, walk away and make something else today. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Yucatecan salads are not lettuce-and-dressing affairs. Do not garnish this with iceberg or romaine. The texture comes from radish, onion, and tomato. If you must serve something green underneath the tostada, use thin-shaved cabbage, the way the señoras at the market in Mérida do it.
• •If you can find queso de bola (Edam), crumble a small handful over the top before serving. It is the Dutch-Yucatecan inheritance that shows up everywhere on the peninsula, from queso relleno to street snacks. It is not traditional in every salpicón, but it is not out of place either.

Advance Preparation

• •The cebolla morada en naranja agria can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. It only gets better as it sits, and the brine turns deep pink.
• •The fish can be poached and shredded a few hours ahead, covered and refrigerated. Do not dress the salpicón until 20 to 60 minutes before serving. Past one hour, the radish weeps and the cilantro darkens.
• •Tostadas can be fried at home from day-old corn tortillas or bought from a Mexican market. Store-bought tostadas should crunch hard when you tap them. If they bend, they are stale and will go soggy under the salpicón.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)