Tacos de Charales Capeados de Pátzcuaro

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Comal de barro or cast iron comal
• •Volcanic stone molcajete or blender for salsa
• •Wide clay cazuela or heavy skillet for frying
• •Wire rack or brown paper for draining
• •Tortilla basket lined with hoja de maíz fresca de la planta

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal de barro or cast iron comal over medium. Toast the guajillo, puya, and ancho separately, 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until the skins darken a shade and smell deep. Do not blacken them. Burned chile makes bitter salsa, and no lime at the table will rescue it.

2. 2

   Tatemar the vegetables

   On the same comal, roast the tomatoes, garlic, and onion until the tomato skins blister, the onion chars at the edges, and the garlic softens inside its skin. Peel the garlic. This is the flavor of a Michoacán kitchen, not raw blender salsa pretending it did work it did not do.

3. 3

   Blend the salsa

   Soak the toasted dried chiles in hot water, not boiling, for 15 minutes. Drain them and blend with the roasted tomatoes, peeled garlic, onion, salt, and 1/3 cup clean water until smooth. Melt 1 tablespoon manteca de cerdo in a small cazuela, pour in the salsa, and fry it for 6 to 8 minutes until it darkens, thickens, and the fat shines at the edge. Stir in the minced chile perón at the end so its bright fruit and black-seeded heat stay alive.

   Chile perón is called chile manzano in many markets. It has black seeds. If the seeds are pale, you are holding a different chile. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
4. 4

   Dry the charales

   Rinse the charales quickly and pat them very dry with a clean towel. If they are dried charales, remove any hard bits and let them sit 5 minutes after rinsing so they soften without becoming soggy. Season with salt and pepper. Water is the enemy here. Wet fish drops the batter and spits in the fat.

5. 5

   Beat the batter

   Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Beat the yolks in a separate bowl with the tablespoon of masa harina or finely ground masa nixtamalizada, then fold the yolks into the whites. The batter should be light but not fragile. This is the same capeado logic used by patient home cooks for chiles rellenos: air, egg, and control.

6. 6

   Coat the charales

   Dust the charales lightly with flour and shake off the excess. Fold them gently into the egg batter by handfuls, keeping the fish whole where you can. You are not making a paste. You want small fish held together by a thin coat of egg, with their shape still visible.

7. 7

   Fry in manteca

   Heat the manteca de cerdo in a wide skillet or clay cazuela until a drop of batter sizzles immediately and floats. Spoon small loose clusters of battered charales into the fat and fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once, until the capeado is golden and the tiny fish edges are crisp under the egg. Drain on a rack or brown paper. La manteca es el sabor. Shortening has no business here.

   Do not crowd the pan. Crowding drops the heat and gives you greasy batter. Fry in batches and let the fat recover between them.
8. 8

   Warm the tortillas

   Warm the corn tortillas on a comal until they puff in spots and show light brown marks. Keep them in a basket lined with hoja de maíz fresca de la planta, not dried corn husk. They are different leaves, and the fresh leaf keeps a tender green scent around the tortillas.

9. 9

   Build the tacos

   Lay two or three clusters of charales capeados into each hot tortilla. Spoon over the salsa de chiles secos and chile perón, add a few threads of white onion, and finish with drops of lime. Eat them right away, standing if necessary. Fried charal waits for nobody. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy charales from a fish vendor who knows whether they came from Pátzcuaro, Cuitzeo, or another lake. If the vendor shrugs, keep walking. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Fresh charales are delicate and need only a quick rinse. Dried charales are saltier and stronger. Rinse them, taste one after softening, and adjust the salt in the batter. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Chile perón is seasonal in some markets. When it is good, it smells fruity before it smells hot. If the chile is tired and wrinkled, leave it out and let the dried-chile salsa carry the taco. Cook what the market gives you today.
• •Hoja de maíz fresca de la planta is not the same as dried corn husk used for many tamales. The fresh leaf is green, flexible, and aromatic. Use it to line the basket or table, not as a fake garnish.
• •If you cook over leña, keep the flame steady and the pan wide. If you cook indoors, use a comal de barro for the tortillas and a heavy skillet for frying. The point is control, not theater.
• •No me vengas con atajos. Do not skip drying the charales, beating the egg whites, or frying the salsa. Those three steps are why the taco tastes like Michoacán instead of cafeteria fish.

Advance Preparation

• •The salsa de chiles secos can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently in a small cazuela and stir in the chile perón just before serving.
• •The charales can be rinsed and dried up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them uncovered in the refrigerator so the surface stays dry.
• •Do not fry the charales ahead. Capeado is at its best in the first 10 minutes, when the egg is still light and the fish edges are crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 315g)