San Diego Food & Travel

Food & Culture from San Diego to the Ends of the Earth

  • By Region
    • Africa
      • Ethiopia/Eritrea
      • Morocco
    • Americas
      • North America
        • USA
          • Regional American Cuisine
            • California
            • Southern
              • Cajun-Creole
              • Low Country
            • Mountain
          • Tailgate Food
        • Mexico
          • Baja
            • BajaMed/New Cuisine of Baja
        • Carribean
      • South American
        • Argentina
        • Brazil
    • Asia
      • China
      • Japan
      • Korea
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Poland
      • Spain
      • UK
    • Middle East
      • Afghanistan
      • Israel
    • Travel
      • USA
      • Europe
      • Middle East
  • History, Styles, Etc.
    • Culinary History
    • Modern Gastronomy
    • Slow Food
    • Fusion
    • Kosher
      • Kosher Fusion
    • Vegetarian
    • Fine Dining
    • Street Food
    • Comfort Food
    • Holiday Food
  • Publications
    • Articles
    • Reviews
    • San Diego CityBeat
      • The World Fare
    • L’Chaim San Diego Magazine
  • Recipes
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Other
    • Restaurant Reviews
      • San Diego
      • Baja
    • Food Truck Reviews
    • Market Reviews
    • Other
  • Video
  • Contact Me
    • About Michael A. Gardiner

BAJA MED CUISINE: Campechana Nueva

January 11, 2013 MAG 2 Comments

Some of the best and most creative food on North America’s west coast is being done in Baja California. “Baja Med” cuisine takes the bounty of Baja California’s shores and valleys and the classic flavors of Mexico fusing them with the ingredients and flavors of Asia and the Mediterranean. It is a Chef-driven cuisine that is, increasingly, sending its tendrils deeper into the fabric of Northern Baja. Amongst the Chefs most associated with the Baja Med movement are Miguel Angel Guerrero (La Querencia), Javier Plascencia (Misión 19) and Jair Tellez (Laja). Depending on whom you ask, any one of them might have been the father of Baja Med cuisine with Guerrero being mentioned most often and Plascencia not far behind.

There is much to explore in this new culinary world fermenting only a few miles south of my house in San Diego. Having just returned from a trip to Baja and having been so taken by the Campechana seafood cocktail at San Felipe’s El Huitussi (http://sdfoodtravel.com/san-felipe-restaurant-review-mariscos-el-huittusi/) I decided to start with those flavors. Playing on the parallels between sushi and ceviche, I did a simple deconstruction of the Campechana using the modern gastronomy gel technique from http://sdfoodtravel.com/modern-gastronomy-spot-prawns-with-bacon-snow-tomato-prawn-gel-and-nuoc-cham/ to replace both the sushi rice and the seafood cocktail’s soupy sauce.

Campechana Nueva

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 Sea Scallops (extremely fresh)
  • 2 Octopus tentacles, boiled
  • 4 Mexican shrimp, butterflied and boiled
  • 1 cup lime juice
  • Korean chile threads

For the Campechana Gel:

  • 1 cup Clamato juice
  • ½ cup Ketchup
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • Mexican-style hot sauce to taste (I particularly favor the Seven Seas brand for this sort or recipe)
  • 2 teaspoons agar agar powder
  1. Make the Campechana Gel. Put all of the ingredients except the agar agar powder in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Transfer 2 cups of the liquid to a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Sprinkle in the agar agar powder and mix thoroughly with a wire whisk. Bring the liquid back to a boil until the liquid visibly thickens. Pour the liquid into a tray of candy (or small cupcake) molds and refrigerate until the gels are set.
  2. Prep the Octopus. Cut the Octopus tentacles into bit size (and attractive) pieces.
  3. “Cook” the Scallops. Cut the Sea Scallops into quarters and combine with the lime juice in a non-reactive bowl. After about half an hour, with the surface area of the scallops, the ceviche should be done.
  4. Plate the Dish. Remove the Campechana Gels from their molds, arranging three on each plate. Top each gel with a piece of the scallop, a shrimp and a piece of octopus, respectively (as if they were sushi toppings). Garnish each piece with a few strings of the Korean chile threads.

Americas, Baja, Culinary History, Fine Dining, History, Styles, Etc., Mexico, Modern Gastronomy, North America, Recipes

Comments

  1. mary-anne says

    January 11, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    OK, I want an invitation to sample and just make sure these are as good as they look
    🙂

    Mary-Anne

    Reply
    • MAG says

      January 11, 2013 at 5:57 pm

      Come on down! Any time!

      MAG

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Join the Mailing List

RECENT POSTS

  • MODERN KOSHER: Cookbook Cover Reveal
  • SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE: How Bánh Mì Stacks Up
  • WORLD FARE: The Taste of a New Generation
  • WORLD FARE: Delicious Opulence at Animae
  • SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE: Unrushed Rice

Tag Cloud

All Forked Up All Forked Up Podcast Anthony Bourdain Art of Spooning Badass Kosher Baja Baja California BajaMed ceviche CityBeat Convoy Convoy district Davin Waite Deckman's en El Mogor dim sum Eater San Diego Ensenada farm-to-table Hot Pot Javier Plascencia Kosher L'Chaim San Diego Magazine Mercy Baron Michael Gardiner Patrick Ponsaty Podcast ramen rosarito San Diego San Diego CityBeat Sheen Fischer Sichuan Specialty Produce Specialty Produce Network Sushi tacos The Art of Spooning The World Fare THRILLIST Tijuana Valle de Guadalupe World Fare Wrench & Rodent Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub Year-End Wrap Up

RECENT COMMENTS

  • mgardiner on SAN DIEGO RESTAURANT REVIEW: Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria
  • Heather Baziotes on SAN DIEGO RESTAURANT REVIEW: Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria
  • Top 10 Vietnamese Local Food on WORLD FARE: A different bowl of noodles at Mi Quang Mien Trung
  • M on The Most Expensive Seafood on the Rock: Percebes | Chorizo | Peas
  • mgardiner on BADASS KOSHER — Jewish Mexico: It’s not an Oxymoron

SD Food & Travel on Google+

------------------

©2020 San Diego Food & Travel · All Rights Reserved