Travel Any fresher, they’d be swimming Fortified by our repast, we drove up the coast to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, where fishermen unloaded their catches from boats in the marina. At the Mercado del Mar, vendors displayed fresh shrimp, lobsters and red snappers on crushed ice. Our mouths water just thinking about the fish and shrimp tacos in Sayulita, a laid-back Pacific coast town farther north. We sat on high stools at umbrella-shaded tables below The Real Fish Taco sign and watched Alfreda Monroy Garcia make tacos in the outdoor kitchen. After deep-frying batter-coated pieces of mahi mahi to a golden, crunchy perfection, she grilled shrimp until they turned pink. As we finished our tacos, a vendor stopped by our table with a tray of her home-baked Mexican cookies. We couldn’t decide whether to order the large polvorones or tiny pecan-topped shortbread cookies, the cajeta (caramel)-filled turnovers or the cocadas (caramelized coconut macaroons). We ordered one of each and shared. As we left Sayulita, we passed a building painted with a beautiful sea turtle mural. Four protected species of sea turtles nest and lay eggs on Riviera Nayarit’s beaches. The sea turtle is the official mascot of Riviera Nayarit and a major ecotourism attraction. Alfreda arranged the fish and shrimp on grilled flour tortillas and topped them with chopped tomato, cilantro, red onion and lettuce salad. By the time we had a few swigs of ice-cold Cerveza Pacifico Clara, she had garnished the tacos with avocado slices, squiggles of chipotle mayonnaise and fresh limes. The contrast of the crunchycoated tender fish and crisp salad with the soft tortilla and avocado, accented with tangy lime juice, was sublime. The cost of our meal was less than the price of a burger and fries at our local fast-food restaurant. The ambiance was far better. Fishing boats in the marina beside the Mercado del Mar in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle Vendor displays red snappers on crushed ice at the Mercado del Mar Alfreda Monroy Garcia displays mahi-mahi and shrimp tacos Vendor sells home-baked Mexican cookies by Sayulita taco stand 28 | www.snowbirds.org
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