by Richard Foss
On my first visit to the original Coni Seafood in Inglewood, my dining companion scanned the menu, turned it over, and said, “I think I’m missing a page.”
That seemed like a reasonable assumption because the only things listed were fish, oysters, and shrimp. Where were the vegetarian and meat options? As we quickly found out, there are none – the sign out front says seafood, and that’s what you go to this restaurant for. They might as well have put up a sign saying, “If you don’t eat fish, don’t eat here.”
That Inglewood location has been bustling since 2017 and earned a coveted spot in the Michelin Guide last year. Even so, I thought when they opened a location in Hermosa, they might consider adding at least a token vegetarian item or two, maybe even a meat dish. This restaurant specializes in the coastal cuisine of Nayarit, the state north of Puerto Vallarta, but surely they could have added that region’s chicken, pork, or vegetable dishes. They could have, but they didn’t, and the menu here is the same as it is in Inglewood.
The former Encanto Colombian restaurant hasn’t changed much inside or out, including their commitment to keeping most windows open even when it’s cold outside. This isn’t a problem in the balmy spring weather that we’re having on the day I write this, but seemed questionable a few months ago when it was cool and windy. The old-fashioned interior of dark wood and exposed brick has a somewhat bare feel, with TVs tuned to sports the only colorful visual element.
The items on the menu are fairly well described, but if you are not a fan of highly spiced food, you should talk with your server before ordering. Some are clearly marked as spicy, while others have a cumulative heat that sneaks up on you. An early indication of this is the salsa that arrives with your chips, a thin green sauce whose citrusy heat builds with each chip that you dip into it. My wife is a self-proclaimed spice wimp, and enjoyed the first couple of chips, but switched to alternating a chip with a small dab of salsa with another that was plain.
On the first visit we tried the smoked marlin pate tacos with tomato, onion, and cheese, which we found to be an interesting combination. The smoked fish had been chopped and mixed with spices so that it didn’t have much texture, and it was hard to pick out exactly what it was contributing to the more vivid flavors of the other items. This was a new ingredient in Mexican food as far as I was concerned, and I wanted to try more of it. We started our second visit with mini-tostadas with a layer of that marlin pate topped with shrimp and octopus ceviche. This had an interesting contrast of slight funky smokiness with citrusy, zippy flavors of seafood and raw purple onion, and I was so curious about how that effect was achieved that I asked our server for a little taste of just the marlin pate. By itself it’s not that interesting, but as a component of a more complex dish it’s excellent.
On a trip without my wife I tried the aguachile, an item I knew would be too spicy for her. To my surprise, it was almost too spicy for me – the lemon juice enhanced the jalapeno bite to the point that I was red-faced and sweating. I needed a beer to cool off, and while the selection here isn’t large, they do have Modelo dark, which takes the edge off the heat. This is one of the only restaurants I know with an alcohol license that doesn’t serve wine, which surprised me. There are some good wines coming out of Northern Mexico now, but they’re apparently not popular in Nayarit.
I have only tried three main dishes – camarones borrachos, camarones empanizados con cebollitas, and their famous grilled snook. The camarones borrachos, large shrimp sauteed in tequila with garlic, cilantro, and crushed red pepper, were easily the best preparation of this standard item I’ve ever had. It was zesty but not scorchingly hot, and the sauce was so good that I used the rice to mop it up. I actually wished for a bit more rice, because the portion of that was meager and there was nothing else on the plate but a few discs of cucumber and some raw onion. It seemed odd that no beans were offered, even as a side, because the duo of rice and beans is such a standard combo.
My wife ordered the breaded shrimp with onion rings because it’s something she always likes, but what arrived was not what she expected. Instead of the usual small shrimp, large prawns were served head-on but with the shells removed so the meat was accessible, and instead of white onions they were purple. Both were very lightly breaded with tempura-style crumbs, and the onion was sliced very thin. They were not over-fried, so that even the thin onions were moist, and slightly salty so that the Modelo dark was quite welcome again. The shrimp was served with a chipotle aioli that suited it well, but nothing else except a few cucumber slices. Some rice would have been nice, so order a side of it if you get this entree.
The item that made Coni Seafood famous is the grilled snook, which puzzled me at first. I had tried snook in the Caribbean and associated them with Florida, but hadn’t known that there are a few places in the Pacific where they thrive. Nayarit is one of them, and the snook at this restaurant are imported from there. They’re big fish that can weigh up to 50 pounds, and they are sold here by weight – 2 pounds for $49, three for $62, or four for $82. As you can imagine, the two-pound portion is ample for two people. The fish is butterflied, sprinkled with salt and glazed with a lightly peppery house sauce, and grilled, and it’s fantastic. Snook are flavorful because they feed on oily crabs and other crustaceans, and the meat has a slight sweetness. I was surprised to see that they are served skin-on, because the skin is often said to impart a soapy flavor and smell, but we didn’t observe any such problem.
The snook is served with warm tortillas, the cucumbers and raw onions that come with everything here, and with onions caramelized in butter that add irresistible flavor. I thought it impossible that we would finish the whole two pounds of fish, but we just kept eating because it kept tasting so good. Order some rice because you will want it, but try the snook.
At this time, Coni Seafood doesn’t have desserts on the menu, not that we would have noticed because we were so full of seafood. They plan on eventually bringing in ice cream, which would be welcome if you’ve been chowing down on that fiery aguachile or the seabass in diablo sauce. Until then, there’s a gelato place less than a block away and plenty of other options in the pier area.
The prices at Coni Seafood are reasonable for a cuisine that uses so much fresh fish – expect to pay about $50 per person, and to leave full and with just a little burn on your lips. How often you go back will depend on how much you enjoy the bounty of the sea in simple but effective preparations from Mexico, but you should try it at least once.
Coni Seafood is at 934 Hermosa Avenue #1 in Hermosa. Open daily noon to 9 p.m., street parking. No reservations accepted. (310) 504-0681. ConiSeafood.com. ER
