I just took a vacation where the food was so uninspired and mediocre I wanted to weep each day over my plate. It was one of those "family obligation" vacations. You know the kind. Where a family member insists everyone spend their hard-earned vacation time and money at a destination where she/he wants to go. This family member insists you'll all love it, but you don't. You can't really complain out loud, because your beloved family member is so pleased that everyone is together in seeming harmony at their very special holiday spot, that you choke back your snarky comments. So while you sit miserably and snicker with your partner over the faults of the locale, the family member who convinced everyone to go is having the time of her life. Thankfully my very special persuasive family member doesn't read my BAB posts, so I can fully vent here.

Now although I had never actually set foot on a cruise ship before December 26 of this year -- yes, that's the very special holiday location -- I always knew I never wanted to take a cruise. My information on this type of vacation was limited, mainly culled from Love Boat episodes and those awful Carnival Cruise Line commercials where everyone is partying down. But I am not a party-down-on-a-cruise-ship type of person. When I go on vacation, I like to explore places I've never visited or return to locations I love: ambling into small family restaurants and town squares, sitting on park benches while I watch locals meander by, romping with my kids, and investigating trails and roads previously unknown. I enjoy strolling through museums, watching local theater, wandering around national parks, and chatting with people I normally wouldn't meet. I also like to sometimes just quietly read my book.

So, let's just say that my vacation wasn't quite what I would have planned had I been persuasive enough to convince my family where to vacation this holiday season. I will discuss the food on my own private Love Boat in another post -- as I just can't muster up the energy to rehash it now -- but this week I want to talk about something amazing I ate while away. It's the beginning of a new year, and I have warm and fuzzy thoughts of being less negative (we'll see if I can carry this through to February), so I want to start off with a post about something delicious. Luckily, in the midst of all that cruise ship hubbub, we found one truly amazing meal, and of course it was on land.

After three days at sea, our enormous polluting ship sailed into beautiful Puerto Vallarta. While the rest of our group took off to the jungle to zip line for a couple of hours, my family and I taxied downtown to meet fellow Babber Kim Laidlaw (who just happened to be staying an hour away) and her husband Keith (looking very tall and Scottish in the Mexican sun). Now although I usually research restaurants before I leave for vacation, I must admit that I failed to do so this time around. Maybe it was because our time in each port was limited to a few hours, or maybe it was due to my resentment at having to go on a cruise. Whatever the case, I was remiss. Luckily Kim is a much better woman than I. Before taking a taxi to meet us, she had researched the perfect place to eat fish tacos while visiting the beautiful Night of the Iguana location city of Puerto Vallarta. So while the other tourists made their way to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company (there really is one of those in every seaside tourist town) our group meandered about 8 blocks away from the crowded boardwalk and into the city where we found a small aluminum taco cart called Marisma Fish Taco (yes, I realize "Marisma Fish Tacos" sounds more catchy, but the sign left off that last "s").

Marisma is the type of eating establishment I dream of finding while on vacation. With locals crowding the few stools available to taste the pleasures of its fried fish, smoked marlin and shrimp tacos, it's the real deal. Marisma, from what I understand with my limited Spanish, is the lovely woman who runs it all and I am witness to the fact that she and the other women who work there are masters at making Baja-style tacos. While orders are being taken and patrons eat at the counter or at the few tables set up on the neighboring sidewalk, one lovely young woman continually pulls handfuls of masa from a small mountain of the stuff and grills freshly-made tortillas while another woman, who I think is Marisma, cooks and runs the show behind her. And here they are...

There are salsas set up on the counter, red and green with just the right amount of spice, but the real show stopper is the chile and onion compote set in large glass goblets. This mixture -- picante, tangy, and sweet all at the same time -- is the perfect accompaniment to the fish taco, or really anything for that matter. I wish I had some to slather on my chicken at home.

Once you taste those tacos you know why, in a city full of food, people stand in line for their lunch here. I started with the smoked marlin taco, which is served in a gorgeous red sauce that wakes up the tongue and makes it dance. I then went on to the house specialty: fish tacos. These are, in essence, perfect. Dorado covered in the simplest of batters, fried until golden, crisp and beautiful and then set inside a tortilla fresh off the grill with a topping of crema and cabbage. After days of heavily sauced mediocrity on board the ship, my taste buds sighed in relief. I devoured the first taco in a few seconds, so then had to order another one, pacing myself so I could slowly enjoy the flavors.  While listening to a man strum on the guitar nearby, I marveled at how such simple ingredients could coalesce to create the perfect taste.

I chatted with the nice man beside me. He had grown up in Puerto Vallarta and ate at Marisma a few times a week.  At 13 pesos a taco (about one U.S. dollar) it was a bargain for both tourists and locals alike. Kim and Keith treated my family to our feast, which came out to about $20 for the six of us, which included sodas. Thanks, Laidlaws!

After returning to our ship that evening, my family and I talked glowingly of our lunch that day. While tuxedoed waiters flitted about us, serving us a very forgettable meal on china plates, our thoughts were with those fish tacos. Yo sueño con Marisma Fish Taco

Marisma Fish Taco
320 Calle Naranjo
Puerto Vallarta
Mexico.

Growing up in San Diego really fed my love for Baja Mexican food. In addition to the extraordinary taco shops up and down Highway 1 –- Juanitas, Robertos, Albertos –- Mexican food was an integral part of daily life in the area. Many people had mothers and grandmothers who made superb homemade tamales (especially at Christmas), others had fathers or brothers who would fish (yes, they were pretty much always the men in the family) and then bring home their catch for homemade fish tacos. In my family, the fish was caught by my brother-in-law Joe. I always loved when he would come home and toss the freshly caught rock cod or halibut on the grill while we all rounded up some tortillas and salsa.

Even better than the fish catch, however, was the lobster he would bring home from his diving stints during the short lobster season. Sitting out on the back patio with a plateful of just-caught and grilled to perfection lobster, drinking a cold cerveza and hanging out with my family is my idea of heaven. So last week, once the sun had broken through the June gloom, school was out, and summer was all around us, I just couldn't pass up the lobster tails I saw on sale for $7.99 each. Sure, they weren't caught that morning by Joe, but I figured they would make great tacos nonetheless. Plus west coast lobster is considered a "best choice" on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch list, so I knew we could eat it guilt free.

As I had three ripe mangos sitting on my counter with three ripe avocados by their sides, I decided to veer from the normal salsa fresca we usually serve with our tacos. The mango and avocado salsa I whipped up went nicely with the lobster. Tossed with lime juice and diced jalapeno peppers, the salsa was sweet and slightly tangy with the perfect amount of heat. I decided to then top everything off with a blended sauce made from sour cream and avocado, which melded all the flavors together perfectly.

Sitting on our back patio, I knew summer had really arrived. The only thing missing was my family in San Diego. Guess I'll have to make this again when we visit them in August.

Note: This dish could easily be made with shrimp. And, of course, grilled fish is not only an acceptable alternative, but a fantastic one.

Grilled Lobster Tacos

Makes: 6 – 8 tacos

Ingredients:
2 medium-sized lobster tails
3 limes
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 – 8 corn tortillas

Preparation:
1. Drizzle juice from two limes plus the olive oil over lobster tails, coating them evenly. Let marinate for 15-20 minutes.
2. Heat grill.
3. On maximum heat, lay lobsters with the heavier part of the shell on the bottom and grill for 5-7 minutes or until the meat becomes pinkish and opaque.
4. Remove lobsters from the grill and set on a plate to cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Cut through a line down the thinner side of the shell and gently pull the meat from the shell. Set meat on a separate plate. Do the same for the other lobster.
6. Cut meat into ½-inch chunks and squeeze the last lime the lobster chunks. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Heat corn tortillas on the grill (about 30 seconds on each side).
8. Lay about ¼-cup lobster meat on each tortilla. Top with Mango Avocado Salsa and Avocado Crema. Serve.

Mango Avocado Salsa

Makes: 3 cups salsa

Ingredients:
3 small or 2 medium mangos
2 medium or 3 small avocados
½ to 1 whole jalapeno (depending on how hot you'd like the salsa). Remove stems, membranes and seeds.
2 limes
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Remove meat from mangos and avocados and cut into ¼-inch chunks. Place in a bowl.
2. Dice jalapenos into small pieces and add to the fruit.
3. Squeeze lime juice on top.
4. Add salt to taste.
5. Serve on top of tacos or with corn chips.

Avocado Crema

Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients:
1/2 an avocado
1/2 cup sour cream
salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Place avocado and sour cream in a small chopper or blender and mix until thoroughly combined and smooth.
2. Add salt to taste
3. Add as a topping to lobster or fish tacos.