♪ -Seeking something fresh to sink your teeth into?

Well, Sonora has it.

Mexico's second-largest state is prime cattle country, whose western edge is gilded with more than 500 miles of rich coastline.

And in this episode, I get to taste the bounty of this vast landscape straight from the source.

In the Sea of Cortez, I'm after a real prize -- the sweetest and biggest scallops I've ever seen.

I'm in awe.

In the Sonoran heartland, I explore the state's iconic beef culture with Sonora's first female butcher, Nere Vejar Espinoza.

-[ Speaking Spanish ] -Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

When the ingredients are this fresh, this tasty, what more do we need to add?

This is simply Sonora.

-[ Singing in Spanish ] ♪ ♪ -"Pati's Mexican Table" is made possible by... ♪ -La Costeña.

♪ -♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ -Fud brand cheese -- traditional Mexican flavor.

-Stand Together -- helping every person rise.

More information at StandTogether.org.

-BanCoppel -- your recipe for sending money to Mexico.

-Mahatma rice lets you unite ingredients and flavors.

Mahatma rice unites.

-Divine Flavor.

♪ -Norson.

♪ -Anywhere you go in Sonora, you're going to meet someone who can't wait to tell you all about the amazing things their state has to offer.

My friend Hector Platt Mazón is one such Sonoran.

And he thought, what better place to show me than at a restaurant with one of the best views in the whole state, La Manga, on the coast of San Carlos.

♪ Tell me about your Sonora.

Well, my Sonora is -- is very big.

It has a lot of diversity.

You can get the ocean, but you could get mountains, you could get cattle ranches, you could get farms, you could get industry.

So you have a lot of Sonora within Sonora.

-For me, coming from Mexico City, Sonora was, like, so far away, so removed.

We don't know it.

-Some people say that this is the best-kept secret in the Sea of Cortez, but I think we kept the secret long enough.

It's time for everybody to get to know San Carlos and Sonora, all of our state.

It has a lot of things to offer to a lot of kind of audiences and a lot of diversity of products, so you can enjoy your stay.

Mm-hmm.

Ooh-ee!

-Wow.

-Ooh.

Don't do this to me!

I just said I wasn't hungry!

Hector!

-People tend to forget that we have like 1,200 kilometers of beaches here in our state.

-Mm-hmm.

-Sonora produce is so fresh.

This was in the sea, I don't know, a couple of hours ago.

-Salud.

-Salud.

Mmm.

-How was it?

-It's ridiculous.

-Hm.

These guys are hungry, also.

-Mm-hmm.

Mmm!

[ Man singing in Spanish ] As if I'm not already convinced of Sonora's splendor, the owner of La Manga, Dona Rosita, has a few things to add.

-Whoa!

[ Conversing in Spanish ] -She's always eating.

[ Laughter ] -Mmm!

-Mmm!

-Mmm!

Mmm!

How would you describe Sonora?

Mm-hmm.

Mnh-mnh?

Mnh-mnh.

Staring out at that sea, I'm inspired to see for myself what makes Sonora's coast so special.

Just south of San Carlos, in Bahía Kino, seafood stands line the streets with an overwhelming variety of different shellfish that come straight from the sea.

But I'm on the hunt for these -- the giant prehistoric-looking shell that holds a personal favorite, scallops.

For thousands of years, this region of the Sea of Cortez has been home to a native tribe called the Seri.

The Seri are still a presence here.

♪ Before any fishing expedition, it's custom to get a blessing from someone in the tribe before heading out on the water.

-Mm-hmm.

-Mm-hmm.

Uh-huh.

Uh-huh.

[ Laughs ] Some fishermen don't like the rituals anymore.

That's their loss, she says.

[ Laughs ] Our fisherman for the day, Gilberto, is hopefully going to find some scallops for me, but first... [ Laughs ] ♪ -[ Singing in native language ] ♪ ♪ ♪ Gilberto and his brother Diego have been fishing these waters since they were kids.

This type of diving can be very dangerous.

They trawl the bottom of the sea without any oxygen tanks or high-tech gear to monitor their oxygen levels, sometimes diving to great depths for their catch.

Diego and Gilberto were so nice to take us out fishing this morning, and they truly know their stuff, but between us, I'm not sure they were 100% prepared.

Looks like Gilberto is a super expert, but we caught him a little bit off-guard, and he left his GPS at home.

[ Laughter ] Oh, he's a cousin.

So, the cousin grabbed all the stuff, and he grabbed all the wrong things, okay?

...I'm so glad you had a blessing.

[ Laughs ] ♪ ♪ As Gilberto dives down to the bottom, his brother Diego drives ahead to straighten out the line.

Then he slowly drives ahead, pulling Gilberto along the seabed.

Diego keeps a hold on the line so his brother can send him signals.

Whoa!

Wow!

Eee!

Yeah, they are gigantic!

I'm...in...awe.

This is like a dinosaur-sized shellfish.

It's just mind-blowing.

Wow!

Looks like a scallop steak.

Diego and Gilberto might not have been totally prepared with their gear, but they did bring the essentials.

He forgot his GPS, his vegetable peeler.

But he didn't forget the beer, the onion, the cucumber, the lime, and the...

I mean, any restaurant has nothing on you.

♪ It's firm, but when you bite into it, it's like soft little crystals with a clean scallop taste.

Once you finish biting into it, it becomes super-soft little pieces.

I can give it to you with chips, too.

You have to try.

[ Laughs ] Who wants?

Who wants?

This is for James.

♪ You gave me this incredible feast, and it's like a seafood picnic like no other.

Mmm.

When you arrive in Sonora, this is one of the first sounds you hear.

[ Sizzling ] And the first word?

"Carne."

In this part of the state, beef is Sonora, and Sonora is beef.

From taco stands to steak dinners, from first light to late night, tacos de cabeza, a burro stuffed with machaca, carne con chile.

Sonorans don't just have celebrations.

They celebrate with carne asada.

Food in Sonora is so much about meat, and it stands to reason.

Beautiful, vast, and arid, a rancher's land.

Sonora is Mexico's second-biggest state.

It takes eight hours to drive from one end to the other.

Trust me.

We did it.

Right in the heart of Sonora is the town of Matape.

For these small towns, many times it is the butcher who feeds the community, and for that, they are revered.

But Matape's butcher is particularly unique.

Yes, she is.

♪ -Hola.

¿Cómo estás?

[ Laughter ] Look at this!

How cute!

Mm-hmm.

♪ So, Nere is really the first woman butcher that breaks apart the cow and sells it in Sonora.

And Nere learned from her father.

[ Conversing in Spanish ] Nere's father was also a butcher, and she adored him.

Everywhere he went, she went.

So she learned her trade from a very young age.

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ This is Amado, and he's from Hermosillo.

And he's our companion and driver for the whole trip here in Sonora.

I love him.

He's amazing.

-[ Laughs ] -What do you feel about these?

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Nere's one of the most famous butchers in Sonora, but she's almost as beloved for a special recipe that she's about to share with me.

♪ [ Conversing in Spanish ] Okay.

-[ Horn honks ] Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

[ Laughter ] Ahh!

Okay.

Ready?

Mm-hmm.

Mmm-mmm-mmm!

♪ [ Thunder rumbles ] She's going to bring this to a boil, and this going to cook from 4:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.

But she has one that she already... ♪ It's raining in Sonora, where it never, ever rains!

[ Laughter ] -Uh-huh.

-Ahh.

Ah, okay.

Okay, so, she's straining the broth and she's separating all of the fat that she says has a lot of flavor.

Amado's giving us a hand.

Because the meat broth was cooler than what she usually works with when she strains it, she's heating the fat back up so that most of the fat can melt.

Amado -- Yeah.

Amado, you're part of the team.

Amado thought he was going to accompany us, and he thought he was going to drive us places, but he has to cook, too!

See?

He's here taking lessons from Nere.

We don't want to lose that flavor from the fat.

This dish is simply called cabeza.

This dish is called "head."

She's so hungry.

Nere is so hungry because she hasn't eaten.

No, she wants to wait to eat this because this is what she wants to eat.

So she doesn't mind getting hungrier.

Okay.

Before she announces it on social media today, guess who's going to eat it.

Me.

So, here we have a ton of yerba buena.

I'm negotiating because she doesn't like the brains, I don't like the brains.

She's about to put them in there.

And we both decided, no, leave out the brains.

♪ After adding the chili, Nere finishes the soup with more oregano and spearmint and salt.

It comes up to a boil and simmers for 30 minutes before it is ready to serve.

♪ You have to come and look at the color of this broth.

It is -- [ Gasps ] Come see.

Isn't it a beautiful color?

Yeah?

[ Laughter ] [ Speaks Spanish ] And I thought it was going to be gamey and strong.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

[ Laughter ] ♪ This soup has a crowd waiting.

In honor of our visit, the people of Matape are having a carne asada.

As Nere mentioned earlier, the arid and dry land around here has little to give, but the cow has built the community, and the community comes together to share the benefits from what the cow gives.

And holding all this together, that is the role that someone like Nere plays.

♪ [ Laughter ] -Aww.

-[ Crying ] -Sí.

♪ ♪ [ Laughter ] ♪ -For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit PatiJinich.com.

And connect!

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

-"Pati's Mexican Table" is made possible by... ♪ -La Costeña.

♪ -♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ -Fud brand meats -- traditional Mexican flavor.

-Stand Together -- helping every person rise.

More information at StandTogether.org.

-BanCoppel -- your recipe for sending money to Mexico.

-Mahatma rice lets you unite ingredients and flavors.

Mahatma rice unites.

-Divine Flavor.

♪ -Norson.

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