Chiles gueritos con camarón is a Mexican-Chinese mashup dish born in Indio, just about two hours north of the border with Baja California, Mexico. It features the pale yellow güero chile, roasted and stuffed with shrimp and cheese, then served with lemon, mayonnaise, and soy sauce. Güeritos, which translates to “blond” in Spanish, refers to the color of the pepper; it resembles a small banana pepper and is not so much spicy as sweet and fruity in taste.
The trick to eating this popular appetizer is to add a drizzle of soy sauce on the stuffed pepper, squeeze a few drops of lemon, and spread the mayo on liberally. Sound odd? It looks odd, too! But one bite and you’ll be hooked for life.
But to back up: Why on Earth would a Mexican restaurant serve a shrimp-stuffed roasted chile with a side of soy sauce? The amalgamation of this remarkable dish can be found within the history of Chinese immigration to northern Baja California in the early 1900s.
Chinese migrants had been seeking work in California for many years, starting with the gold rush of 1849. Once the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned Chinese workers from entering the United States, many Chinese (mostly Cantonese) nationals started migrating to northern Baja California as a way to gain access to the U.S. The border between the U.S. and Mexico was extremely porous at that time (actually, there hardly was a border), and the arriving Chinese immigrants found work in the emerging agricultural jobs in what is now Riverside County, California.
Let’s take a look at the ingredients in this appetizer that both cultures had available in the early 1900s in Canton, China, and on the California–Mexico border. The use of chile peppers in Mexico dates back centuries, and the Chinese have been stuffing peppers since they were introduced there in the 16th century, most likely by way of the Silk Road from India. So both cultures had access to peppers, shrimp (the Chinese used a shrimp paste), and oil for roasting or frying.
Now, imagine these two culinary traditions meeting at the Southern California–Northern Mexico border. There, Mexican cooks introduced cheese and mayonnaise, while the Chinese contributed soy sauce, together creating the irresistible dish known as chiles güeritos.
Where: While there is no shortage of outstanding Mexican restaurants in the Coachella Valley, the sister restaurants El Mexicali Cafe (82720 Indio Blvd; 760-347-1280; map) and El Mexicali Café II (43430 Monroe St., Suite A; 760-342-2333; map) serve perhaps the best version of chiles güeritos. Both of these restaurants instantly transport you to Old Mexico. The genuine family hospitality and the loving care so apparent in the preparation of the food here make El Mexicali a must-visit in the Coachella Valley.
When: El Mexicali Café: Mon-Fri, 8am-9pm; Sat-Sun, 7am-9pm. El Mexicali Café II: daily, 8am-8pm.
Good to know: Both restaurants have a happy hour on weekdays from 3pm-6pm, during which time they serve a smaller portion of chiles güeritos at a reduced price.
Order: The chiles güeritos ($18) are such a popular appetizer that you’ll see it on almost every table. As the locals know, there’s a unique trick to eating chiles güeritos to properly taste the Mexican and Chinese flavors. Use the bottle on the table to drizzle a few drops of soy sauce onto the split-open, shrimp-and-cheese-filled chile, squeeze on a few drops of lemon juice, and then spread a generous layer of mayo on top. And repeat.
Another can’t-miss dish at El Mexicali Café is the quesadilla stuffed with carne asada and cheese, topped with guacamole, sour cream, and its famous salsa rojo. The margarita on the rocks is always a good idea too.
Alternatively: We’ve heard that Mariscos El Capitan (52565 Harrison St., 760-600-7575, map) in nearby Coachella serves a delightful version of chiles güeritos wrapped in bacon. Moving south toward the Mexican border, Las Chabeles in Brawley (749 South Brawley Ave., 760-351-2991, map) has another chiles güeritos that comes highly recommended. —Contributed by Keith Morrison
