The Holidays Are For Tamales... and Termites.

Noooooo

I didn’t know how good I had it last week after making Carne en su Jugo.

I was set to write you a recipe this week for the definitive holiday dish of the coast: Bacalao a la Vizcaína. A guisado of salted cod that is soaked and rehydrated and then stewed with tomatoes, dried chiles, capers, olives, and diced potatoes. This dish has many variations, but my mom’s version is high in acid thanks to the addition of vinegar or even some of that pure gold escabeche juice straight from the can of pickled jalapeños. The result is an incredibly saucy and full-flavored guisado that is stuffed into teleras for the Christmas tortas of my dreams.

I like to make my bacalao a la vizcaína with fresh cod because good quality salted cod is hard to find near me, and it also means that soaking and rehydrating can be skipped NBD. I also like to mash the potatoes separately instead of dicing them, which I then whip into the stewed cod. I love taking this velvety whipped cod and stuffing it into tortillas for super-crispy X-MAS edition tacos dorados with an olive and caper salsa.

What can I say, tacos dorados make a great holiday feast. I promise to give you this recipe the next holiday season, but our exterminator had other plans when he found termites on the front porch (noooooo) in our 100-year-old casita, and advised us to tent the house for fumigation and evacuate the entire pantry, kitchen, fridge, and pretty much any living thing inside the house. I don’t know if any of you have been through such a nightmare, but it is quite a life-altering event if your pantry is a small grocery store.

But who cares, now I get to share with you four recipes for some of my favorite tamales for all of you with dreams of a tamalada this holiday season. A tamalada is indeed a party centered around making (and eating) tamales. Reminder: We eat tamales year-round in Mexico. Not just during Christmastime.

I published MERRY X-MASA in December 2020 on Food & Wine with four of my favorite tamales.

Tamales Botaneros de Camarón
Red Shrimp Snacking Tamales

PHOTO: DYLAN + JENI

Each two-bite, candy-shaped tamal cradles chopped shrimp encased in masa seasoned with chiles, garlic, and dried shrimp. These tamales are traditionally enjoyed by fishermen in Nayarit while out in the sea, popping them into their mouths and chased by a beer. Find the recipe on Food & Wine here!

Banana Leaf-Wrapped Lamb Shank Tamales with Morita

PHOTO: DYLAN + JENI

These smoky braised lamb tamales are wrapped in banana leaves, which perfume the masa with a softly sweet aroma as they steam. The banana leaf also yields tamales with a dense, custard-like texture. Unlike corn husks, which are porous and result in fluffier tamales. Get the recipe on F&W!

Oyster Mushroom Tamales with Mole Encacahuatado

PHOTO: DYLAN + JENI

I like to roast oyster mushrooms to concentrate their flavor, and then pair them with velvety, intensely aromatic, and deeply savory mole encacahuatado (an everyday mole made with peanuts). Get the recipe on Food & Wine here.

Coconut Arroz con Leche Tamales

PHOTO: DYLAN + JENI

I don’t mean for these babies to steal the show, but these tamales involve custardy coconut arroz con leche (rice pudding), tender sweet masa, sweet and buttery cajeta/dulce de leche/your choice of caramel. Get the recipe here, which makes a more than perfect X-MAS breakfast.

I’ll be back in the new year after putting my kitchen back together, and a full spread of recipes on Fresca. I’ve paused all paid subscriptions until January, but I want to say MIL GRACIAS to each of you for supporting my work and the work of all independent writers. I have some big projects I’m excited to announce next year!

Thank you for coming along for the ride.

Thank you to the editors of Food & Wine for publishing my recipes and stories.

¡Felices fiestas!

XOXO