Caldo Michi de Yuriria

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch clay cazuela or heavy 5-quart pot
• •Cast iron comal for toasting chiles and roasting tomatoes
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Deep clay bowls for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the fish

   Rub the catfish with the coarse salt and lime juice. Let it sit 10 minutes, then rinse lightly and pat dry. Bagre from the lake has character. Salt and lime clean the surface without stripping the fish of its flavor. Do not soak it until it tastes like nothing.

2. 2

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the guajillo and pasilla separately, about 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until the skins darken slightly and smell deep. Do not blacken them. Burned chile turns the broth bitter, and then you will blame the fish when the cook was the problem.

   Guajillo gives the caldo its clean red color. Pasilla gives a darker lake-bottom note. This is not a hot soup. It is a broth with chile, acid, vegetables, and fish. Not all Mexican food is built to burn your mouth.
3. 3

   Soak and blend

   Place the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water for 15 minutes. Drain them and blend with the roasted tomatoes, chopped half of the onion, 2 garlic cloves, xoconostle, chilcuague, and 1 cup of the fish stock. Blend until smooth, then strain. The strainer matters. Catfish broth should be clean, not sandy with chile skin.

4. 4

   Fry the recaudo

   Melt the manteca de cerdo in a clay cazuela or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the strained chile and tomato mixture. It will sputter. Stir for 6 to 8 minutes, until the red deepens, the raw tomato smell disappears, and the fat begins to shine at the edges. La manteca es el sabor. Use oil if you must, but know what you are giving up.

5. 5

   Build the broth

   Add the remaining fish stock, sliced onion, remaining 2 garlic cloves, bay leaf, oregano, epazote, cilantro sprig, carrots, chayote, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 15 minutes, until the chayote begins to turn translucent at the edges and the carrots are almost tender.

6. 6

   Add the vegetables

   Add the green beans and calabacitas. Simmer 6 to 8 minutes more. The vegetables should hold their shape. Yuriria caldo michi is generous, but it is not a pot of collapsed vegetables. The broth carries them, it does not bury them.

7. 7

   Poach the catfish

   Lower the catfish pieces into the simmering broth in a single layer. Reduce the heat so the surface barely moves. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness, until the fish flakes when pressed with a spoon but still holds together. A hard boil breaks the fish and clouds the caldo. No me vengas con atajos.

8. 8

   Taste and serve

   Remove the bay leaf, epazote stems, and cilantro sprig. Taste for salt and xoconostle acidity. Ladle the broth into deep clay bowls with one piece of fish and plenty of vegetables in each serving. Add cooked cacahuazintle if you want a heavier dinner bowl. Finish with chopped cilantro and lime halves at the table. Serve with warm corn tortillas. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy the catfish from a fishmonger who can tell you when it came in. The flesh should smell clean and mineral, not muddy or sour. If fresh bagre is poor, use carp or tilapia as a compromise, but do not pretend it is the same Yuriria bowl.
• •Chilcuague is powerful. In the markets of Guanajuato and Querétaro, the vendors will tell you to use a light hand, and they are right. It should make the broth feel alive, not numb the table into silence.
• •Xoconostle is not a decorative fruit. It gives the Bajío its dry, sharp acidity. If you cannot find it, use a small spoonful of good tomatillo puree and extra lime at the table. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •Do not boil the fish. The women who perfected this soup know the difference between simmering and bullying the pot. Lazy bubbles. That is all.

Advance Preparation

• •The chile, tomato, xoconostle, and chilcuague recaudo can be blended and strained one day ahead. Fry it in manteca just before building the broth.
• •The vegetables can be cut up to 6 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Add the calabacitas last so they do not collapse.
• •Do not cook the catfish ahead. Fish belongs in the broth at the end, 8 to 10 minutes before serving. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 635g)