Occasionally, I’ve been able to virtually attend the LA Times Chat with Food Critic, Jonathan Gold. In case you don’t know him, he’s also written for Gourmet magazine as well as LA Weekly.
The LA Times makes Gold available on their website for a moderated chat session each Wednesday at noon pacific time. I have attended a few of the chats and have asked him some questions.
Because Gold frequently writes about inexpensive ethnic cuisine, I felt comfortable in asking him for his favorite mariscos restaurant. He responded “Coni Seafood” and quickly added “pescando zarandeado”. Not having heard of either, I had to check it out for myself.
After finding a photo of this dish, I realized that I had already experienced this dish at Mariscos Chente on Centinela near Culver. A whole snook is grilled and butterflied and served with warm tortillas and a sauce that includes soy sauce and caramelized onions. .
It turns out that the chef from Mariscos Chente, Sergio Penuelas, followed Connie Cossio to Coni Seafood. As a result, I’ve been going there on a semi-regular basis for the last few years. I’ve invited a few people to join me and it’s been fun watching them eat pescando zarandeado for the first time.
While you can order single dishes like ceviche and tacos, it’s way more fun to go to Coni Seafood as a group. This way you can sample many different items instead of being limited to a single one. If you want to get more into the spirit, you can even order a Jarritos soda.
I recently visited there with a small group and we shared a number of dishes:
Ceviche is a great way to start a meal. Ceviche made with citrus juice combined with fresh pieces of white fish and cucumber really wakens up my tastebuds. We scooped up the fish mixture with the tortilla chips and enjoyed it that way.
Their marlin tacos have a nice smoky flavor. Unlike other mariscos restaurants, they don’t deep fry the entire taco and instead, grill them until they are slightly charred. The addition of sliced avocado, cheese and salsa with the corn tortilla marries well with the salty and smoky fish.
The two shrimp dishes were served next: Camarones Borrachos and Camarones a la Diabla. Everyone enjoyed both of these dishes; I happened to favor the Borrachos because the shrimp is loaded with garlic and marinated in tequila. The Diabla, however, was spicier.
The Pescando Zarandeado was the piece de resistance. The whole snook was grilled and butterflied. It was decorated with sliced red onions and cucumbers. We took turns at removing the fish and adding it to a tortilla with their special sauce with caramelized onions.
Unfortunately Penuelas left Coni Seafood and opened up Cheko in Long Beach. Fortunately for me, the kitchen is still able to execute his menu.
Coni Seafood
- 3544 W Imperial Hwy, Inglewood, CA; (310) 672-2339
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConiSeafood
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coniseafood/