Grilled Mackerel with a Sweet Soy Glaze

• 4 mackerel fillets 
• zest and juice 1 lime, plus extra wedges to serve
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• butter, for greasing
• steamed baby bok choi or spinach to serve

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and cut into matchsticks
• juice 1 lime
• thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp muscovado sugar
• Half a red pepper finely sliced

1. Score the mackerel fillets a couple of times on the skin, then lay them in a shallow dish ready for grilling. Sprinkle with the lime zest and juice, and leave to marinate for 5-10 mins.
2. Place all of the sauce ingredients and the red pepper and spinach in a small pan with a splash of water and gradually bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 mins to thicken slightly, cook for another  then remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Turn the grill to its highest setting and place the mackerel on a greased baking tray, skin side up. Sprinkle the fillets with the olive oil and some sea salt, then grill for 5 mins until the flesh is opaque and cooked through.
4.  lay mackerel fillets on  a plate, drizzle with the sauce and serve with a wedge of lime and rice.

Guacamole

 The key to good guacamole is a using the best avocados. They say that if a woman can choose a right avocado they will pick a good husband; I am yet to be convinced by this theory. As extranjeros we are often given the worst avocadoes in the market. Check each one well for bruises and ripeness. Don’t be afraid to ask to change them if you’re not happy. If you find a good vendedora de aguacate, stick with them.

Finely dice one small onion and leave to sit in the juice of one lime to soften the taste. Add the other half of the cilantro- chopped, and half a diced jalapeño depending on how hot you like it. Dice two tomatoes and add to the mixture. Leave to sit for 5-10 minutes. Making sure the avocados are ripe, scrap out the contents of 3 avocados and another lime with plenty of salt. Add the mashed avocados to the tomato mixture and stir together. Try and make the dip as late as possible for freshness but a great truco (trick) to stop the guacamole from browning is to add one or two avocado stones to the dip– this really works!

Pico de Gallo

Why is pico de gallo called pico de gallo you may ask? There are many theories. The direct translation is ‘beak of the cockerel’. Some say it’s because of the dip’s vibrant colors while others say it’s because the chopped vegetables look like they have been picked at by hens. I thought it was had something to do with the ‘picante’ involved but I’ll let you come to your own conclusions.

Ingredients

1.5 libras (pounds) of tomatoes from the market, washed

1 large onion

2-3 limes

1 Quetzal of cilantro (washed)

1 jalapeño chili (optional)

I tablespoon of salsa inglesa (Guatemala’s very own version of Worcestershire sauce)

Instructions

1.    Start by peeling and finely dicing the onion. Place in a medium size bowl and add the juice of one of the limes, mix well and put to one side

2.    Finely chop the jalapeño (removing seeds) and add to the onion. If you don’t like it hot just use about half or leave it out completely

3.    Using about half of the cilantro bunch, take the leaves off the stalks, finely chop and add to the bowl with the onion

4.    Dice and add the tomatoes, squeeze over the juice of another lime, add the salsa inglesa (this is the special twist you may or may not want to share with people), and a large pinch of salt to season. Mix well

5.    Taste for seasoning adding more salsa inglesa, lime juice or salt as needed. Getting a cuate Chapín (Guatemalan friend) to help at this point is advisable to ensure the salsa has acceptably high levels of salt.

Jerk Chicken drumsticks

• It's really important that you remember to make the marinade the night before or a few hours before to make the chicken really flavourful. 
• Ingredients
• 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, stemmed (I used one green chilli)
• 1 bunch scallions, cut into pieces - (I used one onion chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for grill
• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds chicken pieces - I used drum sticks
• Salt and pepper

Directions

• STEP 1

  In a food processor, puree chile, scallions, garlic, thyme, brown sugar, allspice, soy sauce, lime juice, and oil. In a large zip-top bag, toss chicken with paste. Refrigerate over night.

• STEP 2

  Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-low. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Season chicken with salt and pepper; grill, covered, turning often to prevent charring, and basting the chicken with the remaining sauce from time to time until cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes.

Chocolate truffles

Basic truffle ingredients

• 8 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (high quality, 62% cacao or higher), well chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Optional base flavorings:

• Mint leaves (1 bunch, stems removed, chopped, about 1 cup)
• Cinnamon and cardamon (1 cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom pods)
• Amaretto (1-2 tablespoons)
• Almond extract (1 teaspoon)

Truffle coatings

• Cocoa powder
• Finely chopped walnuts
• Finely chopped almonds

METHOD

1 In a small, heavy saucepan bring the heavy whipping cream to a simmer (this may take a while, be sure to stir and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula every few minutes).

If you are using one of the other recommended flavorings, stir it in with the cream (and ignore vanilla in the next step). If adding mint or other solids, after the cream simmers, remove from heat and let seep for an hour. Then strain away solids, and return the cream to a simmer and proceed with recipe.

2 Place the chocolate in a separate bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate, add the vanilla, and allow to stand for a few minutes then stir until smooth. (This chocolate base is called ganache.)

3 Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator for two hours. Remove and with a teaspoon roll out balls of the ganache. Roll in your hands quickly (as it will melt from the heat of your hands) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator overnight.

4 Roll in cocoa powder or chopped nuts and serve, or place back in the refrigerator until needed.