Pati, voice-over: Salt today is as fundamental to food as air is to life, just as it was for the ancient Mayans who once cultivated it from these natural pink lagoons.

This is so beautiful!

Come see!

Pati, voice-over: Scientist Felipe Perez takes me on a walk along these otherworldly lakes on the northern coast of Yucatán to learn how salt is harvested from them today.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Local cook Nicola Sanó uses this local salt in dishes that bring me back to childhood-- breaded fish and shrimp cocktail.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: In the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Diego Nunez takes me for a ride through Yucatán's rich ecosystem of hidden aquatic treasures to explore.

Pati: That is a gigantic crocodile.

Pati: But also eat... [Diego speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: his family's mango ceviche.

In my kitchen, I'm bringing the sea to your table... [Coughing] It smells spicy, which is good for a ceviche.

Pati, voice-over: with a green-powered ceviche and a pepita, pine nut, and habanero pesto baked fish served with a chunky coconut rice.

[Birds chirping] ♪ [Child shouts] Tan bonisimo.

♪ Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Super sweet.

Woman: [Speaks Spanish] Yeah.

♪ Tan rico.

♪ So breathtaking.

♪ Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... ♪ Announcer: La Costeña.

¡por sabor!

Men: ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ ♪ Announcer: Stand Together, helping every person rise.

More information at StandTogether.org.

Announcer: GOYA Black Beans-- whole, plump.

You can use them in movie time snacks and more.

If it's GOYA... it has to be good!

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Mahatma Rice.

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♪ Pati, voice-over: The northern coast of Yucatán is known for its vibrant turquoise waters, but if you visit the seaside town of Las Coloradas you'll notice a series of mysterious lagoons more pink than lemonade.

These ponds are saturated with an ingredient once so valuable to the ancient Maya--salt.

Felipe Perez is an industrial chemist for Sal Sol, the company that controls these salt licks.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Halophiles are microorganisms that thrive in high salt concentrations and assist with the formation and quality of salt crystals.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: The process takes about 10 months to go from seawater to table salt.

Water flows from the ocean into these shallow ponds and the sun evaporates the water, leaving behind salt crystals.

[Speaking Spanish] You can actually see the salt that I'm gonna put in my ceviche.

Ha!

Ha ha ha!

[Speaking Spanish] Mm.

Mm.

Ha ha ha!

Pati, voice-over: As you can imagine, Las Coloradas is also famous for its incredible seafood.

Local cook Nicola Sanó, known as Lasy, is cooking up a fresh catch of breaded snook and shrimp cocktail.

Of course, topped with fresh Yucatán salt.

[Felipe speaking Spanish] Pati: Uh-huh.

Uh-huh.

Mm-hmm.

[Speaking Spanish] Mm.

Mm!

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm.

[Laughs] ♪ I'm gonna start to make my chunky pepita and coconut rice, and to get it started, I'm gonna turn on my pan over medium heat, and then I'm gonna add a few tablespoons of oil... a half a cup of onion, and a full cup of coconut flakes, unsweetened, and I'm gonna mix them in here, and I want the onion to soften as the coconut flakes begin to toast, and I don't want to stop until the color of the coconut transforms to being brown.

So, this is gonna take a few minutes.

I'm using basmati rice.

It's very aromatic and flowery and fragrant.

So, now that they're brown, I'm adding 3 cups of coconut water.

[Sizzling] A half a cup of cream of coconut.

It's sticky, it's tropical, it's sweet.

Then I'm adding half a teaspoon of salt.

Now I'm just waiting for this coconut broth, really, to come to a strong simmer.

So, once your liquid starts simmering and it starts getting to a boil, that's when it's telling you, "OK, give me the rice," so, here it goes.

Two cups.

We give it a stir.

This smells so good.

I want to see it simmer one more time before I cover it and it's about to get there.

OK.

There it is.

Simmering.

Reducing the heat to the lowest possible heat and then you just wait anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, I'm gonna make a pepita, pine nut, and habanero pesto.

So, you're gonna come with me to get my own basil and cilantro that I've been growing in my house.

♪ So, I need 3 cups of basil and one of cilantro for this pesto.

So, I'm using one cup of sweet basil.

Also about a cup of purple basil.

And the mammoth basil.

Look at the size of these leaves.

This is insane.

I'm adding about a cup of cilantro and one habanero.

I can just remove the stem like this.

Just cutting it just to help my food processor, but it goes in the processor with the seeds and everything.

I'm adding 1/3 of a cup of slightly toasted pumpkin seeds.

1/3 of a cup of slightly toasted pine nuts.

Two garlic cloves that I already peeled.

One cup of olive oil.

Half a teaspoon of salt.

And half a cup of grated parmesan cheese.

I'm using Reggiano Parmigiano, but you can use Cotija.

Anything salty and aged will be good here.

And then I'm just gonna process until almost smooth, 'cause I want my pesto to have texture.

Here we go.

[Whirring] [Whirring stops] That looks really good.

This is awesome.

Let me taste.

Mm, mm, mm, mm!

This is so good.

This pesto is ridiculously delicious and I'm gonna put it over some fresh rockfish.

So, I have this baking dish that I just buttered and I have some fresh rockfish filets I'm just gonna sit on top of the butter.

I wash my hands and add a little salt.

A little pepper.

And then a squeeze of lime juice.

And then I'm adding this thing of beauty.

Just look at this.

And I wanna be so generous.

Just adding like this on the top.

This pesto is a thing that you can make, keep in your fridge, and hopefully, if you make it, make a big batch.

But you can also spoon this pesto on top of baked or boiled potatoes or just on a piece of toast with a little bit of olive oil or butter or any kind of thatch.

Now I have my oven at 400 degrees.

I'm gonna put my fish in there and it's gonna cook anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, and depending on the thickness of the fish, how long it's gonna be, but you know the fish is ready when you insert a fork and the fish is flaky.

OK.

The rice is ready.

It smells so good!

Looks so beautiful.

And you can see how the grains separate from one another and wait, let me taste it.

Mm, mm, mm.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Oh, my God, this rice.

If you are looking for some new dishes, like John is doing.

John is looking for new dishes for his newlywed wife.

So, we have two newlyweds here.

Can you show Joe?

Can you show Joe?

They are looking for new dishes for their wives.

And you're gonna top it with some lightly toasted pumpkin seeds.

How beautiful is this?

♪ My fish covered in pesto is ready.

♪ Yum.

So beautiful.

It has all the green colors from the pesto.

Oh, my God, this rice.

I'm smelling the habanero and the herbs and the coconut.

I'm gonna start with the rice 'cause the fish is so hot.

♪ Mm.

Fluffy and slender and soft, and at the same time, I get the chunks of that toasted coconut, and it tastes savory and it tastes sweet, and I get the crunch from the pumpkin seeds.

Come with me as we go into the fish.

♪ Mm.

It is...super herby-packed 'cause of all that basil and cilantro, and I taste the pepitas and the pine nuts that are nutty but sweet, and it's not spicy at all, even though it has the habanero.

Now let's combine it.

Fish and rice.

This will be "whoa."

Mm.

Mm.

Separate, incredible.

Together, beyond.

♪ Pati, voice-over: Not far from the pink lakes of Las Coloradas is the fishing village of Rio Lagartos.

The town itself is surrounded by the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, a protected reserve of diverse ecosystems, mangroves, and wetlands, and dangers, if you don't have the right navigator.

Pati: That is a gigantic crocodile.

[Speaking Spanish] He was sunbathing.

Pati, voice-over: Luckily, I have Diego Nunez, a guide who has spent his life exploring and protecting this ecosystem.

Did I mention that "Rio Lagartos" translates to "river of lizards"?

The wetlands are home to thousands of species of plants and animals, most famously the pink flamingo.

Diego not only gives river tours, but his family happens to own a restaurant that makes a fabulous ceviche.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: This one is marinated in lime juice and mixed with onions, tomatoes, chile, cilantro, but with a sweet twist.

[Speaking Spanish] Ah.

Uy.

OK. Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

Diego, tell me a little bit about this story of the town-- Rio Lagartos.

The area was populated by the Mayan people.

Mm-hmm.

Because the Mayan here were doing salt collection and fishing mainly on the coast.

Mayans didn't sail on the ocean.

Mm-hmm.

They were not great sailors.

They were good with canoes... Mm-hmm.

going in the estuaries and shallow water.

Mm-hmm.

Actually, one of my nicknames is Mr.

Shallow Water.

A friend, a fishermen-- Uh-huh.

I do sport fishing-- Mm-hmm.

Said, "Ah!

How can you pass over that shallow water?"

They gave my nickname Mr.

Shallow Water.

And so, this is a complete mix of salted water and natural spring water that comes from the underground?

-From the underground.

-From all of the hundreds or thousands of cenotes that connect under the Yucatán?

In the Yuc--the hydrology for the Yucatán is really complex underground.

Caves and rivers and everything.

And it all ends up in the ocean because the biodiversity helps us always.

If we don't understand that, if we're still cutting trees and killing birds and animals, we are going to end up with them, and they are not going to go back.

The first I always think is that I don't want one of my grandchilds to ask me, "Hey, Grandpa.

Where are the flamingos "you talked much about?

They are left.

There aren't any more."

I don't want to hear that.

Pati: And so, you have a restaurant that your parents started but now you've also become, like, the tour man, the Rio Lagartos.

My family with my wife, we are the first to start with ecotourism.

So, you do ecotourism and you come from a family of cooks and you have a restaurant.

What do you enjoy more now, making these delicious ceviches and food or taking people around?

-Both.

Ha ha ha!

-Both.

Ha ha ha!

[Speaking Spanish] ♪ Few things beat eating ceviche at the beach, but the next best thing is eating ceviche at home, but you have to make it really good to make up for not having the beach.

So, I'm gonna give you one new recipe that I tested out after I came back from Yucatán.

I brought my salt.

I brought inspiration.

And we're gonna do something that has so much flavor and it's so refreshing at the same time.

I'm calling this ceviche a green ceviche, 'cause it has so many green ingredients.

So, first, a green habanero, and I have my preheated comal right here over medium heat, and then two garlic cloves with the skin on, and half of a red onion.

I'm gonna cut the onion into quarters so that I can help it char faster.

As my ingredients start transforming, their sugars come to the surface.

The flavor intensifies.

Really, charring makes the best of them come out.

So, I have a nice filet of grouper.

You can use any fresh, mild fish that you can get your hands on.

Don't use frozen fish for ceviche.

So, I'm gonna cut the fish into small dice, and I already asked my fishmonger to remove the skin and the bones.

Need to flip these as they toast.

It goes so fast.

You want to make sure the ingredients transform, but you don't want them to burn.

And I'm gonna now put together the marinade.

I'm gonna add in here 1 1/2 cups of bitter orange juice that I already squeezed.

I'm gonna put in here.

The bitter orange, which is a signature ingredient of the Yucatán, it's a beautiful, gorgeous ingredient that's incredibly fragrant and aromatic and that has that deep sour taste.

And if you can't find it, you can substitute it by doing equal parts orange, lime, lemon, and a splash of white vinegar.

OK.

I'm gonna add 1/4 cup of olive oil, a teaspoon of salt, and I'm so lucky, because I have salt from the Yucatán.

And the salt has such an incredible rich taste.

[Grinding] So, about a teaspoon.

And then I'm gonna add all the ingredients that I already charred in here.

The roasted onion.

See?

The combination of rustic and charred and smoky is so very Yucatecan.

And then I'm peeling two garlic cloves right in here.

And then I'm adding the habanero with all of its seeds and heat, and then I'm also adding one celery stalk.

And I'm coarsely cutting just to help my blender out and I'm also adding one cucumber.

Puree these until completely smooth.

[Whirring] [Whirring stops] Look at this beautiful, minty, pistachio green color.

[Coughing] It smells spicy, which is good for a ceviche, but it also smells so sweet and fresh.

Let me taste.

♪ Mm.

Yum.

It is so good.

It is so fresh.

It is so incredibly packed with flavor.

I'm gonna pour all over my fresh fish.

Gonna completely cover.

And then I'm just gonna mix and make sure that it's all covered.

Now we have the raw fish that is going to cold cook in the citrus.

We want to let this sit for at least, you know, 5 to 10 minutes, and as it sits, I'm gonna prepare some other ingredients that are gonna go in here that are gonna be crunchy.

So, I'm adding one celery stalk.

And then I'm gonna add one cucumber.

So, you're getting the same ingredients in pureed form and in crunchy bite form.

And then I'm gonna add apple.

And the apple is gonna give it a delicious, tart crunch.

And then as I continue chopping my apple, I'm gonna add a half a cup of pumpkin seeds so that they can toast a little.

And to add more green, I'm gonna add avocado.

Because what is ceviche without avocado?

Not a ceviche.

[Gasp] Beautiful.

OK.

Cutting the avocado into small dice, too.

So, you can see the color start to change, and they start getting a little bit brown.

And these are ready.

After you take them out, you can add a little salt, because the oils are released, and if you add a little salt, the salt will stick a little.

OK. Mixing the ceviche with everything in here.

And then that's it.

I'm just gonna chop some garnishes.

Chives, cilantro, and then yum.

So pretty.

Super, super green.

♪ Mm.

Mm, mm, mm.

It's definitely spicy.

Very citrusy.

The marinade is delightful 'cause it's kind of silky and thick.

And then you get the crunch.

You get the toasty crunch from the pumpkin seeds, which is also like a dry crunch, but then you get the wet crunch from the cucumbers and the apple, which are also sweet and tart.

Now we're going in with a chip.

[Crunching] Mm.

Mm.

♪ This is so delicious.

[Crunching] Mm.

Mm.

♪ Mm-hmm-hmm.

Pati: For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit PatiJinich.com and connect.

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @PatiJinich.

Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... ♪ Announcer: La Costeña.

¡por sabor!

Men: ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ ♪ Announcer: Stand Together, helping every person rise.

More information at StandTogether.org.

Announcer: GOYA Black Beans-- whole, plump.

You can use them in movie time snacks and more.

If it's GOYA... it has to be good!

[Nationwide theme playing on guitar] Announcer: Here, the typical arroz con pollo or not.

Unfollow la Receta.

Mahatma Rice.

Announcer: Levenger-- nearly 40 years of craftmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.

Announcer: Proud to support "Pati's Mexican Table" on public television.

♪