Tostadas Campechanas de Mariscos (Seafood Tostadas)

By Rick A. Martínez

Published October 11, 2022

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop Stylist: Carla Gonzalez-Hart.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(82)
Comments
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At the beautifully abundant Mercado Negro in Ensenada, Baja California, the clams, mussels, oysters, shrimp and fish that are for sale each day are highly sought after by locals and chefs. Almost more common than street tacos served there are these tostadas, made in stands that sell towers of fresh, raw seafood tossed with squeezed lime juice and topped with a number of different housemade salsas.

Featured in: Rick Martínez’s Essential Mexican Recipes

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Ingredients

Yield:6 tostadas

  • ¾ cup fresh lime juice (from 5 to 6 limes)

  • ½ teaspoon finely grated lime zest

  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

  • 1 ½ pounds raw or cooked seafood (such as clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp and/or tuna) or cooked octopus, or a combination, cut into bite-size pieces, as necessary

  • ¼ large red onion, thinly sliced

  • 2 medium radishes, thinly sliced

  • 3 to 6 chiltepine chiles (see Note), finely ground (or ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne)

  • 2 medium avocados, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

  • 6 tostadas de maíz (6-inch fried or toasted corn tortillas)

  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

  • Salsa macha, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

27 grams carbs; 54 milligrams cholesterol; 283 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 694 milligrams sodium; 21 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Ten minutes before you are ready to serve, whisk together lime juice, lime zest and salt in a large bowl until salt has dissolved. Add seafood, onion, radishes and chiles, and toss to combine and evenly coat. Let sit for 5 minutes before building the tostadas.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, arrange avocado on each of the tops of the tostadas. Add cilantro to the seafood mixture and toss to combine. Use a slotted spoon to pile the seafood over the avocado. Drizzle with salsa macha and serve.

Tip

  • Chiltepines are sometimes labeled as tepín chiles in some markets.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
82 user ratings
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Comments

BlueJay

You do not cook the seafood. It's like ceviche, where the lime juice cooks it.

David

Excellent recipe. Recipe doesn’t provide any guidance, however, on cooking the seafood, though that is a critical step. For right texture octopus, I recommend sous vide (170 degrees for 4-5 hours). I quickly sautéed raw shrimp and crawfish tails and used pre-cooked baby clams purchased frozen from an Asian market.

Dori

Delicious and easy - made it with cooked shrimp and used a habanero salsa we bought in Merida on top. Next time will make the salsa macha!

Fabulous! Great textures and flavors

Loved this dish as part of my Seven Fishes dinner. The lime marinade may benefit from some sugar or honey to mellow the super acidic punch.

Ditte

Eliminated the octopus (they are animals with a lot of feelings), and did cook the other seafood.

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