Baja Med is a term conceived by Chef Miguel Ángel Guerrero that refers to

fusion cuisine Fusion cuisine is cuisine that combines elements of different culinary traditions that originate from different countries, regions, or cultures. They can occur naturally and become aspects of culturally relevant cuisines, or they can be part of ...

Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and M ...

, such as

chicharrón (, , plural ; pt, torresmo ; fil, chicharon; ch, chachalon) is a dish generally consisting of fried pork belly or fried pork rinds. may also be made from chicken, mutton or beef. Name , as a dish with sauce, or as finger-food snacks, are ...

and

cotija cheese Cotija is an aged Mexican cheese made from cow's milk and named after the town of Cotija, Michoacán. White in color and firm in texture, its flavor is salty and milky. "Young" (or fresher) cotija cheese has been described as akin to a mild feta ...

, with those of

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

, such as olive oil, and

Asian cuisine Asian cuisine includes several major regional cuisines: Central Asian, East Asian, North Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and West Asian. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, usually associated with ...

, such as lemongrass. Baja Med dishes showcase the fresh produce and seafood of

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Ingredients

The cuisine features the fresh produce of the state. This includes fresh seafood from the port of Ensenada such as mussels, oysters, clams and shrimp, and blue tuna; miniature vegetables from the fields south of Ensenada, olives from the winemaking region of the

Guadalupe Valley Guadalupe Creek or Guadalupe Valley Creek is a short eastward-flowing stream whose watershed originates just east of the highest peak of San Bruno Mountain in San Mateo County, California, United States. It courses through San Bruno Mountain St ...

just northeast of Ensenada, dates from San Ignacio and tomatoes and strawberries from the

San Quintin San Quintín or San Quintin may refer to : Chile * San Quintín Glacier Mexico *San Quintín, Baja California ** San Quintín Volcanic Field Philippines *San Quintin, Abra *San Quintin, Pangasinan See also * Saint Quentin * Battle of St. Quentin ...

Valley. Additional ingredients include red lobster, manta rays, sea cucumbers and

salicornia ''Salicornia'' is a genus of succulent, halophytic (salt tolerant) flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae that grow in salt marshes, on beaches, and among mangroves. ''Salicornia'' species are native to North America, Europe, Central Asia, ...

, a succulent that grows in sand dunes.

Examples of dishes

Examples of Baja Med dishes include: * Tempura fish tacos * Deep sea shrimp served with fried marlin, baby farm tomatoes, scallions and a sauce made with local cheeses * Beet carpaccio with blue cheese and mint vinaigrette. * Duck skewered with licorice and sprinkled with guava dust"Master of a New Tijuana", ''New York Times'', Josh Kun, March 8, 2011
/ref> * Risotto topped with salt-cured nopalitos (prickly pear cactus) and charred octopus * Slow-cooked short ribs bathed in a mission fig syrup on top of a black mole sauce

Chefs and restaurants

Baja Med cuisine is a feature of the various restaurants of La Querencia and La Esperanza from Miguel Ángel Guerrero, other

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

restaurants such as Food Garden, and Manzanilla in the city of Ensenada. In

Bonita, California Bonita (Spanish for "Beautiful") is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Diego County, California, nestled between the cities of Chula Vista, National City, and San Diego. The population was 12,538 at the 2010 census. Geography ...

, between

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

and Tijuana, Plascencia's Romesco features the cuisine.

Valle de Guadalupe

In the

Valle de Guadalupe The Valle de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Valley) is an area of Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, Mexico that is an increasingly popular tourist destination for wine and Baja Med cuisine. It is located north of the City of Ensenada and southeas ...

wine country near Ensenada, chef Jaír Tellez's restaurant Laja is renowned for the cuisine, as are his restaurants Contramar and Merotoro in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. Diego Hernández heads up Corazón de Tierra in the

, rated by William Reed Business Media (the "San Pellegrino survey") as one of Latin America's 50 best restaurants, also rick baylessand his trendy Leña Brava in Chicago. while chef

Javier Plascencia Javier Plascencia is a chef from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, considered the most famous chef of the city and of all chefs, the one whose cuisine most helped define a new cuisine, Baja Med. Plascencia and Baja Med cuisine In 2011, Plascencia ...

is present with his Finca de Altozano, and

Drew Deckman Drew M. Deckman is an American/Mexican chef and restaurateur. He worked at restaurants in Europe and was recognised by the Michelin Guide for his work at the Restaurant Vitus in Reinstorf. He then set up restaurants in Baja California Baja ...

with Deckman's en el Mogor.

References

{{Mexican cuisine Culture of Baja California Culture in Tijuana Mexican cuisine Restaurants in Mexico