Tacos gobernador - one small bite between tacos and politics

Published in the Pacific Pearl magazine July 2024

What does food and politics have in common? At first glance you would say ‘nothing’. But at Mazatlan’s seafood restaurants you will find an interesting dish that combines both. So what are Governor’s Tacos and who invented it?
The history of this dish goes back to a famous seafood restaurant in Mazatlan “Los Arcos”. As the story goes in 1987 the then governor Francisco Labastida made a reservation at the restaurant. The owner of Los Arcos found out about the upcoming visit of this important politician, who already was a regular customer, and he was set on making Mr. Labastida’s visit memorable.
Thinking of all the ways that he could surprise the governor, he remembered an anecdote that Mr. Labastida had told him about the delicious ‘machaca’ (Mexican beef jerky) tacos that his wife prepared.
Immediately the owner and head chef of the restaurant started experimenting to find a recipe that they could show off. They came up with shrimp ‘machaca’ with cheese in a grilled corn tortilla. The governor asked what the name of this novel dish was and the owner spontaneously said ‘Taco Gobernador’. Nowadays you can find Taco Gobernador in most seafood restaurants in Mazatlan, where each has their own version.
If you are craving this dish right now, but you are not in Mazatlan: don’t worry! Here is an easy recipe to make your own ‘Tacos Gobernador’ at home.
 
Tacos Gobernador
Ingredients:
10-12 corn tortillas
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Poblano or bell pepper, deseeded in strips
2 cups shrimp, peeled, cleaned and chopped
Salt, pepper and oregano to taste
1 cup tomato, chopped
2 cups Chihuahua cheese or similar melting cheese
 
 
Preparation:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion, garlic and Poblano pepper strips and sauté for five minutes. Then add the shrimp and season with salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Stir continuously until the shrimp is browned. Finally add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for another five minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To assemble the Governor’s Tacos, heat the tortillas one by one in a ‘Comal’ tortilla pan or dry skillet. Add some grated cheese and leave to melt. Top off with a spoonful of the shrimp mixture and fold double to make a taco. Leave the taco on the comal or skillet until it’s crunchy, turning it over occasionally. Served with avocado slices and chopped cilantro.
Buen Provecho! Enjoy your meal!
If you’re ready to learn more about Mazatlan’s culinary scene, make sure to check out www.flavorteller.com and save your seats for one of the Flavor Teller food tours.