A Mexican Seafood Paradise Awaits Behind This Landlocked Compton Backyard

Hunkered down behind a refrigerated prep table, Linares prepares spicy, well-seasoned ceviche de camarón, mixing freshly ground environment-friendly chiles and lime juice, before blending in chopped tomato, red onion, cucumber, and cilantro. Mariscos El Tambo makes use of surimi and tilapia to maintain prices in check in their raw bar products, so stick with shrimp and octopus.

The wealth of premium Pacific shrimp captured in Nayarit and Sinaloa has led to a wide range of local shrimp dishes, much of which are offered at Mariscos El Tambo. One specialized is the pellizcadas de camarón con queso, or masa watercrafts covered with thawed cheese and prepared shrimp that appear as quesadillas and empanadas. The commemorative tixtihuil, or atole de camarón, is attributed to the Aboriginal Totorame team. The shrimp soup with a light red brew of tomatoes and dried red chiles thickened with masa is served throughout southerly Sinaloa and north Nayarit. Soto’s tixtihuil is thick, spicy, and facility with a consistency similar to Vietnamese cháo (rice gruel). It’s as piquant as Oaxacan mole amarillo however much less herbal, enabling the toasted chiles guajillos to beam. Soto’s various other standout is the pozole de camarón, a soup of nixtamalized cacahuazintle corn and shrimp served with a light red brew of mixed tomatoes, chile guajillo, and chile de árbol.

The most recent notable operator on the below ground scene is Mariscos El Tambo in Compton from Tuxpan citizens Jesús Guadalupe Linares Navarro and his partner Adriana Soto.

The scruffy, usually indirect Linares answers questions with nods and soft smiles, and gained the nickname of El Tambo (the barrel) for his stocky construct. El Tambo’s trademark sampler plate goes by the same tag. For $50, home plate consists of ensalada de camarón (shrimp salad), ceviche mixto, camarón a la diabla (spicy shrimp), sopa de jaiba (crab soup), camarón empanizado (breaded shrimp), empanadas de camarón, and tixtihuil de camarón (shrimp soup) all divided right into a hulking separated tray.

Linares and Soto opened the initial Mariscos El Tambo at the edge of Willowbrook and Winona in Compton in October 2020, sourcing fish and shellfish from Puerto Peñasco in Downtown LA. Linares functioned as a chef at Mariscos Nayarit for 24 years, while Soto established recipes she initially learned from her mommy, M.A. Reyes Soto Ortiz, back in Mexico.

Hidden in backyards throughout Los Angeles are local Mexican territories standing for small pueblos. Unlimited cooking possibilities are plentiful in these simple neighborhoods, including several of the very best Mexican seafood from the state of Nayarit. The current remarkable operator on the underground scene is Mariscos El Tambo in Compton from Tuxpan natives Jesús Guadalupe Linares Navarro and his spouse Adriana Soto.

Linares and Soto opened up the original Mariscos El Tambo at the corner of Willowbrook and Winona in Compton in October 2020, sourcing seafood from Puerto Peñasco in Downtown LA. Linares worked as a chef at Mariscos Nayarit for 24 years, while Soto created recipes she initially learned from her mommy, M.A. Reyes Soto Ortiz, back in Mexico. Linares and Soto begin preparing spicy aguachiles, pozole de camarón, and pescado zarandeado grilled over charcoal. Looking towards the future, Linares and Soto are close to accomplishing their desire of having a restaurant and sharing something special from their home town of Tuxpan with their community.

During the week, Linares maintains the automatic dumpling machines at CJ Foods in Commece that cranks out Bibigo dumplings. Looking towards the future, Linares and Soto are close to accomplishing their desire of sharing and possessing a restaurant something special from their home town of Tuxpan with their neighborhood. “I have actually always intended to open my very own restaurant and be understood for my food, for my seasoning,” states Linares.

On weekend break mornings, Linares blows up a large, vivid dive residence in his front backyard to indicate that the fish are completely stocked and that doors are open. Linares and Soto start preparing hot aguachiles, pozole de camarón, and pescado zarandeado smoked over charcoal. Their children Ximena, Jaqueline, and Jesús Linares Jr., as well as nephew Alberto Soto, assistance with preparation and solution.