When you visit our Vallarta restaurants in Manchester, you’ll notice that we have a lot of ways to cook a lot of different foods. One of these foods is shrimp. Shrimp may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Mexican food, but multiple kinds of seafood have long been a part of Mexican cuisine.
Before the arrival of the Spanish, the indigenous peoples of Mexico had a deep relationship with seafood, especially in coastal regions. The ancient Mayans, for example, harvested shrimp and other shellfish from rivers and coastal areas. The Aztecs also had access to shrimp, though they primarily focused on freshwater shrimp from lakes and rivers. Shrimp was often consumed as part of larger seafood-based dishes, stews, and broths.
When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, they brought with them new cooking techniques and ingredients. Still, they also embraced and integrated the abundant seafood of the Mexican coast into their culinary practices. During this time, shrimp began to be used more widely in coastal regions like Veracruz, where the Spanish influence was most pronounced due to the city’s location as a major port.
The Spanish also introduced new methods of preserving food, such as salting and drying shrimp. These methods allowed for broader distribution and storage, making shrimp more accessible inland. This development led to the development of dishes such as Camarones secos (dried shrimp), which are still used in Mexican cooking today.
By the 19th century, shrimp was firmly embedded in Mexican cuisine, particularly in coastal states such as Sinaloa, Sonora, and Yucatán. These areas became major producers of shrimp, and dishes featuring shrimp became an integral part of regional cuisines. In places like Veracruz, shrimp was often cooked in tomato-based sauces, while in the Yucatán, it was commonly used in dishes with a blend of tropical fruits and spices, like cochinita pibil (a slow-cooked pork dish) with shrimp.
In the 20th century, as shrimp became more available and its popularity spread beyond the coastlines, it began to be incorporated into more inland dishes, such as tacos, soups, and stews.
Shrimp remains a staple in the cuisine of Mexico’s coastal regions. The port city of Mazatlán in Sinaloa, for example, is known as the “Shrimp Capital of the World,” and much of its culinary reputation is built around shrimp-based dishes. In Veracruz, seafood, including shrimp, continues to be a cornerstone of the local food culture. It is often prepared with regional influences such as tropical fruits and complex spice blends.
If you tend to stick to the same things when you visit your favorite Manchester restaurants, why not try something new? Next time you visit Vallarta, check out the seafood section of our menu and enjoy some tasty shrimp!