Editor’s Note: Since this article was written, Sergio now operates out of the backyard of his true home in Lennox. Read this post for the latest on Sergio.
I first ate Pescado Zarandeado at Mariscos Chente in the LA strip adjacent to Culver City. Through the articles of Jonathan Gold, I realized how special this dish was and how chef Sergio Peñuelas became designated the “snook whisperer”.
Since that time, I have followed him to Coni’ Seafood (Inglewood), Cheko El Rey Del Sarandeado (Long Beach) and back to Mariscos Chente. On a recent Saturday, I invited some friends to Mariscos Chente to share in this amazing experience.
Smoked Marlin Tacos with a small cup of habanero hot sauce
One of my favorites is Peñuelas’ marlin tacos. At some restaurants, the tacos are deep fried and arrive to the table glistening in oil. Since Peñuelas grills them, they are a lot healthier and much more pleasant to eat.
Camarones al mojo de ajo
Camarones a la piemienta
Camarones Borrachos
Camarones al mojo de ajo is a simple dish to make, but the taste is addictive. This dish only has a few ingredients, but the combination of garlic and chipotle chiles in adobo give it both great taste and beautiful color.
Pepper lovers will definitely enjoy the Camarones a la Pimienta. Fresh ground pepper topped the garlic seasoned shrimp and gave it a pronounced taste.
The sauce from Camarones Borrachos had the best flavor. This dish is made with tequila, hence the name borracho (drunk). Because the taste was so good, many of us wanted to drink the sauce.
Shrimp Ceviche with chopped tomatoes and cucumbers in a black sauce and topped with chopped mangoes.
Ceviche Coster is a colorful shrimp ceviche made with shrimp, chopped cucumbers and mangoes. It is surrounded by a black sauce. This dish is both colorful and delicious. The combination of the mangos gave it a natural sweetness, while the cucumbers added some crunch and the black sauce gave it a bit of a salty flavor.
Pescado Zarandeado with a carmelized onion sauce and warm corn tortillas
The Pescado Zarandeado dish originates from the Sinaloan state of Mexico. This is the dish that Peñuelas is known for and because he prepares it so well, it has created a cult following in LA. This is because his version is extremely crisp on the outside, moist on the inside and has a nice smokey taste.
A miniature molcajete filled with a caramelized onion sauce and warm corn tortillas are served with the fish. Many will scrape some fish from the filet and place it on a tortilla. They will then add some caramelized onions. The result is a taco that came from heaven. .
Ceviche Mixta with coconut milk
We considered this to be our extra dish to be our dessert because it contained coconut milk. Four beautiful mounds of ceviche mixto (mixed with scallops, sea snails, shrimp, red onions, cucumbers and tomatoes) were surrounded by a coconut milk base. Not only was this dish great for pictures, but it was tasty and had a nice crunchy element to it.
If you like seafood, you will enjoy Mariscos Chente. Please note that that they are a cash only business. They do have an ATM machine inside their restaurant.
Mariscos Chente, 4532 S. Centinela Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90066