Pacífico

Experience the delicious dishes and deep-rooted cooking traditions of Mexico’s breathtaking Pacific Coast.

Eat your way down Mexico’s west coast in this stunningly beautiful tribute to the ancestral cooking of Pacífico, a region defined as much by its rugged cliffs and glistening coastlines as by its legendary fish tacos and grilled meats emboldened by tropical salsas. From the steep inclines of Baja in the north, winding around the resplendent shores of Nayarit, through legendary resort enclaves of Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, and Acapulco, and continuing down the Oaxaca coast past Puerto Escondido, the traditions of the kitchen here are seasonal, alive with flavor, and firmly rooted in the rhythms of daily life.

Pacifíco captures the full breadth and glory of coastal cooking—bringing you food from beachside seafood stands, village markets, inland farms, and community celebrations. The recipes are approachable and full of inspiring, practical details. You’ll find a whole chapter dedicated to salsas, as well as dishes such as: 

Mañana (Breakfast): Rebanadas con Requesón Cremoso y Mango (French Toast with Whipped Ricotta and Honey Mango)

Vegetales (Vegetable Cooking): Enchiladas Suizas con Calabacita (Creamy Enchiladas with Summer Squash)

Mar (Seafood): Camarones al Coco (Coconut Shrimp) 

Tierra (Chicken & Meats): Costillitas de Res con Salsa Verde Martajada (Slow-Roasted Short Ribs with Salsa Verde)

Fiesta (Feasts): Pollo Super-Felíz (Charbroiled Butterflied Chicken with Citrus Sauce) 

Algo Dulce (Desserts): Carlota de Limón (Lime Icebox Cake)

Photographed on location throughout the coastal region, Pacifìco honors the contributions of local costeños— homecooks, chefs, street food vendors, fishermen, farmers, and restaurant owners—whose knowledge and craft have shaped the region’s foodways for generations. From guisados passed down through generations to simple ceviches prepared within steps of the shore, Pacifíco captures a place where cooking tells the story of community, culture, land, and sea. 

• “Paola has translated these dishes without flattening them. She tells you what to do when you cannot find the fish, the fruit, the chile, without apology and without surrender. Her substitutions are not compromises. They are bridges, built by someone who lives on both sides and refuses to let either one go.”
  From the Foreword by Pati Jinich, chef, cookbook author, and television host
• “Pacífico is such a gift! Paola writes about Mexico's Pacific coast not as a backdrop for resorts and tourists, but as a living landscape with its own memory and a culinary diversity. Paola gives the vibrant communities that have shaped its food the recognition that is long overdue. This is a necessary book about one of the most beautiful places in the world.”
  Sean Sherman, chef, author of "Turtle Island", educator, and activist
• “Paola has written a beautiful tribute to the ingredients, the culture, and the people of her home. Pacífico will encourage home cooks to go deeper into the foods of the region—I want to cook everything in this book, and then take a long trip down the Pacific coast of Mexico!”
  José Andrés, chef, cookbook author, and humanitarian
• “Paola cooks with love … u can feel it thru the page … she cooks from the soul with vibrant flavors that smack u right in the face and keep u coming back for more!!!”
  benny blanco, author of "Open Wide" and music producer, songwriter, and actor
• “On every page of Pacífico, you can feel Paola’s love for cooking as she writes about the flavors and memories of her homeland. This book not only honors the richness of Mexico’s Pacific coast; it also reminds us that behind every recipe there is a story, a family, and a community that deserves to be remembered.”
  Zahie Téllez, chef, television host, and author of Mi Historia a Través de los Sabores
•  “I can think of nobody better to get at the essence of the food of the west coast of Mexico than Paola. Pacífico is a great cookbook based on years of research and travel, and shows off its value with a demure confidence that belies the years of hard work.”
  Christopher Kimball, author of the Milk Street cookbooks and editor and publisher of Milk Street