Puerto Penasco Fish Market | Costa Brava Restaurant

Wednesday | 21 February 2007 | Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico:  Another great day at the beach. Another day waiting for a refrigerator repairman who did not show. Since this is the guy who dropped dinner to rush out and repair my Dad's electrical cord, we are quite surprised Larry did not return to fix our fridge. He had gone out of town for the weekend... maybe he did not get back... I am giving him the benefit of the doubt.

For lunch, I prepared chicken cutlets, roasted asparagus spears and tomato salad for everyone, and then we headed into town. Mom and Dad wanted to purchase pounds of shrimp to take back to friends in Arizona and we wanted one last stroll along the Malacon.

 
The pretty Malacon


Asparagus is everywhere this time of year - 50 cents per bunch!


Shrimp for sale at the fish market - jumbo shrimp $8 per pound

 
Flounder and asparagus at the Puerto Penasco Fish Market

Shrimp comes in three sizes at the Puerto Penasco Fish Market - Jumbo, Medium and small. No one is too interested in the small and the jumbo is so huge they are just good for grilling. The medium is the most popular size due to the intense flavor and ease of cleaning. At the Puerto Penasco fish market, your fish is first weighed and then they clean it (no extra charge) while you wait. Today, huge clams were for sale, a few large tuna-type fish and the ever-present flounder were offered. Not too much variety today. Still, there was a lot of activity at the fish market this afternoon - people buying for dinner, RVers buying for their freezers and other tourists filling disposable Styrofoam coolers to take back to Arizona. Of course, everyone was buying asparagus to cook with their shrimp tonight. Mom and Dad ended up buying shrimp from the same fish market vendor where we had purchased the flounder a few days ago. We chatted with the same flirtatious time-share salesman, bought more unneeded Chiclets from yet another street urchin and headed back to our beach.

Quite a crowd gathered for the sunset tonight. Our last night in Puerto Penasco provided the most beautiful sunset yet - everyone agreed it was a stunner. Mom & Dad's beach-front neighbors were there - Stu providing a margarita to thank me for helping him with his computer and our new friends, Karen and Benny providing never-ending snacks. Other new friends include Utta and Gabriel from Silver City, Rossana from Troutdale and Elizabeth and Ed from Calgary - quite a crew from all over - we gathered for cocktails and sunsets each evening.

Another beautiful sunset

Tonight we had a very difficult time finding a restaurant. Our first choice was the chicken asada place, but we decided on the drive into town that it was just too cold to eat out of doors tonight. Our first stop in the old port was the Harborside Restaurant. For some reason (Ash Wednesday?) it was closed. A guy working on the electrical system outside told us to try Agave. After going inside Agave and realizing we were the only patrons and it was dubious-looking at best, we decided to try a place Benny had mentioned to us the other day. Costa Brava turned out to be the best restaurant (other than the chicken asada place, of course) we have tried since arriving in Puerto Penasco. The service was excellent, the restaurant is beautiful - in an old house - and the food was simply delicious. DT and I both had steaks - Mexican-style, sliced very thin. Mine was topped with green chilies. DT had a red sauce over his steak. The beef, though sliced so thin, was still medium-rare and as tender as bread. Mom had a specialty fish dish, smothered in cheese and spinach and Dad had their house chicken. For some unknown reason, during our meal the waiter brought another round of drinks - on the house. We are still not sure why, but I don't think we minded much. Costa Brava is most excellent.

   
Mom enjoys a pina colada - and the Sonora steak at Costa Brava

It is hard to believe it has already been ten days and we must head back to America tomorrow. DT and I hope you have enjoyed our Mexican adventure as much as we have.

P.S.: My husband bought SEVEN turtles today.

RV Park: The Reef RV Park at Sandy Beach