Vuelve a la Vida Mazatleca

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large 6-quart stockpot for poaching
• •Slotted spoon or kitchen spider
• •Sharp paring knife for shucking and cleaning
• •Tall chabela glasses or flared tumblers
• •Long-handled cocktail spoons

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the octopus

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil with half the white onion, half the garlic head, the bay leaves, and a tablespoon of salt. Lower the octopus into the boiling water by the head three times, dipping and lifting, before letting it sink in completely. The Sinaloa cooks call this 'asustar al pulpo,' scaring the octopus, and it sets the skin so it does not slough off. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 35 to 45 minutes, until a knife slides into the thickest part of a tentacle without resistance. Cooking time varies with size. The octopus tells you when it is ready, not the clock.

   Do not boil the octopus hard. A hard boil makes the meat rubbery. A lazy simmer keeps the texture tender. No me vengas con atajos.
2. 2

   Poach the shrimp and scallops

   Lift the octopus out of the broth and set it aside. Keep the broth at a low simmer. Drop the shrimp in for 90 seconds, just until they turn pink and curl. Lift them out with a slotted spoon. Drop the scallops in for 60 seconds, until barely opaque. Lift them out. Move both immediately to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Overcooked shrimp turns rubbery and overcooked scallops turn into erasers. Watch them like you mean it.

3. 3

   Cure the fish in lime

   Place the cubed sierra in a glass bowl and cover with half the lime juice. Stir to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, until the fish turns opaque around the edges but is still translucent at the center. This is the only piece of seafood in the cocktail that is cured rather than cooked. The lime does the work.

4. 4

   Build the Clamato base

   In a large bowl, whisk together the Clamato, ketchup, Maggi, Worcestershire, Salsa Huichol, and the remaining lime juice. Stir in the reserved oyster liquor. Taste it. The base should be aggressive: salty from the Maggi, sour from the lime, with a savory backbone from the Worcestershire. If it tastes shy, add another splash of Maggi. The base sets the volume of the whole dish.

   Maggi is not optional in noroeste cocktails. The umami it brings is what separates a Mazatlan vuelve a la vida from a generic ceviche. La cocina del Pacifico mexicano runs on Maggi and lime.
5. 5

   Cut the seafood

   Cut the cooked octopus into bite-sized pieces, slicing the tentacles into rounds and the head into strips. Drain the cured fish from its lime. Combine the octopus, shrimp, scallops, cured fish, oysters, and crab in a large bowl. Add the diced onion, tomato, cucumber, cilantro, and chile serrano. Pour the Clamato base over the top. Fold gently with a wooden spoon. The crab and oysters break apart if you stir too hard.

6. 6

   Chill before serving

   Cover and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes. The flavors marry and the temperature drops to where it needs to be. This dish is meant to wake you up after a long night, and a vuelve a la vida that is not properly cold has failed at the only job it has.

7. 7

   Serve in chabelas

   Spoon the seafood and base into tall glass chabelas. Top each with diced avocado and a generous pinch of cilantro. Set lime halves, saltines, tostadas, and a bottle of Salsa Huichol on the table. Each person fixes their own to taste. The name says it all: vuelve a la vida. Come back to life. Asi se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •The seafood is the dish. Buy from a fishmonger you trust, not a supermarket cooler. If the shrimp smells like ammonia, walk away. If the oysters are not tightly closed before shucking, walk away. A vuelve a la vida is only as honest as what goes into it.
• •Clamato is not a substitute. It is the recipe. The clam juice in it carries half the salinity that makes the base work. Tomato juice alone will not do the same job. If you cannot find Clamato, mix tomato juice with a splash of bottled clam juice and a pinch of celery salt. That is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Use the small Mexican lime if you can find it, not the larger Persian lime. The Mexican lime is sharper and more aromatic, and it is what every coctelero on the Sinaloa coast reaches for. Persian lime works but you will need a little more of it.
• •Serve in a chabela. A wide cocktail glass or a wine glass changes the whole experience. The narrow tall glass keeps the layers visible and forces the eater to dig down with a long spoon, which is half the pleasure.

Advance Preparation

• •The octopus can be poached one day ahead, cooled in its broth, and refrigerated. The texture actually improves overnight.
• •The Clamato base can be mixed up to four hours ahead and refrigerated. Add the lime juice only at the last hour so the brightness does not fade.
• •Do not assemble the full cocktail more than 30 minutes before serving. The shrimp and scallops tighten in the acidic base and the avocado discolors. Each component holds well separately. Combine at the last minute.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 850g)