5 Latin Combination Recipes From Mexico, Puerto Rico & Other Latin American Countries

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Eating Mexican food surely tastes good. Puerto Rican cuisine is also great on its own, but what do you get when you combine Mexican and Puerto Rican cuisine? You get Latino food goodness! Throw in some southern cooking and you're sure to spice up your palate.

To help satiate your cravings for the spice of the South done Latin-style, here are some recipes you might want to try. The first three of these recipes are from chef Anthony Lamas of Latin Restaurant Seviche (shared via The Latin Kitchen).

River Oysters a la Lamas

1. In medium skillet over medium-high heat, sauté 1 oz. bacon until it gives off some fat, then add 1/ 4 spanish onion, diced. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with less than a teaspoon of Kosher salt and 1/ 4 tsp ground white pepper.
2. Remove skillet from heat and add half an ounce of Pernod. Carefully light Pernod to cook off alcohol. When flame subsides, add 1 cup of heavy cream, then return skillet to burner. Bring mixture to low boil.
3. In small bowl, mix together 1 tsp water and 1 tsp cornstarch. Add to skillet, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in grated 2 1/ 2 oz. grated Manchego cheese, 2 oz. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 1 poblano, roasted, peeled and chopped; mix thoroughly.
5. Transfer to a medium bowl, add 2 oz. spinach and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
6. A few hours before serving, clean and scrub 12 medium deep-shell oysters.
7. To do this, remove oysters and connective muscle from shells. Discard muscle and reserve oysters. Wash shells in salted water using mixture of 8 parts water and 1 part sea salt. Drain. Rinse shells to remove remaining sand.
8. Cover baking sheet with ice cream salt, thick enough to almost reach the rim of the pan. Press oyster shells into ice cream salt so they won't tip over. Place one oyster in each shell and top with 1 1/ 2 Tbsp of cream mixture, covering oyster completely. Refrigerate for an hour.
9. When ready to bake, heat convection oven to 400 and top each oyster with breadcrumbs, pressing it into the cream mixture to secure. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until oysters are golden brown and heated through.
10. Top each with pinch of grated Manchego cheese and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
11. Squeeze juice of 1 lime wedge into each glass, then stir gently. Garnish each glass with lime slice.

Pickled Georgia Shrimp with Cumin-Coriander Broth 

1. First, in a large bowl, combine 2 cups water; 1/ 4 Spanish onion, roughly chopped; *zest from 1/ 2 lemon; 1/ 2 tsp whole black peppercorns; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 jalapeño, trimmed and split; and 3 bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
2. Once mixture boils, add in 1 1/ 2 lbs. extra-large fresh Georgia shrimp, peeled and deveined. Continue boiling for about 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp becomes translucent. Remove shrimp then put in ice bath. Strain, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. For the broth, combine all of these in a blender and process until smooth: 1 cup red-wine vinegar; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1 1/ 2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted; 1 1/ 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted; 1 Tbsp kosher salt; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; and the juice of 2 lemons.
4. While the blender is still running, slowly add 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil until emulsified. Transfer mixture into a small container and refrigerate until use.
5. For the salsa, get a small bowl and toss together 2 stalks celery, diced 1/ 4 inch; 1 cucumber, peeled, sliced, seeds removed and diced 1/ 4; 1/ 4 fennel bulb, cut into julienne; 1/ 4 red onion, diced 1/ 4 inch; 1/ 4 red bell pepper, dice 1/4 inch; 1/ 4 yellow pepper, diced 1/4 inch; 1 jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed and diced 1/ 4 inch; and juice of 1 lemon. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble ceviche.
6. To assemble ceviche, add salsa to broth, then stir to combine. Evenly portion shrimp in shallow serving bowls and spoon salsa and broth over mixture top. Drizzle additional broth over top to taste. Garnish with radishes, cherry tomatoes, and fennel fronds or micro greens. Sprinkle with a little sea salt to finish.

5 Pepper Michelada 

1. In small bowl, stir together 1 Tbsp celery salt, 1 1/ 2 tsp sea salt, 1/ 4 tsp paprika, 1/ 4 tsp chile de arbol, 1/ 2 tsp chili powder, 1/ 4 tsp dried cilantro, 1/ 4 tsp dried chives and 1/ 2 tsp dried lemon rind.
2. Spread evenly over small, flat plate. Rub a lime wedge over the rims of 4 serving glasses.
3. Turn each glass upside down in chile salt mixture and twist so salt sticks to the rim. Evenly distribute lemon juice from 1 lemon, 1 tsp celery salt, and 12 oz. Chef-inspired 5 Pepper Bloody Mary mix among the 4 glasses. Add half a cup of ice to each glass and top with beer.
4. The next two recipes are Latino desserts that are easy to make.

Crème de Chocolat

This easy dessert is courtesy of Latina.

1. In a heatproof bowl, combine half a cup of MarieBelle Hot Chocolate powder and 1 cup boiling water. Stir until well melted and smooth. Steam, simmer, or microwave 20 seconds.
2. Spoon into either individual ramekins or dessert bowls, then chill for 2 hours. Top with whipped cream if desired.

Coconut Sorbet

This cool dessert comes from The Latin Kitchen.

1. Put 2 cans GOYA® Coconut Milk and 1 can Coco GOYA® Cream of Coconut in blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl; stir in 1 1/ 2 cups water and 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut. Chill until very cold.
2. Put cold coconut mixture in 2 quart ice cream maker and process, according to manufacturer's instructions. Afterwards, transfer to freezer, then freeze until firm.
3. Scoop into dessert bowls and serve. If desired, garnish with coconut flakes before serving.

Enjoy these recipes. Happy cooking!