During this time of year it’s sometimes hard to eat as light as we like. For a break from holiday feasting, rich treats and cocktail parties, consider a lighter Mexican seafood meal at La Fisheria downtown and taste a few of their newly added menu items.
La Fisheria, which was originally on Inker Street just off Shepherd, moved last year to a bigger space downtown. When the restaurant originally opened in 2012, the kitchen was under the direction of celebrity chef/Latin American TV personality Aquiles Chavez. After he returned home to Mexico, La Fisheria managing partner Mirna Riveroll brought in family friend Vidal Elias Murillo from Tabasco to head the kitchen at the new downtown location. (Ginger & Fork, a Chinese restaurant, is now in the Inker location.)
Murillo has his own restaurant, Tavola, in Comalcalco, Tabasco, and experience as a chef, sommelier and maitre’d at restaurants in Merida, Mexico City, Madrid and Monaco. “I want La Fisheria to be a culinary destination where Houstonians discover authentic Mexican food, and Mexicans find nostalgic flavors from home,” explained Murillo in a recent press release. “Every component – from the sauces and mole to the bread and tortillas – is made from scratch.”
Food photos by Becca Wright
At a recent media tasting, Murillo introduced a few of his new dishes, beginning with a fishless ceviche. Murillo subbed mushrooms for raw fish ($15, photo above), marinated and flavored with lime, serrano pepper, cilantro juice, red radish, cucumber and red onions. Of course you can order the traditional version with fish and bay scallops, but you really won’t miss them. The meatiness of the mushrooms provided the appropriate texture, and the fungi absorbed the acidic flavor, just as fish does. If you’re vowing to start meatless Mondays in the new year, make note of this dish.
Next up was Murillo’s house-made sope ($20, photo above) topped with refried beans, shrimp and potatoes al ajillo (garlicky shrimp and potatoes), avocado, red radish and fried leeks. It was one of the heavier dishes of the tasting, but only because of the inherent heartiness of potatoes and beans. Murillo has a light touch overall.
We sampled three of the fish entrees – red snapper with a tomato, olive and guero pepper sauce ($26), ancho pepper-glazed salmon ($23, photo above) served over corn puree and vegetables and, lastly, a whole pan-seared pompano served with a buttery lime sauce ($22). Our vote for best of show was the ancho-glazed salmon. A forkful of the sweet puree with a bit of the smokey salmon was a simple yet elegant bite.
Come dessert time, there are two must-trys. The pastel de chocolate amargo ($8, flourless chocolate cake, photo above) is just plain sinful. The word “cake” is deceiving – this luxurious dessert is more like a marriage of fudge and cake batter. You don’t need a lot of it to be satisfied, so share with your table mate.
For something more whimsical, try the boli de temporada ($3), or frozen popsicle served inside a small plastic bag and made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Murillo, who demonstrated how to rip off the corner of the bag with his teeth, explained that these are a traditional treat sold by vendors outside Mexican schools. The flavor when we visited was orange blossom and vanilla. Whichever sweet you choose, enjoy it with a cup of café de olla.
La Fisheria, 213 Milam between Congress & Franklin, 713-802-1712, lafisheria.us