Mariscos El Cristalazo: The New L.A. Standard in Sinaloan Cuisine in Los Angeles Magazine

Tamales barbones at Mariscos El Cristalazo

Well, it's easier than you think to find great new spots in L.A. for street food and mom and pops given our limitless urban sprawl. South Central is particularly rich in Mexican street food during the weekend mornings and afternoons; East LA, Boyle Heights and South Central are also constantly losing and gaining food trucks, stands and casas (houses); and MacArthur Park has the same fluid motion in terms of Guatemalan and Salvadoran street food. But 2014 has yielded an even more substantial trio of exceptional finds: Carnitas El Momo, Tacos Quetzalcoatl and now Mariscos El Cristalazo.

Chilitos Cri Cri--bacon wrapped chile güeros stuffed with shrimp and cheese


Mariscos El Cristalazo is a traditional seafood vendor from Escuinapa, Sinaloa that bridges the gap between the conventional barra fria (cold bar) and barra caliente (hot bar) of our local Sinaloan seafood restaurants and the contemporary Mexican seafood practitioners like Guerrilla Tacos, Tacos Puntas Cabras, Bizarra Capital and Taco Maria.

Cocktails: the Cristalazo--shrimp ceviche, aguachile and call de hacha with a chabela, a super-sized michelada 

Ninive Vargas brings in fresh seafood products from Mexico just like Coni'Seafood from Sinaloa's southern neighbor, Nayarit, which shares a similar seafood tradition, but with both subtle and unmistakable differences. You can read more about this delicious find in Essential T: Tamales Barbones at Mariscos El Cristalazo and Mariscos El Cristalazo Sets the Standard for Sinaloan Seafood in L.A. in my latest posts for the Los Angeles Magazine Digest.
 

Tacos de marlin

 Best callo de hacha in L.A.

 Lemon pepper shrimp

Botana Reniz: callo de hacha, oysters, and a little spice

 Shrimp albondigas, grandmother's recipe 

Tlaxtihuille, a pre-Hispanic mole with shrimp, one of the best Mexican dishes to enjoy in Los Angeles


Follow Mariscos El Cristalazo on Instagram @el_critalazo