Rick Bayless is chef of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago, creator of Frontera gourmet foods, cookbook author and host of Mexico - One Plate at a Time.

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RICKMAIL - sign up for our email list From the Kitchen of Chef Rick Bayless

Mojo & Escabeche: The Light Fantastic

MEXICO–ONE PLATE AT A TIME WITH RICK BAYLESS
Episode 18: Mojo & Escabeche: The Light Fantastic



It’s one of Rick’s favorite themes: Authentic Mexican food is fresher, more complex, and especially lighter than most Americans realize. Case in point: two classic Mexican preparations, Mojo and Escabeche. Although it’s been a Mexican mainstay since the arrival of the Spanish, Fish in Escabeche is a perfect fit with the kind of light, fresh cooking that’s so popular today. Rick shows us how to make it by steeping crisp fish fillets in a tangy vinaigrette-like sauce made with olive oil, cider vinegar, diced vegetables and pickled jalapeños. In the kitchen of his restaurant, Topolobampo, he shows us a contemporary variation: Grilled Quail in Red Onion Escabeche. If garlic is as good as ten mothers, then Mojo de Ajo–a sauce made from minced garlic, slowly toasted in olive oil–is the mother of all garlic dishes. Rick uses it to make a simple Quick-Fried Shrimp with Sweet Toasty Garlic, and an elegant Roasted Lobster with Mojo Mayonnaise. Along the way, we visit a homemade vinegar stand and a garlic stall in Mexico City’s Merced Market and a restaurant in Veracruz where Rick shows us how to read a Mexican seafood menu.