By Ron E. Smith
HQ 38 | SPRING 2000
Ron Smith knows that restaurants do not live by food alone. That’s why in 1983 when he opened Chili Willi’s Mexican Cantina, he set out not only to offer the best Mexican and Southwestern cuisine in the region, but to create an atmosphere that sends the senses South of the Border.
Today, large neon chili peppers hang in the windows. Murals, mirrors and painted cattle skulls accent green and peach walls. Behind a long red counter lined with curious patrons, the cast of cooks brings to life Smith’s cuisine creations. The aroma permeates the dining area. Employees, dressed in shorts, blue jeans and everything in between, scurry from table to counter to beyond, serving orders, clearing dishes, seating customers. The chatter of patrons mixes with rhythmic rock music.
“When I came up with the concept, I said I want it to be a restaurant that serves a drink and not a bar that serves food,” Smith explained. “I said, I want to have a kitchen out front. I want it to be busy. I want plates to be clanging, music to be playing, people to be talking and laughing. You know, a real boisterous sound that is a cantina.”
Smith crosses the continent searching for the perfect Mexican, Southwestern and Tex-Mex cuisine. His travels have taken him to such restaurants as the Coyote Cafe in Sante Fe, New Mexico, and the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, Texas. He will visit with owners and up-and coming young chefs in his search for ways to improve upon existing dishes or create new ones.
“I would like to think our Mexican food is as good as you can find in the Southwest or in Texas or in California.”
The following is a recipe for Smith’s Red Chile Crusted Tuna with Mango and Black Bean Salsa.
Red Chile Crusted Tuna
Serves 1
1 – 8 oz. Yellowfin tuna steak
1 tablespoon New Mexico red chiles, toasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
salt
2 tablespoons clarified butter
Step One: Remove the stems and seeds from three New Mexico red chiles. Break each chilé in half. Heat a sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Place the chiles in the pan and lightly toast by pushing down on the chiles with a pair of tongs. Toast until they are aromatic turning them over and toasting both sides, but be careful to not burn the chiles as they will become bitter. Remove the chiles from the pan onto a plate and allow to cool. In a spice mill or coffee grinder, process the chiles until coarsely ground. Place in a bowl or plate and add the black pepper. Combine the two ingredients.
Step Two: Add the clarified butter to a sauté pan and heat over medium high heat. Season the tuna steak with salt on both sides, then on one side press the tuna steak down onto a plate with the ground chiles and pepper. Press the spice mixture into the tuna to make a crust. When the clarified butter is hot to the point of almost smoking, set the tuna with the spice mixture side down into the sauté pan. Cook for two minutes on that side. Carefully turn the tuna steak over and cook for one more minute if a medium rare doneness is desired; or two minutes for a medium doneness. When cooked, plate the fish over top of the Mango and Black Bean Salsa and top with chopped cilantro and lime zest.
Mango & Black Bean Salsa
Serves 4
3 whole mangoes, small dice
1/2 cup dried black beans, cook to al dente
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
3 jalapeno chiles, finely diced
1 large red bell pepper, small dice
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt to taste
Step One: Dice the mango by first peeling the skin away with a vegetable peeler if the mango is medium ripe. If the mango is soft and ripe, cut a wedge out of the mango the full length to the seed and cut the wedge away from the seed. Cut the flesh away from the skin and dice the mango into a small dice. Proceed to cut more wedges of mango away from the seed and dice the flesh. Set diced mango in a bowl.
Step Two: Wash the black beans and put in a saucepan. Cover with water to two inches above the beans. Cook for approximately 20 minutes then check to see if beans are cooked but still a little firm. The beans should not be soft and mushy. Drain the beans when cooked into a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking. Do not add any salt to the water when cooking the beans, as it will make the skins tough.
Step Three: Prepare the other ingredients. Dice the red onion and set aside. Using rubber gloves, cut the stems from the jalapeño chiles, then remove the seeds. Finely dice the chiles. Stem and seed the red bell pepper and cut into a dice the same size as the mango. Clean the cilantro leaves then chop. Combine all the ingredients with the diced mango except the salt and stir to combine the flavors. Taste to see if the flavors or the tart lime match the sweet mango. Add enough salt to round out the flavors and refrigerate. Salsa will keep for two to three days. Serve this salsa with the Red Chile Crusted Tuna or other grilled seafood.
