On Food & Culture
Saffron Garlic Shrimp is a way to recast the iconic tapas, Gambas Al Ajillo, with the addition of saffron, generally known as the unique ingredient used in paella. The shrimp and seasonings are bathed in the Mexican tomato that Spaniards began importing in the 1500s […]
Last night I dreamed up this roasted cascabel chile shrimp recipe, with an underlying hint of anise, because I did not know what to cook, worrying about the immigration debacle happening at the Tijuana-San Diego border, with so many families fleeing death threats and torture […]
Paella is Spanish for friendship, right? Well, it should be. Friendships seem to surround Spanish paella, both making it and eating it. Although it’s famous all over Texas and Mexico, it’s still a Spanish paella, not Mexican. In the late 1800s and through the 1900s, […]
Nopalitos shrimp gorditas evoke two very different landscapes of the Texas-Mexico food region: the Gulf coast and the semi-dessert. The map shows the region of south Texas/northern Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas sharing the Gulf of Mexico. It remains a cohesive culinary region, sharing the same […]
When we first met, some years back, Houston artist, Tony Paraná invited me to a Sunday party at his home, and we made Moqueca Brazil Fish Stew. It is a Northeastern Brazilian seafood dish served in a clay pot. Fish and some shellfish are quickly […]
Depart from the usual shrimp cocktail sauce and go Texas Mexican. Use Serrano chile, cilantro and fresh lime juice. This delicious Serrano shrimp cocktail is reminiscent of the famous Mexican Campechana cocktails in Veracruz, Yucatán and along the Pacific coast, especially in Sonora. Usually, it’s […]
A couple of years ago I posted this recipe and because today the weather in Houston is a bit nippy, I find myself craving a hearty, hot, spicy seafood dish: Fra Diavolo! Clams and shrimp in tomato and red chile sauce. I like to serve […]
Sometimes, when you want a break from wheat and gluten, you can enjoy a variety of delicious dishes that harken back to the days before wheat was grown in the Americas. This is one of them: Shrimp with Tatuma Squash Noodles, “Camarón y Calabacita.” The […]
Paella is Spanish for friendship? I think so. Well, it should be. In Texas, the term “Spanish” was sometimes used (euphemistically) to mean Mexican, or Mexican American. Restaurants serving Mexican food sometimes called themselves “Spanish” as in Spanish Village or Spanish flowers. Not so much […]
This Cognac Shrimp is a recipe for company dinner. It says to guests, “unwind, mellow-out, welcome.” In the Beurre Blanc Cream, you taste a brightness, a tang, from the acidic white wine, but the major sensation results from the flavorful creaminess. I think Harold McGee […]