As this series nears it’s conclusion, we come to the northern state of Sinaloa, and the genre-defining food offered in the state. Sinaloa’s 386 miles of coastline ranks only sixth among Mexico’s states, but it’s a major producer of some of the nation’s favorite seafoods; notably, shrimp, tuna, and sardines, which account for about 78% of statewide catches.
All are delicious when served fresh, but shrimp, even more so than tuna and sardines, is the centerpiece of Sinaloan cuisine, providing the protein in the state’s two most famous creations, aguachile and tacos gobernador. This is only appropriate, given just how much shrimp is harvested in Sinaloa.
Over 115,000 tons of the shellfish were caught in Sinaloa in 2023, which represented almost half of the total (over 45%) for Mexico that year and was two and a half times the amount harvested in the second-largest producing state, Sonora. This bounty is sourced from several bays, estuaries, and lagoons, including Bahía de Altata, Bahía de Santa María, and Bahía de Topolobampo, and the inland Laguna Caimanero.
The long evolution of aguachile
Aguachile wasn’t made with shrimp, though, when it originated in Sinaloa’s pre-Hispanic past. The name aguachile suggests two of the three original ingredients, water and chile; specifically, small and exceedingly spicy chiltepín chilies, known regionally as “oro rojo.” At least that’s what they’re called now. But because the dish developed before the arrival of the Spanish in Sinaloa in 1530, the original name was whatever they were called by the Acaxees or the Xiximes, the two Indigenous groups that lived in the mountainous areas of the state until their cultural extinction in the 18th century.
The third ingredient of the original dish was probably deer meat, which was a favorite of both the Acaxees and the Xiximes, particularly when prepared as carne machadada (a dried meat style) for preservative purposes, and flavored with “red gold.” When, centuries later, residents of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Sinaloa migrated to the coast, bringing their traditional recipes with them, the stage was set for the transition from meat to shrimp, and thus the modern variation of aguachile.
It was during the 1970s, when Sinaloa’s shrimp industry first became the powerhouse it still is today, that shrimp-based aguachile first burst upon the culinary scene. The new protein necessitated a change in cooking method, from boiling water to “cooking” via denaturation in lime, similar to ceviche. How this raw technique arose in Sinaloa is not exactly clear, with some attributing it to Japanese immigrants, others to the necessity for sustenance of shrimp fishermen out for extended periods.
Of course, chiltepín remained in the recipe, to be joined in modernity by such ingredients as purple onion, cucumber, cilantro, and avocado, and seasoned with salt and pepper. As aguachile’s popularity spread across Mexico, so too did the variety of seafood preparations, with scallops, octopus, and various fish species sometimes used instead of shrimp. However, in shrimp-rich Sinaloa, such experimentations are far rarer, particularly in aguachile hotbeds like Mazatlán and Topolobampo, although the substitution of serrano chilies for chiltepin is permitted.
The political origins of tacos gobernador
Why are they called tacos gobernador? Maybe because it’s shorter than Francisco Labastida Ochoa, who was the actual governor of Sinaloa between 1987 and 1992, the timeframe in which this delicacy was created. As the story goes, the governor was fond of shrimp tacos (a surefire vote getter in Sinaloa), particularly those prepared machaca de camarón style like the kind his wife, María Teresa Uriarte, made for him. This knowledge inspired Eduardo Ángulo, owner of the Los Arcos restaurant in Mazatlán, to create a special shrimp taco in the governor’s honor.
The actual date of the governor’s reservation at Los Arcos has been lost to history, but it was likely before he took office on January 1, 1987, since, according to the Los Arcos version, the visit was at the end of his campaign. Regardless, the resulting taco has been famous ever since, thanks to a list of ingredients that includes not only shrimp (machaca de camarón style) but also tomatoes, onion, poblano peppers sautéed in butter, and melted cheese wrapped in the traditional corn tortilla for proper texture. Seasoning, meanwhile, is provided courtesy of salt, pepper, and oregano.
The dish has evolved in the years since, with more varied shrimp preparations, a variety of melty cheeses, the addition of cilantro and salsas, and the occasional substitution of chipotle for poblano chiles noted in some restaurants. As with aguachile, some different seafood options have also appeared, including marlin.
However, the originator, Los Arcos, remains the standard bearer for this Sinaloan taco style. It has since opened additional locations in cities across Mexico to spread its fame, where it continues to prepare shrimp the same way it did the first time.
The sipping history of Sinaloa’s most iconic beer
Of course, the ideal pairing partner for Sinaloan shrimp-based specialties like aguachile or tacos gobernador is a cold Pacífico, the tasty pilsner-style cerveza brewed in Mazatlán since the turn of the 20th century. The beer brand was founded by three German immigrants—Johan Georg Claussen, Germán Evers, and Emilio Philippy—a fact which places it in good company. Popular beer brands in Mexico, like Dos Equis, Indio, and Sol, were also founded by German immigrants.
Acquired by Grupo Modelo in 1954 (and AB InBev in 2012) and introduced to the U.S. market via Southern California surfers who discovered it during trips to the Baja California peninsula in the 1970s, Pacífico has continued to grow its sales and market share in both Mexico and the U.S. In Sinaloa, naturally, it remains a favorite, dominating the beer market, particularly along the coast. It’s not quite so ubiquitous in the U.S., but Pacífico is still a big seller in Los Angeles and earns $350 million (and rising) annually in the neighboring country.
Pacífico is still brewed in Mazatlán in some bottle sizes, and indeed, the beer’s Mazatlán bona fides are on every bottle, with Cerro del Crestón, one of the city’s most recognizable natural features, prominently framed in the logo by a life ring, with an anchor in the foreground. That makes ordering it an easy choice, especially for those enjoying seafood and beachfront views in its native state.
Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas local expert for the USA Today travel website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos travel guidebook and a contributor to numerous websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.
