The Langostas of Baja

People of the small Mexican fishing community of Puerto Nuevo still enjoy cooking lobster dishes that have been popular with tourists for years.

Once upon a time, some poor Mexican fishermen who lived on the coast of Baja California hit upon a way to make extra money. They began to take tourists fishing. The sea air, of course, made their clients hungry. And being hospitable people, what could they do but invite them home to share their food? The meal was simple--lobsters they had trapped, the beans that had been simmering on the stove, rice and homemade flour tortillas. The crude shacks where the fishermen lived were far from stylish. But the food must have been wonderful.

As the word spread, more tourists came, and the fishing faded out as the food took over. Lobster was the draw because it was good, plentiful and cheap. And it was fun to eat informally in the little houses. Today, people are still coming, not in a trickle but in substantial numbers that have made this small settlement the crustacean-eating capital of northern Baja California.

Puerto Nuevo is located 10 miles south of Rosarito Beach and about 30 miles from the border, making it an easy drive for Southern Californians. So many lobsters are consumed there that the local waters can no longer supply the demand. Some lobsters are still purchased live from individual fishermen, but most come from Ensenada, where fishermen’s cooperatives market them cooked, frozen and neatly packed in boxes.

There are other changes, too. The rustic fishermen’s shacks are long gone. Now the area is clustered with restaurants, more than 20 of them. Neon signs beckon at night. Curio shops hang on the fringes like camp followers. Mariachis prowl from one restaurant to another. And their listeners sometimes have too good a time, prompting one restaurant to post a sign warning, “Dancing and Rowdy Conduct Are Not Allowed.”

The traditional Puerto Nuevo dinner--lobster served with melted butter, pinto beans, rice, flour tortillas, limes and salsa--is still basic fare. But touristy extras like strawberry Margaritas and flaming Mexican coffee have crept in. And there are new wrinkles like lobster chimichangas and gimmicks like Sunday Champagne brunch and free wine with some of the dinners.

The lobsters still come from Baja, but restaurant owners cross the border for other ingredients. Francisco Bautista of the flashy new two-story La Casa de La Langosta (Lobster House) prefers American pinto beans, rice, tomato sauce and lard. The beans are cleaner, which saves the labor that otherwise would be required to sort them, and the tomato sauce tastes better, Bautista said. Restaurant Chela, which advertises ice cream, gets it at Thrifty and serves steak from Ralphs, Alpha Beta or whatever supermarket has the best buy.

But the old ways have not totally disappeared. Some of the restaurants still house their owners. Bautista and his family live on top of La Casa de La Langosta. Lines of laundry decorate patios and rooftops. A small store called Tonita’s sells abarrotes , the miscellaneous groceries that local people need. And a tiny church draws worshipers.

In most of the restaurants, the kitchen is open to or part of the dining room. This permits a look at Puerto Nuevo’s unique lobster cooking method. Boiling and broiling are common north of the border, but here the lobsters are deep-fried. At La Casa de La Langosta, they are cooked in equal parts oil and lard. The lard contributes flavor, Bautista said. Safflower oil is used at Ortega’s Place, the first of several restaurants established in Puerto Nuevo by Juan Ortega and family.

Surprisingly, the meat is not greasy after its bath in boiling oil. Only the shells feel slippery. The traditional way to eat the lobster is with melted butter and fiery red chile salsa. Restaurants also offer a milder salsa of chopped tomato, onion, cilantro and serrano chile. Beans and rice are served family style in bowls. And the flour tortillas are rolled out by hand and brought to the table hot from the griddle.

Restaurants range from bare-bones establishments with concrete floors and oilcloth-covered tables to handsome places fitted out with beautiful tiling, expensive hand-carved furniture and stained glass. Decorations are as homespun as a ristra of hand-crocheted red chiles, as devout as a bas-relief of the Last Supper.

Few Face Ocean

Although Puerto Nuevo is located on a cliff by the water, restaurants do not capitalize on the view. Few face the ocean. The windows of one that does, Rosa Mar, framed a panorama of laundry, trash and bare brown land.

According to Bautista, the founding father of Puerto Nuevo was Jose Plascencias, a fisherman from Lake Chapala, near Guadalajara. Plascencias persuaded some of his relatives to join him, and the family eventually established six restaurants. Bautista is married to Plascencias’ daughter, Susana. They run La Casa de La Langosta and Puerto Nuevo No. 2, which was one of the first restaurants.

Plascencias died several years ago, but Juan Ortega, another Puerto Nuevo pioneer, is still there. Like most of the first settlers, Ortega came from Lake Chapala. His son, Alberto, said that Ortega was instrumental in getting the government to expropriate the land from a private individual and award it to the fishermen. Ortega family restaurants in Puerto Nuevo include the open-air Taco Pub, one of the few places that open early enough to serve breakfast. Don’t expect bacon and eggs or huevos rancheros , though. Breakfast is the same as lunch and dinner--lobster.

Empire Has Spread

The Ortegas have spread their restaurant empire to Rosarito Beach, where Ortega’s Place has the same menu as Ortega’s Place in Puerto Nuevo. Another restaurant is scheduled to open soon.

First-time visitors to Puerto Nuevo often shop the restaurants for the best prices, a futile endeavor because there is little variation. La Casa de La Langosta charges $8 for a one-pound lobster, $9.50 for a 1-pounder, which is the most common size, and $10.50 for a 1 1/2-pound lobster, accompaniments included.

The following recipes are based on La Casa de La Langosta’s lobster dinner with an additional red chile salsa and guacamole from Ortega’s Place. The lobster menu is so well established in Puerto Nuevo that many of the restaurants do not bother with printed bills of fare. Like screen stars with fan clubs, the restaurants have their partisans. “This is the best lobster you’ll ever have. And the beans--outstanding,” said a customer leaving Puerto Nuevo No. 1.

Not everyone craves lobster, however. Restaurant employees who see and serve it all the time turn to other foods. Waiting for their workday to start, employees of Puerto Nuevo No. 2 breakfasted on beans, salsa and French fries. Down the street at La Casa de La Langosta, chef Jorge Torres fried lobster for the customers and prepared a special treat for the staff--grilled frankfurters. LOBSTER PUERTO NUEVO

4 to 6 (1- to 1 1/2-pound) lobsters, weighed without claws

2 cups lard

2 cups oil

Garlic salt

Pepper

Drawn butter

Lime halves

Frijoles

Arroz

Salsa Roja La Langosta or Salsa Roja Ortega

Salsa Fresca

Flour tortillas

Use deep skillet large enough to hold lobsters flat. Heat lard and oil in skillet to 400 degrees. Cut lobsters in half lengthwise. Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt and pepper.

Place as many lobster halves as will fit in skillet shell side down. Fry 1 minute if pre-cooked, 1 1/2 minutes if raw. Turn and fry 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer. Drain on paper towels. Continue until as many lobsters as needed are fried.

Pile on large serving platter. Accompany with bowls of drawn butter, lime halves, Frijoles, Arroz and salsas. Serve hot tortillas on side. Makes 4 to 6 servings. Frijoles (Pinto Beans)

1 1/2 cups pinto beans

1/4 cup lard

1 teaspoon salt

5 or 6 dried japones (Japanese) chiles or other dried small hot chiles

Clean and sort beans. Add water to cover generously. Bring to boil and boil until tender, about 1 hour. Heat lard in large skillet or Dutch oven. Add beans, 1/2 cup cooking liquid, salt and chiles as desired.

Mash about 1/4 cup beans. Leave remainder whole. Cook until creamy in texture but still soupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn into serving bowl. Makes 6 servings. Arroz (Rice)

1 cup long grain rice

1/4 cup oil

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon chicken stock base

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash rice thoroughly and drain well. Heat oil in Dutch oven or deep skillet. Add rice and fry until grains start to turn color. Drain off excess oil. Add onion and garlic and fry until onion starts to become tender.

Stir in tomato sauce and cook 1 minute. Add water, stock base and salt. Bring to boil, cover and boil gently until liquid is absorbed. Lower heat and steam, covered, until rice is dry and tender, 20 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings. Salsa Roja La Langosta (La Casa de La Langosta’s Red Sauce)

1/4 cup japones (Japanese) chiles or other small dried hot chiles

1 large clove garlic

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons water

Remove stems and seeds of chiles. Soak in warm water until softened. Combine chiles, garlic, tomato sauce, salt and water in blender and blend until pureed. Makes about 2/3 cup. Salsa Roja Ortega (Ortega’s Red Sauce)

1/4 cup pico de pajaro chiles or other small dried hot chiles

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons hot water

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 cloves garlic

Salt, pepper

Roast chiles in dry skillet or on griddle on top of stove. Remove stems but retain seeds. Combine chiles, tomato sauce, water, vinegar and garlic in blender container and season to taste with salt and pepper. Blend until pureed. Makes about 1 1/4 cups. Salsa Fresca (Fresh Sauce)

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 serrano chiles, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, packed

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine tomatoes, onion, chiles, cilantro and salt in bowl. Stir to blend. Let stand 1 hour before serving. Makes 3 cups. ORTEGA’S GUACAMOLE

3 avocados

1 small tomato, chopped

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

2 serrano chiles, minced

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Dash black pepper

3 large romaine leaves

2 corn tortillas, each cut into 6 wedges and fried crisp

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese or dry Mexican cheese

Peel avocados, turn into bowl and mash. Stir in tomato, onion, chiles, lime juice, salt, garlic salt and pepper. Arrange romaine leaves side by side on large round plate.

Mound guacamole onto romaine. Stand 6 tortilla wedges in guacamole. Arrange remainder around edge. Sprinkle guacamole with cheese. Makes 2 1/2 cups.