Use acid freely. "Acid literally excites the palate. I use Mexican limes in my restaurants, which are more acidic and less sweet and floral than Persian or Key limes," says Cámara. If you can't get Mexican limes, use whatever limes you have access to, then add a little bit of white vinegar to give your dishes more zip.
Seasonal means simple. Peak-season produce has a natural sweetness to it that you don't want to mask. "We're drawn to sweetness, like candy," says Cámara. "I like to let seasonal ingredients shine by not messing with them too much." In summer she takes full advantage of naturally sweet produce like squash, corn, and tomatoes and uses minimal to no saucing. "People think Mexican food is overly heavy and complex, but it doesn't need to be."
Spice food wisely. "The overuse of chile is the first mistake people make when they first start cooking Mexican food," she says. "Use just enough to accentuate ingredients without overpowering them." Deploy dried and smoked chiles for depth and bass notes and fresh chiles for treble and brightness.
Season the seafood. "Even pristine seafood can taste a little dull on its own," says Cámara. Amplify its flavor by adding a balanced combination of salt, chile heat, and acid.
If you can't buy it, grow it. "In my parents' garden in Mexico, we'd grow what wasn't part of the Mexican diet: basil from the south of Italy, rosemary, sage, arugula, chicory, and fennel. Now, at my house in San Francisco, I'm trying to grow the Mexican herb hoja santa with varying success.'' Can't find a good source for the pleasantly pungent Mexican herb epazote? Grow your own with seeds from
seedsavers.com (
$3.50/packet of 250 seeds).
Reprinted with permission from My Mexico City Kitchen: Recipes and Convictions
by Gabriela Camara and Malena Watrous, copyright © 2019. Published by Lorena Jones Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.