Choros a la Chalaca
Choros a la Chalaca·(CHOH-rohs ah lah chah-LAH-kah)
Para Picar y Empezar (The Front Porch Snacks & Starters)
If you ask anyone from Peru's main port of Callao what tastes most like the ocean breeze, they won't hand you ceviche. They will point to Choros a la Chalaca. This is the ultimate coastal party starter—a half-shell balanced in one hand, an ice-cold beer in the other. It is built on a few uncompromising grandmother's secrets: massaging the red onions in cold saltwater to kill the harsh bite, and whisking a splash of the mussel's own briny cooking broth back into the lime salsa. We are trading the giant imported Peruvian mussels and fiery rocoto peppers for supermarket green-lipped mussels and Fresno chilies, but the soul of the dish remains beautifully, unmistakably intact.
Before you start
Tame the red onion in cold saltwater.
Place the finely diced red onion into a bowl of cold water with a generous pinch of salt and massage them with your hands for thirty seconds to release their bitter, sulfurous enzymes. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer, rinse under cold water, and shake as dry as possible.
Meticulously seed the tomatoes.
The tomatoes must be peeled and have their wet, seedy cores entirely removed before dicing, otherwise your salsa chalaca will become a watery, unappealing mess.
Ingredients
- fresh blue mussels or frozen green-lipped mussels2 lb
- water1 cup
- dry white wine1/4 cup
- yellow onion1/2 med
- garlic2 clove
- red onion1 med
- Roma tomatoes2 med
- frozen choclo kernels3/4 cup
- red Fresno chili1 med
- fresh parsley3 tbsp
- olive oil1 tbsp
- Key limes5 med
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Steam the mussels briefly with aromatics.
In a large pot, bring the water, wine, yellow onion half, and smashed garlic to a rapid simmer. Drop in the mussels, cover tightly, and remove them to an ice bath the exact moment they pop open so they do not overcook.
- 02
Concentrate and reserve the mussel broth.
Once all the mussels are removed, boil the remaining cooking liquid for two minutes to concentrate its flavor. Turn off the heat and reserve exactly two tablespoons of this briny broth.
- 03
Purify the mussel meat and arrange the shells.
Pull the cooled mussel meat from the shells, gently pinching off and discarding the dark, sack-like stomach vein on the edge to remove any grit. Place the cleaned meat back onto the bottom half of each shell and arrange them on a platter.
- 04
Combine the salsa ingredients and let them macerate.
In a bowl, combine the washed red onions, choclo, tomatoes, chili, and parsley. Pour in the lime juice, olive oil, and the reserved mussel broth, seasoning aggressively with salt and pepper, then let it rest for ten minutes to cure the onions.
- 05
Top the mussels with the rested salsa.
Spoon a generous mound of the juicy salsa directly over the meat of each waiting mussel, making sure a bit of the acidic broth gets into each shell. Serve immediately cold, or chill for up to two hours.
Notes
Do not use American sweet corn.
Choclo is an ancient Andean corn with a starchy, chewy texture, completely lacking the sugar of American sweet corn. If you cannot find frozen choclo at your local Latin market, simply omit it rather than ruining the savory balance of the dish.
Mimicking the rocoto pepper.
Authentic recipes use rocoto, a deceptively hot pepper with thick, fruity flesh. To approximate this profile using supermarket ingredients, mix half of your minced Fresno chili with a tablespoon of finely minced sweet red bell pepper.
From Cook Peruvian in America.