Cinco de Mayo has a unique story, and blends two of MY favorite cuisines – Mexican + French! So I decided to make a Fusion Dish and it turned out AMAZING!
What is Cinco de Mayo about?
While many people think Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Independance from Spain, that date is actually September 16th, and is celebrated all over Mexico. The 5th of May, on the other hand, it rarely thought of inside of the Mexican borders and instead has become a ‘Hallmark’ celebration somewhat in error by the rest of North America.
Cinco de Mayo is, still, a victory. It’s the date of Mexican victory over Napolean III’s forces in the Battle of Puebla. And although it’s not officially celebrated in Mexico, I love any excuse to eat yet another delicious Mexican meal and clink glasses of tequila Margaritas.
For the full, authentic story of Cinco de Mayo, check out this History.com article on Facts, Meanings & Celebrations
CincodeMayo on History.Com
My good Artist friend, Miriam Aroeste, originally from Mexico City has been teaching me how to cook authentic Mexican dishes over the past few years, so in ode to her I decided to tackle a Mexican-French Fusion recipe using some of the ingredients I’ve learned from her. Azteca Bisque is a happy blend of Mexican flavors with French cooking techniques, and it’s a happy blend at that!
Miriam’s Influence
Over recent years Miriam has taught me Tortilla Soup (Sopa Azteca), Chilles Rellenos, Pozole and Mole Chicken (with hopefully many more dishes to come!), and the biggest take-away for me has been the dry roasting of fresh vegetables. It adds and incredible layer of smokiness to the final dish, and from her Mexican heritage is the standard way to prepare vegetables.
A Syrian-French friend also introduced me to smoking spices in the same manner (when we ‘ate our way around 40 Countries’ at the beinning of COVID), as a way to open up their flavor by releasing their oils. Whether spices or vegetables, I like to re-use this same pan when I’m cooking anything else – in this case, frying the Avocado ‘Baguette Slices’. AND THEN re-using the same pan, smoky residuals and Avocado oil to cook the Prawns.
It’s a WINNER!!
I taste tested this on my family – and trust me, they aren’t always happy about being my guinea pigs! – and it was a unanimous success! So great, we had it again a few days later!
Try yours with a variety of seafood such as Crab or Lobster – YUM! The ‘Avocado Baquette’ was a big hit as well, lending some crunch to the beautiful Bisque.
So there you have it! Happy Cinco de Mayo!
I can’t wait to see your interpretations of this fantastic Mexcian-French fusion Azteca Bisque!
Give it a Try! Azteca Bisque Recipe
Azteca Bisque is the perfect fusion between Mexican and French food. It incorporates all the ingredients of Sopa Azteca (Tortilla Soup), but in the French style of a Bisque by adding the dairy into the broth, vs not sprinkled on top. It has the thickness of a Bisque from the puree. The color of puree will depend on how long you dry roast, and what colors you incorporate in what amounts – i.e. I like to leave my Poblano to turn orange slightly, use bright red Tomatoes and could have used a red Onion to keep things brighter. The final amount of dairy in Queso and Sour Cream you use will soften all the colors.
I encourage you to play with it! Mix it up – maybe use Tomatillos and keep it a bright green Bisque! Tomatillos will have a slightly sour taste, less sweet than Tomatoes, but I can’t imagine it not being DELICIOUS!
Be sure to leave comments on your twist of Azteca Bisque!
Azteca Bisque
Ingredients
SOUP BASE
- 4 Large Tomatoes
- 1 Poblano Pepper
- 1 Dried Pasillo Pepper
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1/2 White Onion
- 1 handful Cilantro (include stems)
- 4 cups Shellfish or Onion Stock
AVOCADO 'BAGUETTE'
- 1 firm Avocado (for frying)
- 1-2 Egg(s), whisked (for egg wash)
- 1 cup Crushed Tortilla Chips
- 1/2 cup Flour (can be Mesa Flour)
- 1 Tbsp Tajin or similar spices
- Canola Oil (for frying)
CREMA
- 1 ripe Avocado (for Crema)
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 block Queso Cheese (soft & crumbly)
TOPPING
- 8 Mexican Prawns (raw)
- 1/2 Juiced Lime
- Cilantro Leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
SOUP BASE
- To start, give the Tomatoes, Onion (halved), Poblano, head of Garlic (top removed) and dried Pasillo to a cast iron pan on high heat for some color and smoke. Let blacken slightly, and remove.
- Put the blackened ingredients into a Vitamix for best result (or blend well in a Blender), along with fresh Cilantro.
- Add pureed vegetables into a saucepan with most of the Shellfish or Onion stock. Add more as needed, as it cooks and reduces, to your final taste/texture preference.
CREMA
- Puree the ripe (softer) Avocado with the Sour Cream and Queso in a blender or Vitamix to create a Crema. Set aside.
AVOCADO 'BAGUETTE'
- Thick slice the firm (harder) Avocado and set aside.
- Crush Tortilla Chips to fine, and mix with Flour and Tajin spices.
- Heat approx 1/2" high of oil in a shallow pan to med-high heat.
- Dip Avocado slices in Egg wash, then Tortilla mix to coat well, pressing the Tortilla mix into the flesh of the Avocado.
- Fry Avocado 'Baguette' slices in oil to brown and set Tortilla chips. Set aside on paper towel.
TOPPING
- Remove all the solids from the Avocado 'Baguette' Oil, and return a few Tbsp of the remaining oil onto a shallow pan.
- Cook Prawns on Med-High heat 1 minute each side. Set aside.
SOUP BASE
- Make sure the Soup base has reduced slightly, and is heated through. In the final minute or two, add the Crema mix into the Soup base and whisk thoroughly. Watch for a good thickness in order to hold the Avacado 'Baguette' slices as best it can.
- Add any leftover stock as required to get the preferred texture.
- Season with Salt/White Pepper to taste.
SERVE
- To serve, fill a bowl with Soup and top with an Avocado 'Baguette', two Prawns, and round out with a squeeze of Lime.For best photo finish results, add 1 Prawn to the bottom side, rest the Avocado 'Baguette' on the Prawn and edge of bowl, then add 2nd Prawn to float atop. Garnish with Cilantro leaf.Enjoy!!
Notes
- Keep the same pan from your smoked vegetables for the oil frying of your Avocado ‘Baguette Slices’ AND AGAIN when you lightly fry your Prawns to keep any residual flavors building.
- Add a swirl of Fermented Habanero Hot Sauce to the final dish!
- Try mixing up your Stock – seafood, shellfish, onion, vegetable can all work here.
Extra Instructions
OR you can follow the quick n easy Instagram Story version!
