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fish snack


stuphel

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I was talking to a young woman yesterday, here in Canada, and she mentioned those trays of little fish that are served as snacks on the Chapala malecon. Could anyone tell me the name of the dish, and does anyone have any idea how she might duplicate or imitate the cooking technique? Her father, who loved them when they were in Chapala, would love to make a similar dish using, perhaps, smelt?

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Deep fry them whole after drying in the sun for random amounts of time, leaving whatever else came up in the net, dust with chile powder, enjoy with lots of cervezas.

Charales are a specialty of Chapala and its nearby lake of the same name. They are small fish, an inch or two long, which are dried, then fried, then eaten whole. They are a little salty, a little fishy, fairly crunchy, and in general, a little boring. I would have enjoyed them more with a little dipping sauce on the side. But the sight of a pile of little fried fish heaped on a plate, each with its big eye looking up at you, was definitely memorable.

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No responsible Mexican eats or serves his family fish from the Lake.

Now, where did you hear that eating fish from this lake causes cancer? Granted, it's seen varying degrees of pollution, but I guess you might have missed two sights: one, on the south side of the lake: thousands and thousands of charales drying on the side of the highway. Like they used to do on this side of the lake. And two, all kinds of Mexican tourists lining up on the weekends for charales, along the malecon, in Chapala. There are at least a half-dozen vendors selling these fried fingerlings, which I agree are pretty yucky, even with the hot sauce provided.

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So all those who like to eat polluted fish out of Lake Chapala, continue to do so because you don't value your health. It's your body.

There are many responsible Mexicans who don't eat fish caught in polluted Lake Chapala, but go to either of the fish stores in Ajijic.

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So all those who like to eat polluted fish out of Lake Chapala, continue to do so because you don't value your health. It's your body.

There are many responsible Mexicans who don't eat fish caught in polluted Lake Chapala, but go to either of the fish stores in Ajijic.

Not crazy about the fish stores in Ajijic either, the refreeze what they don`t sell during the day = bad.

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I have tried charales several times in every way that they can be presented. It is absolutely an acquired taste. One which I have not acquired, even though I gave it my best shot. Much fresh lime juice and lots of tequila or cerveza are mandatory. Signing off now as I have to go to the hospital as I now have cancer, according to King John.Terry

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So all those who like to eat polluted fish out of Lake Chapala, continue to do so because you don't value your health. It's your body.

There are many responsible Mexicans who don't eat fish caught in polluted Lake Chapala, but go to either of the fish stores in Ajijic.

Mom??? Is that you???

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