Ceviche, guacamole and all the margarita recipes to make for Cinco de Mayo
Chef Pati Jinich shared delicious dishes and drinks to make for the holiday.
Whether you're hosting a crowd on Cinco de Mayo or planning to attend festivities with friends, these authentic recipes are a delicious way to celebrate the rich culinary history of Mexico.
"Having a day where we can celebrate anything and everything that's Mexican is a great opportunity for Mexicans all over the world to shine a light on our richness and diversity," chef Pati Jinich told "Good Morning America" of what the holiday means to her. "It's become a great moment to rejoice on Mexicannes."
The award-winning TV host and cookbook author shared a few of her favorite Mexican dishes and margarita pairings to make for your celebrations on Friday.
Check out her full recipes below, plus some other tried and true Cinco de Mayo must-have bites.
Tres Chiles Guacamole
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 to 3 ripe avocados halved, pitted and pulp cut into chunks or roughly mashed
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt (more or less to taste)
1 jalapeño, minced
1 dried chile de árbol, minced
1 serrano, minced
Zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
5 ounces (1 cup) multi-colored cherry tomatoes, halved
Optional garnishes: More tomatoes and queso fresco
Directions
Gently mix and mash the avocados, lime juice, and salt in a bowl.
Place the jalapeño, chile de árbol, serrano, lime zest, and cilantro in a molcajete or mortar and pestle and mash and mix until pasty. Combine with the avocado mixture and mash until you reach your desired consistency. Fold in the tomatoes, taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Smoky Guacamole
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 to 3 ripe avocados halved, pitted and pulp cut into chunks or roughly mashed
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt (more or less to taste)
1 serrano or jalapeño chile (more or less to taste)
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 slice of white onion about 1/2 inch thick
3 tablespoons cilantro leaves and upper stems coarsely chopped
Optional garnishes: Chicharrones, cooked Mexican chorizo, crisp bacon bites
Directions
Gently mix and mash the avocados, lime juice, and salt in a bowl.
Place the chile, unpeeled garlic and onion slice on a pre-heated comal or skillet set over medium heat, or place under the broiler on a sheet pan. Char or roast for about 10 minutes, flipping occasionally so they char evenly, until blackened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and cut the stem from the chile.
Coarsely chop the chile, garlic and onion, and place in bowl or molcajete and mash or mix until pasty. Combine with the avocado mixture, along with the cilantro, and mash until you reach your desired consistency (I like it chunky).
Can garnish with crumbled chicharrones, cooked Mexican chorizo or bacon.
Ceviche Que Te Mueres, aka To-Die-For Ceviche
2 to 4 servings
Ingredients
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped, seeding optional
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup red onion, halved and thinly sliced, divided
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and upper stems, chopped, divided
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, or to taste
1 pound red snapper filet cut into about 1/2-inch dice (may substitute another mild flavored fish like grouper, trout, flounder, sole or rock fish)
1 cup (about 1 large) ripe mango, diced
1 cup (about 1 large) ripe avocado, diced
1/3 cup (about 2) tomatillos, husked, scrubbed and diced
2 tablespoons cacao nibs, optional
Tortilla chips or tostadas
Directions
Combine the lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, jalapeños, celery, 1/4 cup of the red onion, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, and the salt in a blender and puree until completely smooth.
Place the fish in a bowl, add the pureed mixture, and toss well. Cover and let marinate for 20 to 25 minutes outside the refrigerator before serving, stirring from time to time. If marinating for more than 25 minutes, cover and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, add the rest of the onion and cilantro, the mango, avocado, tomatillo, and cacao nibs if using. Toss well, taste for salt and add more as needed. Serve with tortilla chips (totopos) or tostadas.
Citrus Margarita
"This margarita is quite literally citrus heaven. It really invites you into the world of citrus, taking the best from all the fruits added," Jinich said. "Any ceviche or seafood dish is perfectly paired with this cocktail, especially on Cinco de Mayo."
Ingredients
2 ounces Gran Centenario Plata Tequila
1 ounce maple simple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh orange juice
1/2 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce fresh tangerine juice
Garnish: Twisted lime wheel
Directions
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass rimmed with a mix of kosher salt and lime zest. Garnish with a twisted lime wheel.
Camarones al Tequila, aka Tequila, Mexican Cream and Chipotle Shrimp
For this dish, Jinich recommended pairing her tangerine chile paloma (full recipe below this dish).
3 to 4 servings
Ingredients
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup Tequila Reposado
1/4 cup Mexican cream, Latin style cream, crème fraiche or heavy cream
1 tablespoon chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, or to taste
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce (optional), seeded and minced
10 chives, sliced
Directions
Peel and devein the shrimp. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In a large and heavy saute pan set over medium-high heat, let the butter melt. Once it starts to sizzle, add the garlic; stir and cook for 10 to 15 seconds, until it becomes fragrant.
Incorporate the shrimp, making sure that the pan is not overcrowded, and let them brown on one side and then the other, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Don't let them overcook. They should be browned on the outside but barely cooked through.
Add the tequila, and slightly tilt the pan over the flame to ignite it. Let it cook until the flames disappear. Stir in the cream and the chipotle sauce (and the seeded minced chile if using).
Serve immediately, with the chives sprinkled on top.
Tangerine Chile Gran Paloma
"This cocktail has a combination of sweet, tart, a dash of spice, and a fresh effervescence from the seltzer," Jinich said. She hailed it as "a delight to sip given the notes of vanilla, toasted almonds, chocolate, and caramel" from the añejo tequila expression, which she added pairs perfectly with a seafood dish.
Ingredients
2 ounces Gran Centenario Anejo Tequila
2 ounces fresh tangerine juice
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce chile de árbol agave syrup
Seltzer water
Garnish: Chili-salt rim and chile de árbol
Directions
Combine all ingredients, except seltzer water, to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice into a rock glass rimmed with chili-salt. Top with seltzer water and garnish with chile de árbol.
Check out even more of Jinich's recipes, including her beef chimichangas, here from her new cookbook "Border Food."
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