One of the great pleasures of travel and exploration is food. Whether it’s a trip across town or across the globe, what people eat can tell you a lot about an area and it’s people. We recently traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for a week-long vacation under the sun. From the bustling scene of downtown cabo, to the rustic artist enclave of Todos Santos and the rolling shoreline of the east cape, the Southern Baja Peninsula is steeped in culture, in history, and boundless flavor. With at least six distinct regions spanning Mexico, we've only explored a tiny slice of all that Mexico as to offer.
Northern Mexico's cuisine is a diverse blend of cooking styles from Spain, Italy and France. "El Norte" is also home to Mexico's finest vineyards and premium tequila, all of which play starring roles in virtually every dish you'll enjoy.
After arriving home, the craving began to capture and recreate that flavor of Mexico at home. We added our own twist with some Salinity finishing salts, local cervezas and Oaxacan-sourced Mezcal to kick off our ultimate Mexican dinner night!
1. Mole -Mole (MO-lay) is a type of sauce that comes in red or black and typically contains chilis, chocolate, tomatillos, peanuts and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and anise seed. This thick spicy sauce can be served over meat like beef or chicken right before serving. A great way to enjoy mole is poured over masa (corn dough), stuffed inside corn husk and steamed until tender.
2. Adobo - The term adobo is most likely a derivative of the Spanish word for marinate, adobar, but its uses extend far beyond a simple marinade. In cooking, the term adobo refers to a dry rub or mixture of herbs and spices that may be combined with additional ingredients such as vinegar for cooking meats. Adobo is common in Tijuana, Ensenada and San Felipe, baja’s most Northern cooking regions.
Pairs great with Salinity's Chipotle or !Fire! Finishing Salt
3. Dulce de leche - The rich cooking tradition of Northern Mexico is no more evident than with dulce de leche (DOOL-say day LAY-chay). This sweet cooking staple of the Mexican cooking scene is made by cooking milk and sugar over low heat for several hours until it turns into a thick syrup that can be spread on bread or some other treat. Dulce de leche's sweetness actually comes from the caramelization of sugars inside of milk rather than sugar itself alone. A fun fact about dulce de leche... the word translates to candy made from milk in Spanish.
Pairs great with Salinity's Lavender Honey Bee Finishing Salt
4. Tequila - Mexico's world renowned cooking liqueur is a way of life in Northern Mexico cooking, and it's no wonder. Not just for drinking, tequila is infused into countless dishes and cooking styles. Celebrated for its creativity and versatility, cooking with tequila is a must-try culinary experience.
Rim A Glass With Chipotle, Dilly-O, or !Fire!
5. Fresh Seafood - When it comes to cooking with the catch of the day, there are few places in the world that capture the true essence of cooking seafood with local ingredients. From streetside Baja Fish Tacos to the coveted Chocolate Clam found at Cabo Pulmo on the East Cape, the Baja Peninsula is a spectacular source of adventure and culinary inspiration.
Explore our Entire Finishing Salt Collection
The Southern Baja cooking scene is steeped in culture, history and unique flavors. Whether you’re looking for the spicy flavor of mole or rich sweetness of dulce de leche, there are plenty of dishes to explore. With at least six distinct cooking regions spanning Mexico, it can be difficult to know where to start exploring this diverse cuisine. To help get your creative cooking juices flowing, we've created two of our own Salinity Salt-inflused creations...check them out here!
Chipotle Tofu Chilaquiles
Smoky Oaxacan Mezcal & Basil Cocktail
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We’re definitely in the heat of summer and that means firing up the grill! If you are looking for some tools to show off your chops (as well as cook them) we found Arctic Monsoon to be a great resource. Whether you are a seasoned grill master or a beginner you’ll want to check out Artic Monsoon’s interview of the number one expert on grilling: his dad.
7 Tips For Grilling Success focuses on questions for the "beginner" but it offers a good review of the basic grilling tips that will make you rock star on the weekends!
More than 6,000 moms took an un-scientific survey on TODAY.com to reveal what moms REALLY want for Mother’s Day. Nearly 70 percent agree they'd prefer two extra hours of sleep over a piece of expensive jewelry.
Laurel Coppock, one of the comedic moms behind YouTube channel The Breakwomb, agrees.
“I would always like two extra hours of sleep,” said Coppock. “Fancy massage? No. Two extra hours of sleep, please. Gift from my husband? Yes, please, as long as it’s two extra hours of sleep. I would also love breakfast in bed, provided that I can sleep through it.”
3. Abraham Lincoln | Alsatian Gingerbread
“Once in a while my mother used to get some sorghum and ginger and make some gingerbread. It wasn’t often, and it was our biggest treat.” - Abraham Lincoln