The fiesta of seafood continues

It’s a beautiful, sunny day somewhere on the coast of Mexico. Waves ripple onto the shore; a woman walks past, balancing a basket of fish on her head. The man who caught them squats to draw in his net. A flock of gulls floats lazily along the beach.

And you are there too. At least it feels that way, as you face the huge mural that dominates one wall of El Rinconcito del Mar.

This Mexican seafood restaurant has been a fixture on East 1st Street in Los Angeles for more than 30 years. Last fall it moved from a cramped corner location into a fresh new building with graceful arches like an old mission church and painted a warm yellow.

Squares of bright-colored paper cut in traditional Mexican designs flap over the large dining room, painted soft tones of violet and gold. Corona beer ads the same size dangle from other strings.

Have a beer, in an icy glass rimmed with salt. There’s no better drink to accompany fried calamari, spicy shrimp or the whopping caldo de siete mares. This seafood soup is so big that a guy passing my table bet me $20 I couldn’t finish it. When he left, I was still at work, and after an hour I gave up, with a few scraps and one mussel to go. It’s a heap of fish, squid, octopus, clams, mussels and crab legs in light-orange broth, topped off with shredded lettuce and cilantro.

The seafood cocktail called campechana is just as spectacular, although more reasonable in size. A shell-shaped bowl holds squid, shrimp, octopus and imitation crab; oysters and big slices of avocado perch on top. What stands out is the freshness of the seafood, which is lightly seasoned rather than drowned in heavy red cocktail sauce.

Calamar frito (fried calamari) is nothing like the usual batter-coated squid rings. Only a wisp of flour dusts these small pieces of squid. The sauce on the side is like tartar sauce, but sneakily spiked with hot chiles.

The one dish I couldn’t handle was camarones enchipotlados -- “cooked in a very ‘HOT’ sauce,” the menu warns. This was the hottest food I’d tasted since a curry in Thailand practically burned my esophagus. Better to order the camarones rancheros picositos in a mild tomato sauce that enhances the natural juiciness of the shrimp.

The camarones borrachos (drunken shrimp) are quite sober, merely coated with a puffy batter lightened with beer. One day, a plate of lobster and shrimp al mojo de ajo (with garlic sauce) was on special for such a low price ($9.95) it was impossible not to order it. Instead of coating the seafood, the sauce came in a crock on the side. Along with melted butter and crushed garlic, the crock contained meaty mushroom slices, a nice, unusual addition.

Lobster with shrimp in pipian sauce cost more than twice as much. The sweet, tender lobster, served in its shell, goes well with this spicy, nutty ground pumpkin seed sauce; unfortunately, one of the shrimp had an unpleasant taste of iodine.

Lunch or dinner starts with tortilla chips and a good, mellow red salsa. A bowl of lime wedges and another of pickled carrots with jalapenos and onions are also supplied. Be sure to try the fresh, sweet pickles.

Big surf and turf plates combine lobster with carne asada or chicken with shrimp mojo de ajo. A whole huachinango (red snapper) is so large it fairly swims off the plate. Not very hungry? Order the seafood enchiladas (enchiladas de mariscos), filled with clams, octopus and small shrimp, which stand up well to a spicy red chile sauce. The accompaniments are refried beans, rice and guacamole.

The long menu offers a variety of seafood cocktails and soups, appetizers such as ceviche tostadas, fish tacos, steamed clams, oysters baked with chipotle chiles and cheese, and many other dishes. Those who can’t eat seafood can order carne asada, chicken in pipian, a broiled chicken salad, chiles rellenos or cheese enchiladas.

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El Rinconcito del Mar

Location: 2908 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, (323) 269-8723.

Price: Appetizers, $2.95 to $10.95; seafood cocktails, $7.95 to $8.95; seafood soups, $6.95 to $10.95; entrees, $5.95 to $26.95.

Best dishes: Caldo de siete mares, calamar frito, campechana, camarones rancheros picositos, langosta y camarones al mojo de ajo or en pipian.

Details: Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Wine and beer. Parking lot in back. All major credit cards.