Yucateca style Fish in Grilled in Banana Leaves
Pescado Tikin Xic

This very old Mayan recipe wraps seasoned fish filet with banana leaves to cook over a charcoal fire. We like to also wrap these fish packets in aluminum foil to make them easier to cook and to seal in all the juices until ready to serve. Definitely try these in the backyard or at the Beach!

2-3 tablespoons Secretos Mayas Smoked Habanero Chili Salsa (MILD or HOT)
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons achiote paste
3 Tomatoes, sliced
1 Red Onion, sliced
3 tablespoons Melted Butter or Oil
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3-4 pounds Fish Filet
6 sections Banana Leaves (each about 1 foot by 1 foot)
6 sections Aluminum Foil (same size as Banana Leaves)

Directions: Dissolve Achiote Paste in Lime Juice, add Salsa. Gently marinate fish in this mixture for 10 to 20 minutes.
Lay down a piece of foil, then a Banana Leaf, then a portion of fish. Wrap the fish with the Banana Leaf and the foil. The idea is to first cover the fish with the Banana Leaf, then the Foil. Make sure the fish packets are not too tight and that they are sealed very well.

You grill these over charcoal, over a gas grill or even in a very hot oven. They are done when they puff up and you can smell the fish.
When ready to serve, remove all the foil, lay each packet on a plate, and carefully unwrap the fish, leaving the steamy fragrant Banana Leaf under the fish to keep it warm and moist. Besides, it looks and smells great!

Cajun Shrimp Herradura Anejo

Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons Secretos Mayas Smoked Habanero Chili Salsa (MILD or HOT)
4 fluid ounces of Herradura Anejo or any other good aged agave tequila
Juice of 2 large limes
Small bunch of cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Zest from two oranges or tangerines
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3 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 Onion, cut into chunks
6 Garlic cloves, peeled
1 Orange, sectioned

Directions:
Marinate the shrimp with the first six ingredients for a few hours. Skewer the shrimp with onions, garlic and oranges. Barbeque on hot grill until shrimps turn pink and curl slightly.
Be sure to serve with more Secretos Mayas Smoked Habanero Salsa!
Serves 6

Caribbean Grouper Salad
with Mango, Avocado and Chaya Spinach

Ingredients:
mix together seasoning rub
2-3 tablespoons Secretos Mayas Smoked Habanero Chili Salsa (MILD or HOT)
3 tablespoons Garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Onion, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Mexican Oregano or Thyme
Juice and zest from 4 limes
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3 pounds Grouper (we call it Mero down here), skin on
3 Mangos, cut into strips
3 Avocados, cut into strips
2 tablespoons Cilantro, minced
1/2 pound cleaned Chaya (you can substitute Spinach)
1/2 cup Olive Oil
Juice from 2 Oranges

Directions:
Marinate the Grouper with the spices for 30 minutes.
Grill over hot charcoal (or saute in a frying pan) until nicely seared (don't overcook!). Mix the Olive Oil and Orange Juice with the Chaya, top with chunks of fish, mangos and avocado. Garnish with cilantro.
Be sure to serve with more Secretos Mayas Smoked Habanero Salsa!

Grilled Shrimp Cocktail Mazatlan-Style

Mexican seafood cocktails and ceviches are a lot spicer than one traditionally served in America. Sometimes the shrimp is grilled.
Ingredients:
The Shrimp: 4 to 5 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons ground guajillo chile or substitute chile de arbol chile powder 1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh preferred 1 pound medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined The Cocktail: 1 small cucumber, diced 1 small tomato, diced 1 small avocado, cubed 2 tablespoons chopped red onion 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro The Sauce: 2 tomatoes, peeled and deseeded 1/4 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 serrano chiles, seeds and stems removed, quartered, or substitute jalapeños 1 tablespoon chopped red onion 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper To prepare the shrimp, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the garlic, chile, and lime juice. Simmer the mixture for a couple of minutes. Thread the shrimp on skewers. Baste the shrimp with the chile butter and grill over a medium heat, basting continually with the sauce, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the shrimp turns pink and opaque. To make the cocktail, combine all the ingredients, except the shrimp and cilantro, in a bowl and gently mix. Divide the mixture into 4 large cups or glasses, such as parfait glasses. Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour over the cocktail mixture, arrange the shrimp around the rim of the glasses, garnish with the chopped cilantro, and serve. Yield: 4 servings Heat Scale: Medium

Cured and Pecan-Smoked King Salmon with Hot Sauce

The key to preparing salmon this way is to make certain that your smoke is rather cool, about 100 degrees. If it is warmer, decrease the smoking time. This recipe takes a fair amount of time, but most of that is spent waiting rather than working. The selection of sauces served is up to the cook, so feel free to experiment. A horseradish sauce will work also. The salmon can also be served on bagels, as pictured here. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation. The Cure: 2.5 cups kosher salt 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground oregano 1 teaspoon crushed dill weed The Salmon: 2 large salmon fillets, about 2 to 5 pounds each, or 5 small but thicker fillets The Sauces: Commercial habanero hot sauce Commercial sherry pepper hot sauce Commercial spicy mustard Commercial creamy horseradish sauce Combine the ingredients for the cure in a bowl and mix well. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on an aluminum baking pan and spread about a 1/8-inch thick layer of the cure blend and place the fillets on the plastic wrap. Top the fillets with 1/8-inch of cure. Cover the fillets with plastic wrap and cure in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours; a 4-hour cure is preferable. Remove the fillets from the wrap and rinse the cure off each fillet. Allow the fillets to air dry for about 2 hours. Prepare a fire in the smoker’s firebox with pecan wood or other fruit or nut hardwood of choice, such as apple, apricot, peach, or walnut. When the fire stabilizes and the smoke is no longer hot, place the fillets skin-side down on racks or on the aluminum baking pan. Smoke the fillets for 4 to 5 hours, depending on their thickness. Regularly check the fire and fillets to make sure that the fish is smoking, not rapidly cooking. Serve the salmon over crackers of choice topped with any of the three sauces as an appetizer. Refrigerate any leftovers, which will keep for weeks. Yield: 10 or more servings Heat Scale: Varies according to sauces added

Jamaican Style Jerk Marinade
for Seafood, Meat, Chicken or Vegetables

Mix all Ingredients:
3-4 tablespoons Secretos Mayas Smoked Habanero Chili Salsa (MILD or HOT)
2 tablespoon minced Scallion or Onion
1 teaspoon Allspice, fresh grated or dry
1 teaspoon Ginger, fresh grated or dry
1/2 cup Orange Juice

Directions:
Marinate 4 pounds of Seafood, Meat, Chicken or Vegetables for 30 minutes before you charcoal grill (or bake in oven). Brush on more marinate during cooking.
Be sure to serve with more Secretos Mayas Smoked Habanero Salsa!

NOTE: The main ingredient in classic Jamaican Jerk Seasoning is Scotch bonnet chile pepper, a variety of the habanero, so named for the shape of the pepper which resembles a Scotch tam or hat. This pepper ranges in color from green to yellow to red, often mixed depending on the ripeness of the pepper. The purpose of the chile pepper was not only to spice up normally bland foods, but also to preserve foods when refrigeration was not easy to come by and to aid in digestion.

Spicy Caribbean Orange Glazed Chicken

This chicken recipe is equally delicious cooked on the outdoor barbecue grill or in the kitchen oven.

Glaze: 2 tablespoons Secretos Mayas Smoked Habanero Chili Salsa (MILD or HOT)
2 tablespoons Orange Marmalade
2 tablespoons Melted Butter or Oil

1 Chicken, cut up

Directions: Grill chicken slowly over coals until fork tender OR bake uncovered in oven. Mix together glaze and brush on chicken. Continue to cook a few minutes more until nicely crisp. You always want to cook the chicken by itself (or with a marinate) before adding a glaze. This allows the chicken to cook without the glaze burning.

NOTE: Scotch Bonnet The first main ingredient of jerk seasoning is Scotch bonnet chile pepper, a variety of the habanero, so named for the shape of the pepper which resembles a Scotch tam or hat. This pepper ranges in color from green to yellow to red, often mixed depending on the ripeness of the pepper. The purpose of the chile pepper was not only to spice up normally bland foods, but also to preserve foods when refrigeration was not easy to come by and to aid in digestion.