Did you have a swell weekend? I hope so. I had some guilt about not coming into work on Saturday but then decided two full days off was pretty key to my happiness. And I was right! Me and my mini-me team are working on a Sunday Supper plan and cooking together has turned out to be a great way to spend time. This past Sunday night we revisted wrapping fish in wet tamal husks and it was better than ever.
I had three bowls of fillings ready. Rockfish, shrimp and steamed crab, all tossed in olive oil and some of our Oregano Indio. I also had some great chile sauce. The great thing is everyone can make what they like.
The kids’ favorite was just fish and crab.
The hardest part of the whole evening was buying a whole crab, shelling it and then not eating big hunks of it. I’m not saying I was completely successful but the kids didn’t notice.
Each tamal gets tied up nicely. We used shorter or funkier wrappers to rip up as strings.
The master at work. At this point both sons are pretty over me and my camera so while this looks like a joyless occasion, you have to trust me there was laughter, Uno card games and Mountain Dew.
I’m not great with coals and we would have eaten very late so we decided to cook half of them on a comal inside. In the end, the grilled packets were superior and more evenly cooked, but you can do this inside in a pinch. Burnt wrappers aren’t a problem.
Served with some lovely Bolita beans from a potential new Rancho Gordo farmer in New Mexico, it was a great dinner for everyone from the Very Picky to the Easy to Please.
Dinnertime and everyone is happy. Victory!
I’ve seen people cook seafoods on the grill by wrapping them in aluminum foil, banana leaves, and even seaweeds. But this is the first time I saw anyone use corn husk. That’s so creative! The good thing about using leaves and other organic wrappings is that these are porous. This characteristic allows the fat to drain away and gives a different aroma and flavor to the dish. It looks delicious!
And even better, they steam. With wet wrappers, it’s hard to overcook them, even when the wrapper burns.