Puerto Vallarta, gastronomy that captivates for its variety of flavors

Puerto Vallarta is a destination recognized for its beaches and landscapes; however, the typical gastronomy of this city located in Jalisco has also positioned itself as one of the attractions of the place.

According to Luis Villaseñor, general director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust, the gastronomic richness of this city lies in its variety of flavors, as well as the fusion of different cooking techniques.

“We have more than a thousand restaurants, more than 30 cuisines, many of which are very authentic. The gastronomic richness of Puerto Vallarta is its variety of flavors. It is a fusion, mixing local techniques and flavors with international techniques,” said Luis Villaseñor in an interview with La Razón.

Some of the typical dishes of the area are the Vallarta-style ceviche that is ground with pico de gallo and grated carrot.

In Puerto Vallarta, you can also find delicious creations by renowned chefs, such as raw sea bass with scallops, which have distinctive elements from the Pacific coast. The fish and the ax callus are cured with salt, sugar, and raicilla, a typical distillate of the region, and they also have tuba, a typical drink that is fermented from the trunk of the palm. This dish is the work of Fabiola Meraz, chef at Los Toneles Vallarta restaurant.

Salvador Carrillo, chef of the La Tienda Grande restaurant, prepares Juego de niños, which is a visually attractive dish full of color. It is a tuna sealed in a spice marinade and is accompanied by sauces that are squid ink emulsion, beet yogurt, carrot emulsion, guava vinaigrette, mango vinaigrette, and avocado emulsion.

Chef Mario Castro, from Majahuitas, made a new version of the traditional zarandeado fish, but with octopus, which also has roasted güero chili aioli and roasted chambray potato.

However, the cuisine of Puerto Vallarta is not only limited to seafood, but also includes preparations with proteins from the land. For example, Sebastián Verona, executive chef of Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel and Buenaventura Grand Hotel, prepared a marrow marinated with salt, pepper, and olive oil, roasted in the oven, and au gratin with a direct heat blowtorch, and tartar, beef fillet, with dijon mustard, salt, pepper, olive oil, spring onion, and an avocado topping.

Besides this, Vallarta has another delicious dessert that has positioned itself as one of the favorites of tourists. It is the bolillo ice cream and guava pie with goat cheese, by chef Salvador Carrillo.

To complement these exquisite dishes, a refreshing drink cannot be missing. The raicilla is one of the distillates with denomination of origin from Jalisco since 2019 and one of the ways to enjoy it in cocktails.

The mixologist Mario Mendoza, from the Noroc, Mar y Vino and Ik Mixology restaurants, has created sophisticated cocktails such as the vaitiare, which means flower of water. It is a drink made from lavender, flowers such as roses and orange blossoms, passion fruit seeds, French liqueur Hpnotiq, and raicilla.

Another outstanding cocktail is the Golden Truffle, which has truffled honey, root, herbal notes of jasmine and chamomile, eureka oil, and passion fruit seed with a touch of pulp, truffle zest, and edible gold leaves.

And, finally, there is the raicilla cream, which has become typical of the area. It is made with vanilla, star anise, cinnamon, a touch of piloncillo, agave syrup, and raicilla.

Luis Villaseñor explained that the destination is already preparing a raicilla route so that tourists can learn more about the typical distillate.

Because it is never enough to taste the food of this region of the Pacific, Puerto Vallarta will have the Vallarta Nayarit Gastronómica from October 12 to 18, with Premium tastings, gourmet workshops, conferences with experts, and sustainability panels.