Deborah Scott, Executive Chef | Cohn Restaurant Group, San Diego
At Coasterra, a modern Mexican restaurant that sits on the ocean, two of the best-selling seafood entrées are head-to-tail options. A whole-roasted local fish of the day—served with garlic-cilantro rice, nopales salad, charred Serrano pepper and mojo de ajo—gives the menu a distinct “Wow!” factor, says Deborah Scott.
While that menu item offers flexibility in the species of fish she can source, bringing in live lobster can be challenging due to fluctuating prices and the fact that the crustaceans must be alive until just before they are cooked. But the effort is worth it in the end because the Puerto Nuevo-Style Maine Lobster, which is charbroiled and served with chipotle-lime aïoli, offers diners “the cachet of whole Maine lobsters, while adding value and distinction to Coasterra’s modern Mexican menu,” says Scott.
