Maria Elena Lorenzo grew up in El Llano, Guerrero, Mexico. She is proud of her Afro-Indigenous roots and hopes to pass on the traditions to the younger generations.

MARIA ELENA’S RECIPE

Pescado a la Talla

Ingredients for sauce

6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

6 medium dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

3 arbol chiles, stemmed (shake out most of the seeds if you wish)

6 dried Chile costeños

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon black pepper, whole or freshly ground

Salt, preferably coarse sea salt

Cloves

Cumin 

cebolla 

½ cup store bought mayonnaise

2 limes, cut into wedges

Para hacer la salsa:

  1. Se ponen a asar los chiles costeño, chiles guajillo y chiles de árbol si lo quiere picante
  2. Se le pone clavo, comino, pimienta, orégano, ajo, cebolla al chile y unas dos cucharaditas de mayonesa. 
  3. Se muele bien ese chilito espesito, nada más que no quede aguado y para que se le unte al pescado. 

Pescado: se usa un pescado grande. Puede ser mojarra, la lisa, róbalo o pargo (tilapia, mullet, bass or snapper)

No se le quita la escama para que se pueda asar porque si, si le quitan la escama, la piel de cita se pega y se desbarata. 

Don’t remove the scales so it can grill well. If you take off the scales, the skin sticks and falls apart.

Instructions (BORROWED FROM RICK BAYLESS HERE)

Grilling and serving the fish. About 20 minutes before cooking, prepare a charcoal fire, letting the coals burn until they are covered with a gray ash and are medium hot.

Brush or spray oil on both sides of a hinged grill basket (I like the one that has flexible wires that will mold around the fish). Spray or brush oil on both sides of the fish, then sprinkle with salt. Lay the fish on one side of the basket and close it. Lay the basket over the hot coals with fish skin-side up. Cook until the fish begins to brown, 5-10 minutes, depending on the heat of your fire. Flip the basket, carefully open it up, freeing any sticky bits of fish, then slather the top generously with the marinade. Dot with dollops of the mayonnaise mixture and cook (you can leave the basket open) until the skin crisps and the marinade becomes glossy, another 5 minutes or so. Remove the basket from the fire.

Carefully free the fish from the bottom part of the grill basket and transfer it to a platter. Garnish with lime wedges and serve right away.