Summer 2020

Seafood City
From super easy to a little more elevated, these recipes
offer alluring ways to get hooked on local catch.
Try buying fish directly off the boat at Tuna Harbor
Dockside Market every Saturday morning or check out
local retailers like Point Loma Seafoods and Catalina
Offshore Products—or go catch your own. You can
also order direct from Saraspe Seafood and Haworth
Fishing for delivery.
YELLOWTAIL TIRADITO
SERVES 2
By Michael Aaron Gardiner
Raw fish dishes are ubiquitous in Baja—from
mariscos stands and food truck parks to highend
Cali-Baja restaurants. Chefs of the Cali-Baja
and Baja Med movement, though, have elevated
these dishes beyond their ceviche origins by
introducing flavors and techniques from Italy,
Japan, and Peru. Miguel Angel Guerrero at La
Querencia restaurant in Rosarito and Tijuana was
the first to turn me on to it; then Benito Molina and
Solange Muris in their Ensenada restaurant Manzanilla
perhaps set the bar. This take on “uncooking” is
inspired by their work.
2 large red beets
1–2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ear corn, husks and silks removed
1 yellow bell pepper, seeds and stem removed
Pinch kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon ají amarillo purée* (see note below)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, divided
5 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½–¾ pound sashimi-grade hamachi loin (yellowtail or
hiramasa), skinned and filleted
Microgreens (cilantro, radish, beet, arugula, basil, or
other) or fresh cilantro leaves to garnish
Roast the beets: Preheat oven to 375°. Coat beets lightly
with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil, place on a baking
sheet, and roast in the oven until cooked through,
approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Remove beets from the
oven, unwrap, and place in the refrigerator to cool. Peel
beets when cool and the skins should slip right off.
Char the corn: Use the microwave/blowtorch method
by cooking corn ear in the microwave oven on high for
2 minutes, turn, and microwave 2 more minutes. Once
cooked, use a blowtorch to scorch the corn’s surface,
turning the ear to make sure all sides are charred.
Alternatively, char the corn directly on the flame of a
gas stove or grill, turning frequently.
Make the tiradito: Bring a small saucepan of water to
a boil, add yellow bell pepper, and boil for 15 minutes.
Remove pepper from the pot and let cool before
peeling the skin off. Place peeled pepper in a food
processor with a pinch of kosher salt and process until
smooth. Add ají amarillo purée, garlic, lemon juice, 2
tablespoons lime juice, chicken stock, and soy sauce
and pulse until puréed. Set sauce aside.
Trim yellowtail loin into sashimi-thin pieces, about 1½
inches by ¾ inch in size. Using a very sharp and long
knife, slice the fish on a slight bias toward the narrow
end and lay the slices on a plate; sprinkle lightly with
kosher salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cut beet down to ½-inch dice. Cut charred corn off the ear.
To serve: Arrange yellowtail slices in a circular pattern on
four plates. Spoon sauce around and over the yellowtail.
Divide and top each plate with beet cubes and corn
kernels and garnish with microgreens or cilantro leaves.
*Find ají amarillo purée at Northgate Markets or Andrés
Latin Market.
NANCY GARDINER
14 ediblesandiego.com