Visiting Local Marisquerias
Before you go in search of your favorite mariscos, there are a few things to keep in mind. These aren’t chains with huge staffs and endless marketing dollars, so call to make sure the place is open wh...
Need a Beach Vacation? A Trip to a Marisquería Might Fit the Bill
A QUICK WEEKEND trip to a sunny beach in Mexico isn’t as easy as it used to be, but a visit to one of the Valley’s marisquerías (Mexican seafood restaurants) can assuage the cravings for the food and drinks, at least. With their colorful murals, extensive menus and TVs playing Mexican soap operas in the corner, these small, family-owned places provide a respite from the grind of day-to-day pandemic life. The only thing missing is the sound of the surf pounding the beach outside.
Mariscos is Spanish for shellfish, and most marisquerías are all about shrimp (camarones), oysters (ostiones), octopus (pulpo), squid (calamari), mussels (mejillones), abalone (abulon) and scallops (callos de hacha) served in a multitude of combinations and regional preparation methods, usually with a healthy dose of chiles, limes, avocados, onions and tomatoes. In addition, most places also serve fish, usually red snapper (huachinango) or tilapia, grilled, whole and steamed in foil (empapelado), or fried and covered in one of many sauces— some spicy, some creamy, but all a refreshing departure from the usual American fare of boiled shrimp or deep-fried white fish served with a side of tartar sauce.
In addition to the wide variety of seafood and fish dishes, most marisquerías also offer a few traditional Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas and burritos, as well as the classic margaritas and cold Mexican beers.
What makes a quest for mariscos a fun adventure is that, just like grandmothers’ kitchens, no two places use the same recipes, even though the dishes may have the same names. Each place has its own unique take on shrimp cocktail, ceviche, soups and salsas that reflects the training and taste of the cooks. Take, for example, the molcajete. A lava stone cauldron is heated until sizzling, then filled with a variety of meats, fish and/or seafood along with a spicy sauce and cheese. The sauce can be green (culichi) or red (diabla) and can range in consistency from a spicy broth to a thick dipping sauce. Every restaurant does it differently. And with the huge menus, a dedicated eater could spend years searching for and tasting the best dishes in town.
Mariscos Playa Hermosa
Ebullient Emmanuell Maldonado runs Mariscos Playa Hermosa, one of Phoenix’s busiest and best-known mariscos restaurants. Now in its 20th year, the place is owned by the Maldonado family: Jose and Maria, daughter Yesica and son Emmanuell. The elder Maldonados managed a nightclub in downtown Phoenix, but when the opportunity came to purchase the restaurant, they took the plunge, although they didn’t know much about cooking and serving Mexican seafood. The first decade was rough, but their attention to detail and customer service soon earned them a loyal following, and with their son’s social media skills and entrepreneurial spirit and their daughter’s financial acumen they’ve built a reputation as a place for not only great food, but a memorable experience, as well.
Emmanuell Maldonado explains his family’s philosophy: “Our whole thing at this restaurant is creating an experience when you walk in, even though you might be in central Phoenix,” he says. “Whether you come from Scottsdale or Mesa, whether you come from any part of the Valley, you’re going to feel like either you’re at a great restaurant at the beach in Mexico or you just made a midweek escape. That experience is what we’ve worked hard to create.”
The time-worn adage about eating first with your eyes has never been more apt. The surroundings are a collection of eye-popping colors, and the food presentations are creative and striking. The molcajete comes with sheets of carne and pollo asada draped over the side of the bubbling, steaming bowl, accompanied by shrimp and planks of breaded fish. Inside, the salsa diabla and layer of molten cheese hides chunks of octopus. Maldonado says it’s a menu staple. “It was what sustained this restaurant for about 10 years,” he says.
The La Patrona Torre de Mariscos is an impressive tower with shrimp (both cooked and as aguachiles, a ceviche made with lime juice and chiles), calamari, octopus, abalone, fish and diced vegetables topped with sliced avocados, covered in salsa negra and surrounded by oysters on the half shell and buttery fresh scallops. “If you’re looking for something cold and fresh and delicious to share, you don’t get any better than this,” says Maldonado. He says he first encountered the tower concept on a trip to Sonora with his wife, brought it home, improved on it and made it another of their signature dishes. “Six months later, everyone had it,” he laughs. “But everyone has their own version of it.”
The restaurant sources as much seafood as possible from Northern Mexico, although the red snapper comes from Brazil and the oysters are Blue Points from the East Coast. A recent remodel created a large walk-in cooler and expanded the kitchen, which is still not large. Maldonado credits his front-of-house staff, including manager Enrique “Richie” Hernandez, and his cooks with the quality of the experience at Playa Hermosa.
“They do magic in there and they do it all with heart and soul. Every bite that people get, they’re not only tasting our quality, but they’re tasting our culture. And it’s made by Mexican hands and it comes from Mexican waters,” he says. “I want people to know that when they come to us, they’re going to get Mexican American seafood made from our land, made from where we come from. You’re going to taste that in every bite.”
The Maldonado family has plans to expand, with Tacoholic, a traditional Mexican restaurant opening in Central Phoenix this spring, and another Mexican seafood place coming in a couple of years. “This restaurant provides for 48 families, including me and my family, my sister, my brother-in-law and my parents, so we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to hopefully make these next 20 years happen and continue the growth.”
San Diego Bay Restaurant
Many years ago, I was in Guaymas with a friend, and we wandered into a little marisquería on a quiet side street. We ordered oysters on the half shell and shrimp tostadas along with a couple of bottles of Pacifico. Everything was so fresh it still tasted like the sea, and a tiny crab even scampered across my plate. That’s the same feeling I get when I visit the San Diego Bay Restaurant in Guadalupe. With its brightly colored walls and tablecloths and the telenovela playing on the TV, the place brings a distinctly Mexican beach vibe to the corner of Avenida del Yaqui and Guadalupe Road where it’s been an institution for 35 years, tucked into the Guadalupe Mercado.
Owner Lupita Martinez, who is from Sonora, says her first chef was from San Diego and Ensenada, so that’s why she named the place after San Diego. That chef developed all the recipes still guiding the kitchen today.
Shrimp is the star here. You’ll find it in enchiladas, flautas and fajitas; stuffed with octopus, snails and calamari and wrapped in bacon; or covered in a Sonoran-style spicy cream sauce; in a Veracruz sauce with tomatoes, peppers, onions and olives; or in the extra-spicy salsa diabla.
According to Martinez, her most popular dishes are the molcajete de mariscos, a simmering bowl of shrimp, octopus, snails and calamari swimming in a chile-spiked broth and covered with melted cheese; and the huachinango empapelado, whole red snapper wrapped in foil with chiles, tomatoes, onions and olives and steamed on the grill. She brings in the fish twice a week from Guaymas, along with the shrimp and other seafood.
Even though photos of Martinez with numerous dignitaries from the worlds of politics, sports and entertainment cover the wall near the front door, San Diego Bay remains a simple, friendly place for a lunch with friends or family dinner. Martinez says the pandemic has been hard. She’s had to cut her hours due to staffing shortages and raise her prices because of supply chain issues. But to her relief and delight, the customers keep coming.
Mariscos Sinaloa
In an unassuming strip mall on South 48th Street just north of Southern Avenue in Tempe, Gonzalo Gamez and his family at Mariscos Sinaloa have been bringing quality Mexican seafood and other traditional Mexican cuisine to customers since 2007. The menu is heavy on fish (both filets and whole) and seafood, but also includes plenty of chicken, steak, burritos, chimichangas, nachos and tacos.
The presentations are simple. Shrimp cocktail comes in a margarita glass surrounded by the requisite saltines with a bowl of limes on the side. The shrimp ceviche tostada comes piled high with tender shrimp, with pico de gallo and red onions. Everything is both fresh and refreshing.
Photo 1: Maricoscos Sinaloa's shrimp cocktail and a cold beer are (almost) a substitute for a trip to the beach.
Photo 2: A crunchy corn tortilla is piled high with shrimp ceviche, red onions and pico de gallo.
Server Brenda Cardenas told us the shrimp comes from Mexico and Ecuador. She also mentioned that their busiest seasons are spring and summer, when people crave something cold and light for a respite from the heat outside.
While the pandemic has claimed some of the marisquerías around town, it’s important to patronize those remaining. Says Playa Hermosa’s Maldonado, “When you come in, you’re supporting our families, supporting our culture, and you’re supporting a local business in Arizona, which is something that everybody should try to do, whether it’s my restaurant or another local family-owned restaurant here in the Valley. We should always support local any time we can.”
One note, if you’re planning to run away for an afternoon of seafood indulgence: Be sure to bring a friend or two. While the prices at most marisquerías aren’t exactly cheap, the portion sizes demand sharing and make it more affordable than a real beach trip.
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