While Mexican seafood restaurants are mostly known for ceviche, there’s a cooked dish that makes fish and shrimp seriously crave-worthy: culichi.
Salsa culichi is a specialty of Sinaloa, Mexico, home to the “Shrimp Capital” Mazatlán. The creamy green sauce features a combination of poblano peppers, onion, garlic, and Mexican cream.
At Casa Valencia, the Camaron Culichi features shrimp swimming in salsa culichi with bubbly cheese on top.
While an Italian nonna might scoff at the idea of cheese on shrimp, the mild stringy cheese in camaron culichi doesn’t hide the shrimp flavor — it only enhances the richness of the creamy sauce.
Even though it depends on green poblano peppers for flavor, don’t worry about the heat — they are less than half as hot as a jalapeño. However, it still packs a grassy, potent green pepper flavor.
The shrimp is served in more than enough sauce, so take advantage of the accompanying corn tortillas to sop it up.
Although fish culichi is also available on the menu, the fish is milder and doesn’t pair quite as nicely. But if you prefer fish, go for it.
Casa Valencia is located at 2660 N. Campbell Ave. and 1825 W. Valencia Rd. For more information, visit casavalenciarestaurants.com.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
