Mariscos Mar Azul: Yuma

Everybody at mmm-yoso is eating, no doubt. Kirk is not only tasting his way through San Diego, but still has posts about his great trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Cathy is taking photos and eating food all over San Diego county. Still, today, ed (from Yuma) wants to share the latest entry into the world of Yuma Mexican restaurants - and this place is new and different and bueno.

March 2011 update: Mar Azul is still going strong. Since they got a liquor license, customers can no longer bring wine, but Mar Azul will happily sell you beer.

Tina, whose work often takes her to South Yuma County, kept telling me about an awesome Mexican seafood restaurant located on Somerton Avenue in Somerton, Arizona.

Before we could make it down to this place, Mar Azul, I read in the newspaper that the restaurant was opening a branch in Yuma at 1314 4th Ave -- in the back of the strip mall anchored by the large health food store. Needless to say, I stopped by for lunch soon after the place opened:

The space had been completely refurbished and remodeled, and was clean, bright, and welcoming. I could do without the flatscreen TV, but I am sufficiently used to televised distraction in restaurants these days that it really doesn't bother me much.

In addition to sodas and stuff like iced tea, the restaurant offers a nice range of aguas frescas: horchata, pineapple, jamaica, and limonade, the last two of which are especially tasty:

As soon as one receives her/his drink, a bowl of split key limes hits the table so that one can tart up one's beverage or add some tang to the seafood. Since Mar Azul has no liquor license, they are okay with customers bringing bottles of wine, and I have found that New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs go well with Mexican seafood.

Among the appetizers, the toritos are hard to resist, the crunchy breading covering the fresh yellow chile stuffed with cheese and chopped shrimp ($1.25):

Even better is an order of red aguachile (also available in green)(13.99):

These uncooked shrimp are prepared much like ceviche, and for those of us used to cooked shrimp, they look strange, almost like raw oysters, but the flavor is outstanding:

The chewiness of the shrimp is accented by the hot and spicy, slightly sour flavor of the marinade. The accompanying avocado, red onion strips, cucumbers, and tomato slices make this almost into a salad course. This is the only dish I have ever had in Yuma that comes close to the excellent cebiche at Latin Chef.

For those who want some thing even more like a salad, I heartily recommend the stuffed avocado ($6.99), available topped with either fish or shrimp ceviche. A whole large avocado is peeled, cut in half, and depitted. The two halves are then surrounded by romaine lettuce and covered with a generous amount of the ceviche. Here's a picture of the whole order with the fish ceviche:

Here's a picture of half an avocado and some of the shrimp ceviche (notice that this shrimp has been cooked before being marinated):

For soup lovers, the restaurant offers fish soup, shrimp soup, and seven seas soup (siete mares), none of which I have tried yet, but given the quality of everything else, I am sure they are outstanding. I have had the clam chowder, which was smooth and creamy and showed off an excellent fishy stock. Though not full of clams, the soup contained numerous chunks of potato. A friend battling a cold ordered the broth ($2.00), which she said was very deeply flavored and even contained a shrimp:

The restaurant also serves a complete range of Mexican seafood cocktails. Although they are a little more expensive than the ones from the seafood taco trucks like Juanita's (this medium sized one is $9.99), the campechana is very well made with fresh scallops, an oyster, perfectly cooked shrimp, and chunks of tender octopus, accented by chopped red onion and diced cucumber and all brought together by a slightly fishy tomato water:

The seafood tacos here are also very good. The gobernador ($2.25) is very much like a folded shrimp quesadilla:

Inside, it is full of chopped shrimp, chopped tomatoes, and melty mild cheese:

While this is not health food, it is extremely tasty.

The fish tacos ($1.25 apiece) are also outstanding:

The generous pieces of fish are wrapped in breading and fried perfectly, their exteriors crunchy and their interiors moist and flaky. The cabbage, pico de gallo, and crema are a perfect accompaniment:

Add some of the very spicy and flavorful house salsa, and they are even better:

In addition, the restaurant also serves perfectly fried whole fish (tilapia ($9.50) or red snapper ($13.99)). Served with rather mediocre french fries, three corn tortillas, salsa, and cabbage, the fish has been wonderful both times that we ordered it. This is a picture of the red snapper:

In each case, the fish was cooked expertly, fully done and yet moist and flaky inside. These close-ups of the snapper (first pic) and the tilapia (second pic) illustrate both the perfection of the frying technique and the dusting of  spices that adds flavor to each one:

Mar Azul is not the first attempt to establish a Mexican seafood restaurant in Yuma. Its predecessors have not been successful. I have hopes for this place, however. First, it is better in quality and selection than those seafood houses that have gone out of business. Second, I am amazed by how the business has grown in the short time the restaurant has been open. On my first visit, I was alone - except for the waitstaff. Today, only a few weeks later, eight tables were occupied at lunchtime, and someone came in for take out.

It is also nice that instead of going to Somerton for the restaurant, the restaurant came to Yuma for me.

Mar Azul, 1314 S. 4th Ave., Ste. 5, Yuma AZ. 928-329-6606. Open 11-9 daily. Also at 109 E. Somerton Ave., Somerton AZ. 928-722-0117:

Comments

[sakura]

Nice to meet you,
I'm from Japan.
It became reference very much!!
Thank you 　(^o^)/

Indeed I am sorry,
Please link to this site.

[Su-Lin]

Mmmm....those fish tacos look fantastic! Especially with that salsa!

[Chris]

Fish tacos in YUMA! Who knew? I'll have to catch the next 4:10 for lunch. Hey Ed: you are a frequent San Diego visitor, have you had Mariscos German? I had them the other day, here in SD reminds me of the offerings there. YUM! Totemo oishii deshita yo!

[ed (from Yuma)]

Yuma is not that far from the Sea of Cortez - and seafood from there contributes to the cuisine of many Mexican states who provide immigrants to the Yuma area.

Haven't been to Mariscos German, but the reports on it have been very positive. Notice that Mariscos German claims to be serving San Felipe style cuisine - and San Felipe is on the Sea of Cortez, closer to Yuma than SD.

[nhbilly]

That is some good looking seafood....

[Stephanie]

I too am a big fan!!!
I think I might have seen you there, you were the guy that brought in your own wine and was taking pictures of the food.
I was talking to the owner and wondering what the heck you were doing.
Now I know!!
Great post!!!
steph

[ed (from yuma)]

Hey, steph, that probably was me - drinking wine and snapping photos sounds like my MO.

Mar Azul is very good. I keep coming back again and again.

[micaela]

you've done it again, Ed! We stopped by for dinner last Saturday night at 8:30pm and were the only ones there. Had the toritos, which blew my mind, a few Gobernador tacos and the stuffed avocado with the fish ceviche. Oh, I also ordered a jamaica... it's been a long time since I've had a good one and theirs sure didn't disappoint. The food was excellent and we'll definitely be going back soon.

[RICARDO MORALES]

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALEX AND HORTENCIA FOR BRINGING US THIS VERY GOOD FOOD. I WISH THEM A LOT OF SUCCESS

[Maria Rodriguez]

OMG!!! I couldn't believe how great the food tasted this past Saturday. The service was exceptional as well. I was in the mood for some cold seafood and didn't feel like driving into town (Yuma). As there are not many restaurants in Somerton, I am happy that Mar Azul is one of the few selections we have to choose from. Great Job Mar Azul!!!

[ed (from yuma)]

Maria, your comment is a good reminder that the restaurant originated down in Somerton and is still one of the best places to eat there.