Tatemadas de Loreto Chocolate Clams

Tatemadas de Loreto Chocolate Clams

Experience the unique flavors of Baja California Sur with Tatemadas de Loreto. This ancient cooking technique involves roasting chocolate clams under hot beach gravel heated by a blazing fire of local dry branches. Perfect as a main course or an appetizer, this dish captures the essence of coastal Mexican cuisine.

Ingredients

🦪 Several dozen chocolate clams Almejas Chocolatas
🏖️ 1-2 cubic feet of beach gravel small stones
🔥 Sufficient chamisos de romerillo local rosemary-like dry branches for a robust fire
🍋 Fresh limes as desired for serving
🌿 Fresh cilantro as desired for garnish
🍅 Salsa Pico de gallo with chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chili, lime juice
🧀 Melting cheese type not specified but used in a variation

Instructions

1- Collect Clams:

• Begin your culinary adventure by collecting fresh chocolate clams from the ocean bed at dawn using snorkeling gear.

2- Transport Clams:

• Store the collected clams in a cooler filled with seawater to maintain freshness during transport to your beach cooking site.

3- Prepare Cooking Site:

• On a flat sandy area of the beach, spread an even layer of beach gravel to create a cooking bed.

4- Arrange and Cover Clams:

• Lay the chocolate clams in rows over the gravel bed.
• Completely cover the clams with an additional layer of gravel.

5- Build the Fire:

• Cover the gravel with a generous heap of "chamisos de romerillo" branches and ignite to create a strong fire. Let it burn and heat the gravel for approximately 40 minutes.

6- Tatemado Process:

• Allow the fire to burn down until only hot embers and ashes remain, ensuring the clams cook through the trapped heat beneath the gravel.

7- Extract Clams:

• Use a rake to carefully brush aside embers, then retrieve the cooked clams with long-handled tongs. Place them in a metal tray for serving.

8- Serve:

• Clean the clams lightly to remove residual ash, and present them open in their shells. Garnish with fresh lime wedges and cilantro.
• Optionally, top with a homemade salsa or add melting cheese and return briefly to heat for a delicious variation.

Prep Time: Varies based on collection
Cook Time: About 40 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour 5 minutes (prep included)
Servings: Varies based on quantity gathered
Equipment: Snorkel, Cooler/Insulated container, Rake, Long-handled metal tongs, Metal tray/container, Lighter/matches

Cooking Tips

• Tatemado Method: This method uniquely infuses smoky, earthy flavors into the clams, enhancing their natural taste.
• Local Materials: Utilize the specific sand/gravel and dry brush local to the Loreto region for an authentic experience.
• Snorkel Collection: Embrace the artisanal tradition of hand-collecting these clams from their natural habitat.

Hashtags

#mexicancuisine #seafood #tatemado #bajacalifornia #beachcooking #traditionalcooking #smokyflavor

#mrcarlosluna5404

Tatemadas de Loreto Chocolate Clams