Local 777, located in Pedregal, may be miles from the ocean, but its kitchen boasts some of the freshest seafood imaginable. Chef Erick García, along with his guest chefs Regina Logar and Manuel Victoria, transforms these ingredients into spectacular dishes that are a true celebration, one we highly recommend.
So, prepare your palate and reserve a table at Local 777 any day between January 22nd and February 1st for the Shellfish Festival.
In short, the Shellfish Festival is an initiative of Local 777, COMEPESCA, and #PescaConFuturo. This gastronomic experience features a special menu available only until February 1st.
The menu includes a tasting of six mollusks, particularly Pai Pai, Chingón, and Sol Azul oysters, distributed by El Sargazo, whose mission includes selling food from sustainable sources. You’ll also be able to try abalone, chocolate clams, Pismo clams, and mussels.
The tasting includes a pairing with VALTA craft beer, produced in Mexico. Our favorite was the dark Schwarzbier, which feels light on the palate, unlike the heavy, thick sensation of other craft beers of this type.
Chefs Erick García, Regina Logar (of La Cevichería), and Manuel Victoria (of Ajoblanco) are in charge of preparing two of the dishes that will arrive at the table. We’ll describe them below:
- Fresh Oyster
The tasting begins with a fresh oyster prepared by Regina Logar. This oyster features a macha sauce with agave honey and smoked apple. The chef also explained that the macha sauce emulsion has a touch of soy sauce, and the preparation includes a caramelized sunflower seed and a hint of lemongrass oil. We tried the Chingón oyster variety, which has a firm texture, is quite meaty, and the combination with the salsa made it one of our favorites.
- Blue Sun Oyster
Next, Chef Manuel Victoria served a Blue Sun oyster with a Bloody Mary granita. The inspiration is clearly the classic cocktail made with tomato, lime, a touch of Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. The oyster is served with a piece of celery and cucumber, and the edges of the shell are coated with dried chili. This time of year is one of the freshest, and that’s probably the inspiration, but the pairing with Pilsner Clara definitely took us back to a perfect hangover cure.
- Pismo Clam Ceviche
This creation by chef Erick García, in his own words, is reminiscent of aguachile. For its preparation, the clam pieces are bathed in a fish cream made with pineapple, onion, celery, and garlic, which is marinated with a little lime juice overnight.
The dish is finished with chunks of fresh pineapple, chiltepin peppers, a drizzle of oil, and cilantro sprouts. The chef also reflects that it’s one of those dishes where less is more, and there’s no doubt about it, as the cream is sumptuous and rich, yet doesn’t overpower the flavor of the clam.
- Grilled Chocolate Clam
Prepared by Regina Logar, this grilled queen clam is accompanied by an emulsion of bacon and various cheeses such as Roquefort, Brie, and Parmesan. It is also served au gratin with Parmesan. Finally, it’s topped with a mixture of morita chile oil, green oil, beet sprouts, and a brioche bun sprinkled with guajillo chile powder.
The dish comes with a slice of bread, and Regina explained that the idea is to serve the entire clam on the bread, especially the emulsion, and eat it like a tapa.
- Abalone
From Chef Manuel Victoria, the abalone is served in an emulsion of butter, soy sauce, and chipotle. As you can see in the photo, it features an onion foam made with mineral water. Like the previous dish, it is also served with toasted bread. In the chef’s words, it’s a chipotle abalone version, and it was definitely one of our favorites too, but hey, we can’t help being subjective when we’re fans of chipotle and, essentially, any mollusk with butter.
- Mussel Cream Soup
To finish the tasting, Chef Erick García serves a mussel cream soup (mussels are one of the names for choros in Ensenada) with red algae, which, according to the chef, is a very unusual ingredient that isn’t always used. The soup is served with French fries, perfect for dipping. It’s an exceptional ending to this experience.
Dining at the Shellfish Festival at Local 777 feels like being closer to the sea; the flavors are unbeatable, and there’s no doubt it’s the perfect opportunity to try the best shellfish the Pacific has to offer.
Cost of the Shellfish Festival: $980.00 MXN
Source: revistacentral
