Isla Mujeres: The Local Food and Recipes of the Island
Among the most representative dishes of Isla Mujeres are based on fish and seafood, especially Tikin xiik', which is fish baked underground or prepared on the grill, seasoned with achiote.
The most representative dishes of Isla Mujeres are based on fish and seafood, especially Tikin xiik', which is fish baked underground or prepared on the grill, seasoned with achiote and snail ceviche. Learn more about the gastronomy of Isla Mujeres with these nine authentic recipes. Recipes provided by chef Isla del Mar Magaña López.
Fish Ceviche
This recipe is of daily use for the islanders, they usually eat fresh fish ceviche with beer or michelada on Sundays at noon to enjoy and at the same time to calm the heat. Another way of consuming ceviches popularly on the island is on birthdays, it is customary to celebrate by sharing ceviches as a family snack while sharing and drinking a beer.
Ingredients:
8 pieces of tomato
1 piece of white onion
½ bunch of cilantro
12 pieces of lemons
600 g of white fish fillet
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of green oil
Procedure:
Before starting we disinfect the vegetables. First, squeeze the juice of 9 lemons and season and reserve in a bowl. Then we cut the fish fillet into cubes of 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm and add it to the container where the lemon juice is, we let it marinate for at least one hour and a half in refrigeration.
Now cut the tomatoes and remove the pulp and cut them into 0.5 cm x 0.5 cm cubes, cut the onion in the same way, and put the ingredients aside in a bowl. Now chop the cilantro finely, and add it to the bowl where we have the onion and tomato, mix and squeeze the juice of the 3 remaining lemons, and season with salt and pepper.
Once the fish is marinated, add it to the container where we have the vegetables cut before, mix very well and finally add the green oil, mix and serve, accompany it with tortilla chips and habanero chili.
Mango Chutney
It is the accompaniment to the coconut shrimp, this recipe and the shrimp can be found in any restaurant in Isla Mujeres and is also cooked in homes as it is a well-known recipe in the village and are very famous and make a perfect combination in coconut and mango with a touch of habanero chili.
Ingredients:
2 pieces of green apple
600 g of mango pulp
7 tabasco peppercorns
5 pieces of cloves
300 milliliters of mango juice
3 cinnamon sticks
1 habanero bell pepper
3 tablespoons cilantro
3 spoonfuls of sugar.
Procedure:
First, peel and core the apples and cut them into small cubes, likewise peel the mangoes and cut them into small cubes, add the ingredients to a large skillet and add the tabasco pepper, cloves, cinnamon, mango juice, sugar, finely chopped cilantro, and finely chopped habanero chili, let the ingredients cook and set aside, this recipe serves as an accompaniment to different dishes.
Marinade
This marinade is commonly used in families for the preparation of homemade ceviches, providing a light touch of garlic and oil flavor to the ceviche. It is always added at the end of the ceviche, this same marinade if we add instead of 5 cloves of garlic, 3 roasted or fried garlic heads, and ¼ of apple cider vinegar would generate the garlic dressing for fried fish.
Ingredients:
½ liter of vegetable oil
½ liter of olive oil
5 peeled garlic cloves
salt and pepper
Procedure:
Blend all the ingredients.
Coconut Shrimp
This recipe arrives on the island because of the influence or family ties from Campeche. It is important to point out that in Campeche this dish is very popular, but this recipe had so much acceptance in families and tourism that you can already see this dish marketed in some food and beverage establishments.
Ingredients:
15 pieces Shrimp
2 pieces of egg
150 gr. of flour
300 gr. of shredded coconut
70 ml. Of special marinade
Vegetable oil
Procedure:
Remove the shell from the shrimp and clean it. Marinate it and leave it for approximately 10 minutes. Beat the eggs and add the shrimp, then dredge in flour and then in grated coconut. Reserve and freeze them. Heat the vegetable oil and fry them until the shrimp is golden brown. This recipe is served with mango chutney, rice, and fried plantain or salad.
Shrimp a la Diabla
Shrimp a la Diabla, another dish found in any restaurant in the town of Isla Mujeres, is very famous in the place, although it is influenced by the gastronomy of Guerrero.
Ingredients:
15 pieces of Large Pink Shrimp
50 grams of liquefied chipotle chili
150 grams onion
3 cloves of garlic
5 guajillo chili peppers
50 ml brandy
Butter
Salt and pepper
4 tomatoes
Procedure:
Boil water to soften the guajillo chile and cook the tomatoes. Once they are cooked, blend them with the chipotle and set them aside. In a frying pan melt the butter, the onion, then the garlic, then the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and flame the shrimp with a little brandy. Add the chili mixture and let it boil. Remove from heat and serve. Accompanied with white rice.
Tikin Xiik' Fish
It is a typical dish of Isla Mujeres, grilled with coconut shells and firewood to preserve the flavor of the marinade. This dish is prepared by island families every weekend to spend time with their loved ones on the beach and enjoy its beautiful white sands. On Isla Mujeres, you should visit Shark Beach and see the classic tikin Xiik' grills, a place where hundreds of families come every day to enjoy this traditional dish.
Ingredients:
1 piece of clean Red Snapper Fish (5kg)
300 grams of red recado
Tomato
Onion
Sour orange
Salt and pepper
The Mexican mixture of fresh or dried herbs with peppers, cumin, achiote, and other seasonings is called recaudo or recado, depending on the area of the country where it is prepared.
Preparation:
Cut the fish in half in a butterfly shape, then place the fish on a grill. In a bowl, squeeze the sour orange and mix it with the red sauce, salt, and pepper. Marinate the fish with the previous mixture, adding tomato and onion slices on the marinated side. It is grilled over indirect heat at a distance of 30 cm, starting from the side of the scales, turning the fish approximately every 20 minutes for 1 hour and 30 minutes until it is cooked.
It can be served with rice, beans, salad, and chiltomate (from Nahuatl chilli, chili, tomatl, tomato). Chiltomate is a tomato sauce, of which there are many variations in terms of texture and cooking method; but it is almost always a tomato sauce with whole habanero peppers, onion, salt, and sometimes cilantro.
Chiltomate
The most famous and iconic sauce of the peninsula par excellence, it is a classic and is prepared in all corners of the peninsula. Chiltomate usually accompanies beans with pork, ham, chicharrón, eggs, roasted meats, Póok chúuk, and many other dishes that choose this sauce as an accompaniment.
Ingredients:
10 tomatoes
2 bunches of cilantro
5 white onions
2 habanero peppers
Salt
Preparation:
Roast the tomatoes, onions, and habanero peppers wrapped in aluminum foil over direct heat. Once roasted, reserve the onion and sift the tomatoes and habanero peppers in a molcajete. The onion is cut into squares and the cilantro is finely chopped and then mixed with the previous ingredients. Add salt to taste.
K'ool O Sak K'ool of Lobster
It is a traditional dish from Isla Mujeres, which brings back many memories to the Magaña Cantón family since grandmother Concepción G. Cantón used to prepare it with love and affection for her children and grandchildren. The recipe was provided by Isla de Mar Magaña.
Ingredients:
2 kg dough
2 roasted pieces of Xcatic Peppers
1.5 kg Lobster Tails
3 Knorr spoons
4 epazote sprigs
¼ cup butter
2.5 liters water
Salt and pepper
15 grs red recado or achiote
Preparation:
In a pot mix the dough with the necessary water to make it watery. Put the remaining water to boil with the epazote and Knorr. Once the water is boiling, add the dissolved recado, stirring constantly (so it doesn't stick), and add the watered masa and the lard, seasoning to taste. When it is boiling, add the cleaned lobsters together with the chiles and simmer for approximately 15 minutes until the lobster is cooked (obtaining a pink to red color). Serve with handmade tortillas.
Seafood Chilpachole
I don't know where this recipe comes from, but my mother cooks it a lot every time there is a special occasion, but most of the time she cooks it is for the birthday of a family member.
The recipe was provided by Isla del Mar Magaña.
Ingredients:
1 small can of chipotle chili bell pepper
1 kg of shrimp
1 kg lobster
1 kg of crab
1 kg of crab claws
12 tomatoes
1 liter of tomato puree
¼ cup lard
3 epazote wedges
½ white onion
Pre-cooked vegetables to taste.
Salt.
Preparation:
Wash and clean all the seafood well and set it aside. Blend the tomato, onion, and chipotle chili to taste, with ¼ cup of water. In a deep pot, pour the previous mixture, and add the puree, the butter, and the epazote. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, then add 3.5 liters of water and mix. Cover it so that it can boil, when it is boiling add little by little the seafood and the pre-cooked vegetables, and salt to taste. Turn off when the seafood is cooked. Note, the seafood must be well covered by the mixture, in case of foaming, remove it.
Sources: La Cocina Cotidiana de Quintana Roo by Manuel Isaías Pérez Alamilla
