Campeche: Cocktails and Seafood in a Pirates’ Paradise

Picture a small tropical city nestled up against sparkling coastal waters, surrounded by fortress walls, complete with drawbridges and moats to keep out invading buccaneers. Where, in the twenty-first century, could this possibly be? No, it isn’t Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. Nothing constructed by a theme park could come close to the real […]

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Campeche-Style Pompano in Green Sauce: Pampano en Salsa Verde a la Campechana

Fish and salsa verde make a great combination. Serve this with black beans and rice for a classic campechano meal. Ingredients: 1 2-pound pompano, cleaned and scaled (snapper may also be used) juice of ½ lime 3 tablespoons corn oil ½ cup chopped onion 1 pound tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped ½ cup chopped cilantro 2-3 serrano […]

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Tortillas with Shredded Fish and Black Beans: Pan de Cazón

We first tried this dish at a restaurant near the seawall in Campeche. Perhaps because pan means bread, we were expecting something like a tuna or salmon loaf, but these stacks of tortillas spread with black beans and cooked fish, topped with tomato sauce, were a delicious surprise. Ingredients: For the fish filling: 1 tablespoon corn oil […]

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Mexican turkey in a dark spice sauce: Chilmole from the Yucatan

A traditional and delicious Mexican dish, chilmole — sometimes called relleno negro — is made from one of the classic recados, or seasoning combinations. This dish, said to have originated in Campeche, is eaten all over the Yucatan peninsula, especially around Christmas and the New Year, when there is an abundance of leftover holiday turkey. It is a nice change from […]

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