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Mexican

Chorizo-Corn Empanadas

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Chorizo-Corn Empanadas are savory hand pies made with a masa harina flour blend and filled with cheese, spicy ground chorizo and sweet corn.

The melty Monterrey Jack cheese pull makes these flavorful empanadas fun to eat. You get the earthy spice of the chorizo, the sweet burst of fresh corn and creamy cheese all packed into a fluffy corn crust. These festive hand held pies are the perfect size for dipping into a creamy cilantro lime sauce.

Let’s talk about chorizo. There are many different kinds of chorizo. This recipe calls for chorizo that has the appearance of the ground beef you would find in the meat department of your grocery store. It’s flavored with a variety of Mexican spices like chilies, oregano, cumin and garlic. My favorite is made by a local company called Hempler’s and can be found at most local grocery stores.

Before I knew much about chorizo, I tried using the kind that comes in a tube. It’s what I thought chorizo was, boy was I wrong. It’s very different from the fresh ground chorizo. After placing the tube contents in my sauté pan, there was not much substance left at all, just a lot of grease. This kind of chorizo will not work in this recipe.

Ingredients in Chorizo-Corn Empanadas

  • Chorizo – Hempler’s Chorizo is my favorite, please don’t buy the greasy chorizo in a tube.
  • Corn – Fresh corn cut off the cob.
  • Cheese – Creamy, Monterrey Jack cheese is perfect for that must have cheese pull.
  • Masa Harina – Masa Harina is similar to corn meal, but finer in texture, providing a fluffy corn crust.
  • Onion – Sweet, yellow onion, like Walla Walla or Vidalia.
  • Lard – I save my bacon grease and use that or you can buy lard at the grocery in the Mexican aisle.
  • Eggs – Always use farm fresh if you can.
  • Pantry Items – Flour, I prefer unbleached, sugar and salt.

Cilantro Lime Crema

These savory empanadas taste delicious when dipped in Cilantro Lime Crema. It’s an easy 3 ingredient sauce that pairs perfectly with the spicy chorizo filling. Mexican crema can be found in most grocery stores and is a little sweeter than sour cream. If you can’t find Mexican crema, just use sour cream.

Related Recipes

Chorizo-Corn Empanadas are savory hand pies made with a masa harina flour blend and filled with cheese, spicy ground chorizo and sweet corn.

Chorizo Corn Empanadas

Chorizo-Corn Empanadas are savory hand pies made with a masa harina flour blend and filled with cheese, spicy ground chorizo and sweet corn.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 10 large

Ingredients
  

Empanada Dough

  • 4 cups flour unbleached
  • 1 1/2 cup masa corn flour – masa harina
  • 4 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 6 tbsp. lard or leftover bacon grease

Empanada Filling

  • 1/2 yellow onion diced
  • 16 oz. chorizo ground
  • 4 ears corn cut off the cob
  • 8 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese grated

Cilantro Lime Crema

  • 1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 1 lime juiced and zested
  • 1/4 cup cilantro minced

Other

  • avocado oil for frying

Instructions
 

Empanada Dough

  • Combine flour, masa harina, sugar and salt in your stand mixing bowl, add eggs and lard, mix on medium until soft dough forms.
  • Remove dough to a floured surface and form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Empanada Filling

  • Sauté onion in a pan over medium high heat until just softened. Push onion out to side of pan and add ground chorizo. Cook chorizo until browned.
  • Add corn to chorizo mixture and cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Forming the Empanadas

  • Remove empanada dough from the refrigerator. Roll out on a floured surface, about 1/4 inch thickness. Using a small bowl or plate that's about 5 inches in diameter, press down on dough to create small circles. You should get about 10 circles. It's a soft, sticky dough, make sure you have flour on hand.
  • Place a small mound of filling, about a heaping tbsp. plus more if needed and about one tbsp. of cheese in the middle of one half of the circle, leaving room around the edges.
  • Fold dough circle in half, pressing around the edges to seal. Use fork tines on edges to crimp it sealed. Repeat with remaining ingredients. You may have some filling mixture left over, which you can use to serve along side or save for another use.
  • Fill a deep, wide edged frying pan with avocado oil or other high heat oil about 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep and heat at medium high. Test oil temperature by dropping a small piece of leftover dough in and seeing if it sizzles. Fry empanadas, two at a time, flipping once until golden brown on each side. Remove to a wire rack and season with salt.
  • Empanadas can be eaten right away or let cool and place in freezer bags for re-heating later. They re-heat very well in an air fryer.

Cilantro Lime Crema

  • Combine all ingredients together. Serve along side empanadas.
Keyword hand pies, Savory Hand Pies

Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream

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Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream use rich, buttery, Dungeness crab and just enough Panko with a creamy serrano cilantro lime sauce.

Crab cakes are so versatile. Pairing crab with end of summer vegetables like corn and zucchini makes for a seasonal favorite. I tend to pick up on the Mexican inspired flavor with almost every dish I make. I like the bright, colorful ingredients and love the spice.

This recipe calls for Dungeness crab, local to the Pacific Northwest. It’s a rich, buttery, dense meat. I have been known to eat an entire bowl of shelled Dungeness crab all to myself. It’s memories for me. We would spend the weekends crabbing and fishing in the San Juan Islands. Bringing home our catch, there were crab to shell and fish to fillet. My love for seafood started young and continues into my passion for cooking and sharing recipes with you.

Ingredients in Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream

  • Dungeness Crab – Rich, buttery crab shelled and all juices gently squeezed out.
  • Corn on the Cob – Yellow for color, cut off the cob.
  • Zucchini – Small fresh zucchini.
  • Panko Bread Crumbs – Plain Panko bread crumbs are light and crispy.
  • Red Bell Pepper – Adds that little bit of texture and color.
  • Celery – Fine diced celery adds a fresh flavor.
  • Green Onion – a.k.a. scallions
  • Garlic – I keep a bottle of minced garlic in my refrigerator.
  • Serrano Pepper – Serrano has a similar heat to jalapeno, but more flavor.
  • Sour Cream – Either sour cream or Mexican Crema would work.
  • Cilantro – Fresh cilantro.
  • Lime – Fresh squeezable lime.
  • Avocado – Just ripe and ready to slice.
  • Spices – Chipotle powder, salt and pepper
  • Pantry Items – Agave nectar, mayonnaise, avocado oil
Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream use rich, buttery, Dungeness crab and just enough Panko with a creamy serrano cilantro lime sauce.

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Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream use rich, buttery, Dungeness crab and just enough Panko with a creamy serrano cilantro lime sauce.

Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream

Mexican Crab Cakes with Serrano Cream use rich, buttery, Dungeness crab and just enough Panko with a creamy serrano cilantro lime sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Resting time 1 hr
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, PNW
Servings 4 crab cakes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 lb. Dungeness lump crab meat
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp green onion minced
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper diced
  • 1/8 cup celery minced
  • 1/4 tsp minced garlic
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. avocado oil

Serrano Cream

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 serrano pepper diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 lime juiced and zested
  • 1 tsp. agave nectar

Garnish

  • 1 ear yellow corn cut off the cob
  • 1 cup zucchini diced
  • 1 pinch chipotle or cayenne powder
  • 1/2 tbsp. avocado oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 avocado sliced

Instructions
 

Crab Cakes

  • Gather lump crab meat in a paper towel and squeeze out excess moisture. Place lump crab meat in a mixing bowl with mayonnaise, Panko bread crumbs and green onion.
  • Sauté red bell pepper, celery and garlic in 1/2 tbsp. butter over medium high heat for about 1 minute, until just softened. Remove from heat and let cool, then add to lump crab mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Gently combine ingredients, making sure not to over mix. You want the lump crab to remain in lump form. When combined, form into 4 even patties. Place on a plate, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate at least an hour, preferably overnight.
  • When ready to cook, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove crab cakes from refrigerator and let rest while you heat your sauté pan to medium high. Add avocado oil to pan and let warm. Place crab cakes in pan and brown for about 2 1/2 minutes on each side, adding remaining 1 tbsp. butter to pan after flipping to second side. Remove from sauté pan, place on sheet pan and bake in oven for about 5 minutes while you make serrano cream and garnish.

Serrano Cream

  • Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Garnish

  • Sauté zucchini and corn in avocado oil a small pan over medium high heat for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper and chipotle powder. Toss in cilantro.
  • Plate crab cakes over a spoonful of Serrano Cream with garnish of zucchini and corn on top. Place sliced avocado on top of that.
Keyword Crispy Crab Cakes, Dungeness crab, Easy Crab Cakes

Roasted Salsa Verde

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Roasted Salsa Verde takes charred tomatillos to create a smoky green sauce that’s the base to many Mexican dishes.

This versatile salsa can be eaten as is with your favorite tortilla chips or transformed into many other dishes. It’s the base for my favorite type of enchiladas, Enchiladas Suizas. Where it’s combined with cream to make a creamy delicious sauce perfect for coating stuffed corn tortillas. Adding chicken broth and a splash of cream, makes the base for my Pan Seared Cod in Tomatillo Broth. The possibilities are endless. All you need is a sheet pan, a few tomatillos, jalapenos, serranos, onion, cilantro and lime, all roasted, blended up and finished in the sauce pan.

Ingredients in Roasted Salsa Verde

  • Tomatillos – Mexican husk tomato, remove outer husk before roasting.
  • Onion – Sweet yellow onion, best you can find, like Walla Walla or Vidalia.
  • Jalapeno Pepper – Remove the seeds if you like it mild.
  • Serrano Pepper – Added for the depth of flavor, also remove seeds if you like mild.
  • Cilantro – Fresh cilantro.
  • Garlic – Either pre-minced or whole garlic smashed or rough chopped.
  • Lime Juice – If canning, use bottled lime juice otherwise fresh is best.
  • Pantry Items – Salt, pepper and mild cooking oil.

Canning Instructions

You can save this salsa and enjoy it all year long. This recipe is perfect for canning and only needs one small adjustment. If you plan on making a large batch of this Roasted Salsa Verde, just follow these easy steps:

  1. Make recipe according to direction EXCEPT you want to OMIT the lime from the blender process.
  2. Instead, place exactly 1 tablespoon of bottled lime juice in each 1 pint jar. This is the correct, safe ratio per pint to ensure canning safety. There must be the right amount of acid in each jar.
  3. Once you have roasted, blended and finished in the sauce pan, pour into pint jars. Add the lime juice as described above, to each pint jar and stir well. Seal and tighten each lid. Note: you always want to use new seals/lids each time you can to ensure the correct seal.
  4. Now it’s time to place in your water bath. I use a big metal canning pot with a rack at the bottom. Fill to about 3/4 way to the top with water and bring to a low boil, high simmer. When ready, place jars, using canning tongs, into water and simmer for 12 minutes. Water must completely cover the jars.
  5. After they have simmered for 12 minutes, remove from canning pot and set on counter until you hear the ‘pop’ of the seal, meaning it worked!
  6. Store in a dark pantry for up to a year.

Related Recipes

Roasted Salsa Verde takes charred tomatillos to create a smoky green sauce that's the base to many Mexican dishes.
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Roasted Salsa Verde

Roasted Salsa Verde takes charred tomatillos to create a smoky green sauce that's the base to many Mexican dishes.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword green salsa, mexican salsa, salsa, tomatillos
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Base Recipe

  • 8-10 tomatillos, husks removed
  • 1 large yellow onion quartered
  • 1 jalapeno pepper remove seeds for a mild version
  • 1 serrano pepper remove seeds for a mild version
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 tbsp. lime juice
  • 1/4 cup water to thin, may use less or more.
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp. mild cooking oil

Instructions

Base Recipe

  • Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeno pepper and serrano pepper on sheet pan. Broil on middle rack until charred, flip and repeat on other side.
  • Transfer to blender.  Add cilantro, garlic and lime juice.  Blend until smooth. Stream in water until desired consistency.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Heat cooking oil in a sauce pan over high heat. Pour salsa in hot oil and cook for about 15 minutes.
  • Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week.
    Canning Directions:
    Omit lime juice from steps above. Instead, add exactly 1 tbsp. lime juice to 1 pint jar before pouring salsa in jar. This is an important step to making canned salsa safely. Seal with canning lids. Place in a simmering water bath, completely covering each jar with water, for 12 minutes. Remove from water bath and let sit on counter until you hear the 'pop' of the seal. Store in a dark pantry for up to a year.

Grilled Bavette Steak with Smoked Paprika Sauce

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Grilled Bavette Steak with Smoked Paprika Sauce has a spicy seasoned crust and a juicy tender inside with fresh tomato radish salad.

The smoked paprika sauce is very simple to make and can be finished in just a few minutes.  Making this an easy weeknight meal that doesn’t require much effort. It’s smooth, earthy spice pairs well with the grilled bavette steak and bright, fresh tomato radish salad. It’s a beautiful dish to serve on a platter, with the meat cut diagonal across the grain and the radish tomato salad cascading over the top.

If the term bavette steak doesn’t sound familiar, you may recognize it as a flap steak.  It’s similar to flank steak, but meatier in texture. It seems to have slightly more fat than flank steak.

For more information about where this cut comes from visit Beef It’s What’s For Dinner

Farm Raised Beef

Mama’s Garden in Deming, Washington supplied the bavette steak for this Grilled Bavette Steak with Smoked Paprika Sauce. A family owned farm supplying locals with USDA grass fed angus beef as well as seasonal vegetables, blueberries and plants.

Family owned means you know where your food comes from. Generations of hard working farmers bringing the same quality year after year. You can taste the quality in every bite. Once you try farm raised beef, fresh eggs and vegetables, you will be hooked for life. The taste, the texture, even the color is noticeably different than grocery store meat…and if you’re looking for the added benefits, be sure to check out the list by clicking this link to Mama’s Garden where she explains many reasons why farm raised beef is the best.

Grilled Bavette Steak with Smoked Paprika Sauce has a spicy seasoned crust and a juicy tender inside with fresh tomato radish salad.

Ingredients for Grilled Bavette Steak with Smoked Paprika Sauce

  • Bavette Steak – Similar to flank steak, but meatier. Also called flap steak.
  • Smoked Paprika – Splurge for the smoked paprika, it has the best flavor.
  • Tajin Mexican Seasoning – A chili lime seasoning found in the Mexican aisle of grocery.
  • Onion Powder – Adds a savory flavor.
  • Worcestershire Sauce – A must have pantry item to add depth of flavor to meats.
  • Radish – Red radish, rainbow radish, any will do.
  • Cherry Tomato – Cherry or grape tomatoes work best for their sweetness.
  • Cilantro – If you don’t care for cilantro, just add chives instead.
  • Olive Oil – Smoked olive oil for the radish salad, if possible, or regular is fine.
  • Pantry Items – Flour, salt, butter.

Related Recipes

Grilled Bavette Steak with Smoked Paprika Sauce

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs. Bavette Steak / Flap Steak
  • 2 tbsp. Tajin Mexican seasoning
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil

Tomato Radish Salad

  • 1 bunch radish sliced
  • 5-7 grape / cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 tbsp. cilantro fresh, rough chopped
  • 1 tbsp. smoked olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Smoked Paprika Sauce

  • 4 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 splash Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions
 

  • Fire up the grill. Season bavette steak with Tajin Mexican seasoning and oil. Let sit while you make the tomato radish salad and smoked paprika sauce.
  • Place the bavette steak over high heat and grill for about 7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the bavette steak. Remove from grill and let rest for about 5-10 minutes.
  • Serve bavette steak over smoked paprika sauce ad top with tomato radish salad.

Tomato Radish Salad

  • Combine sliced radish and grape tomatoes with cilantro, smoked oil oil and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to serve.

Smoked Paprika Sauce

  • Heat butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add smoked paprika and onion powder, stirring to combine. Add flour and continue to stir as it thickens for about a minute. Add remaining ingredients and stir until it reaches a smooth consistency, then reduce heat to warm or the lowest temperature while you cook the bavette steak.
Keyword 30 Minute Dinner, Flank Steak

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

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Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad with fresh corn, tomatoes, chilies, bacon, cilantro, cotija cheese and orecchiette pasta in a creamy Tajin dressing.

Delicious the first day and even better the following day. This pasta salad is my go-to dish for picnics, BBQ gatherings and camping. It can be made ahead and refrigerated for two days.

The orecchiette pasta is the perfect shape for cupping all the corn, peppers, bacon, tomatoes and cheese, so you get all the flavor in one bite. When cooked al dente and rinsed in cold water, orecchiette pasta really holds up in this creamy pasta salad.

Ingredients in Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

  • Orecchiette Pasta – Ear shaped pasta, perfect for holding all the tasty bits.
  • Corn – Yellow corn is preferred for color and flavor.
  • Fresno Chilies – Red, medium heat chili pepper. Can also use serrano or jalapeno.
  • Cherry / Grape Tomatoes – These smaller, sweeter tomatoes hold up well in pasta salad.
  • Red Bell Pepper – Adds extra texture and color.
  • Scallions – a.k.a. green onions for a fresh herbiness.
  • Cilantro – Fresh cilantro.
  • Bacon – The bacon in this pasta salad really makes the dish.
  • Cotija Cheese – Crumbly Mexican cheese similar to feta.
  • Tajin Seasoning – A Mexican seasoning staple.
  • Mayonnaise– Real Mayo, full fat.
  • Lime – Adds a light, zesty flavor.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad with fresh corn, tomatoes, chilies, bacon, cilantro, cotija cheese and orecchiette pasta in a creamy Tajin dressing.

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad with fresh corn, tomatoes, chilies, bacon, cilantro, cotija cheese and orecchiette pasta in a creamy Tajin dressing.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 2 mins
Course Dinner, Salad
Cuisine Farm to Table, Mexican
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups Orecchiette pasta cooked according to package directions
  • 6 ears yellow corn on the cob cut off the cob
  • 1 tbsp. avocado oil
  • 2 Fresno chilies (can sub serrano or jalapeno) minced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 small pkg. cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 bunch green scallion / onions chopped
  • 8 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
  • 1/4 cup cotija cheese crumbled

Tajin Dressing

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp. Tajin seasoning
  • 1 lime juiced

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool. Strain and remove all of the water from pasta, pat dry if necessary.
  • While pasta is cooking, cook bacon either on a sheet pan in 400 degree oven until browned or in a pan on the stove. Remove grease from cooked bacon and crumble.
  • Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add avocado oil and let it come to high heat. Add corn that has been cut off the cob. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until just heated, but still firm.
  • Place completely cooled pasta in a large serving bowl. Toss together with corn, chilies, red bell pepper, tomato, scallions, cilantro and bacon. Stir in Tajin dressing to coat. Top with cotija cheese and more cilantro. Serve right away or refrigerate for even more flavor.
Keyword Elote Salad, Pasta Salad

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