La Guerrerense in Ensenada...At Long Last!

OK this was the primary reason why I came down to Ensenada: to eat at La Guerrerense (at the corner of Alvarado and First), especially since they didn't have the sea urchin when they were in Singapore. I came here first thing in the morning, and at first I wasn't quite sure what was going on. They had all of the ingredients listed on a banner draped behind the stall, so I asked for a few things like the sea urchin, crab, and clam, only to find that they were minced spreads on separate tostadas, and all naked at that. Sure, there were tons of hot sauces there in front, but even then where was the avocado? I eventually figured out that one had to ask for it.

It was only after I ate those and went up to pay later (all of the stands here surprisingly work on the honor system) did I see the ladies that were in Singapore, after which they said that I had to get the clams on top of the sea urchin. So I eventually came back a second time (and despite it being high noon, the crowd was much much shorter than when they had first opened) and got the fresh clam sliced on top of the sea urchin spread. It was much better, but I made the mistake of dressing it with a hot sauce that had a bit of cinnamon in it. I guess that this stuff is a lot like phở, Mongolian BBQ, or even Sichuan hot pot in the sense that your selection of condiments can dramatically change the dish from being basic to fantastic.

Anyway, after getting all of those fish tacos in the afternoon, I figured that I'd stop by here one last time before heading out. And this time they suggested some special one topped with all sorts of chopped seafood, including clams, octopus, scallops, and a bunch of other stuff that I couldn't remember. This one was the best one, with chunky bits of seafood rather than one of those spreads in the plastic tubs. And I stuck to the darker hot sauces while I was at it, giving it the right amount of oily smoky heat. Yum. This made my trip complete. It took me three visits to the same stall all within the same day, but I finally got it to work out.