¡Feliz Cinco De Mayo!

Friday, May 3rd, 2013 | posted by mike

cinco de mayo detroit
Once again Cinco de Mayo is upon us! Time to kick up some good mariachi music and enjoy some fine Mexican food and drink. We have some great recipes for you to try on this site: red snapper Veracruz, shrimp quesadillas, Island fish fajitas, salmon quesadillas, pico de gallo, pineapple salsa, mango salsa and fish tacos. We even have a good margarita recipe! This year I thought I’d try to come up with a dish that would be something a little different. I remembered seeing lots of ray in the fish markets (pescadería) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. These ray they called mantarraya, (not the giant manta ray species), were very similar to our skate and seemed to be quite popular at the market.

We received some super fresh skate at the market so I brought some home to try and come up with a Mexican style dish using them. The fillets with their beautiful fan like shape when put together side by side made a circle shape that (with a little stretch) kind of resembled a tortilla. What if I made a nice shrimp stuffing and made tacos using the skate fillets as the tortilla? Well the dish didn’t turn out to be finger food like tacos, but this shrimp stuffed skate over tomato and chilies in adobo turned out great! ¡Buen provecho!

Here’s last years Cinco de Mayo article. 

cinco de mayo detoit

Posted in Blog | Comments Off
Tags: , ,

Cinco de Mayo 2012

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 | posted by mike

cinco de mayo-lisa monahan photography

Cinco de Mayo Celebration in Detroit, MI

Cinco de Mayo falls on Saturday this year and so does the Kentucky derby! How about a refreshing tequila mint julep?  We Americans like any excuse for a good party. The derby is a great American springtime tradition that has been a great party theme for years. The celebration of Cinco de Mayo keeps getting bigger, here, every year! Bars and restaurants all over the country will be pushing the theme, big time, this fifth of may. Now don’t get me wrong, I like an excuse to eat great food and have a couple of drinks as much as the next guy but lets take a moment to appreciate what Cinco de Mayo is all about.

La Battala de Puebla took place on May 5, 1862 when Napoleon III sent in troops during the attempted French colonization of Mexico. Heading towards Mexico City the French troops, at least 6,000 of them, encountered a poorly equipped army of around 4,000 Mexicans in the town of Puebla in the state of Puebla. The Mexicans won the battle against great odds. The bravery, determination and resourcefulness have been a source of national pride, especially in the Puebla region. The growing Mexican and Latino population in the U.S. celebrates the day as a time of pride in their people and their culture. Parades and festivals are held all over the country.

The people of Mexican heritage are very welcoming and hospitable. Celebrate with them if you can (we live not far from Detroit’s Mexican town and we’re heading down there Saturday night!) If you don’t live near any festivities, go to a good Mexican restaurant or have a fiesta with friends in your home. What Cinco de Mayo should really mean to us non-Hispanics is to have a day to commemorate the vibrant, colorful, festive, fun, delicious and rich culture that they’re sharing with us.

See below for links to some Mexican recipes on our site and here’s one for some tasty shrimp quesadillas.

¡Buen Provecho!

Salmon Quesadillas

Red Snapper Veracruz

Monahan’s Baja-Style Fish Tacos

Pico de Gallo

John’s Killer Margaritas

Posted in Blog | Comments Off
Tags: , ,

Shrimp Quesadillas

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 | posted by mike

Serves 4

11/2 lb. wild gulf shrimp, 36 – 42 count per lb. peeled and deviened, tails off

2/3 cup olive oil

4 flour tortillas

1/2 cup onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 cup grated queso fresco, or jack cheese if not available

1 T chipotle chilies in adobo, finely chopped

1/2 t cumin powder

1/2 t chili powder

1 T honey

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 lime cut into 4 wedges

1 tomato sliced

1 avocado sliced

1 jalapeño

Combine olive oil, onions, garlic, chipotles, chili and cumin powder and honey

Add shrimp and marinate for 15 to 30 min.

Heat a large heavy pan or iron skillet over med. high heat and when pan is hot add shrimp with the marinade

Stir-fry constantly for about 3-5 min. or until shrimp is just opaque in center of thickest part

Spoon shrimp with some of the sauce from the marinade over a tortilla then

scatter cheese over the top and place another tortilla on top

Heat another large pan (or 2 pans if 4 tortillas won’t fit in 1) over med. heat

Coat pan with a small amount of olive oil and when hot add quesadillas

When nicely browned on bottom, flip and when cheese is melted and bottom is browned, remove to cutting board and slice into 4 triangles

Serve with sliced tomatoes, thin sliced jalapeño and sliced avocado

Top with chopped cilantro

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »
Tags: , ,

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo!

Friday, April 30th, 2010 | posted by wendy

May 5th is an important day in Mexican history. Its celebration in that country is nearly as important as its Independence Day. In fact, there are those who believe that Cinco de Mayo should be renamed Mexican Independence Day. In many American communities, too, particularly in California and Texas, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that ranks as one of the most festive of the year.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashing the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862. When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was chased away. The Mexicans had won a great victory that affected their country’s future.

The jubilant Mexican holiday celebrated on May 5th marks that victory with parades, mariachi music, folk dancing and the enjoyment of Mexican cuisine.

Much of this post was originally part of an article by long-time Monahan’s shopper and Ann Arbor Food Writer, Catherine Arcure, who has since moved to New York and appears to be doing interesting things!

Additional links for Cinco de Mayo Recipes:

Pico de Gallo

John’s Killer Margaritas

Pineapple Salsa

Island Fish Fajitas

Salmon Quesedillas

Whole Snapper Veracruz

Monahan’s Baja Style Fish Tacos

Posted in Blog | Comments Off
Tags: , , ,