Coconut Detox

Coconut, I hear, is a wonderful detoxifier. My friend Robbie, from Montreal, is in PV for a month and eating a whole coconut everyday to cleanse his body, mind and especially his colon.

He buys his from an old man who sells them across from Rizo's, the grocery store in Zona Romantica. The old guy taps the water for you, which you drink, and then he cracks the nut into pieces so its easy to eat. The secret of this guy is that he keeps his nuts in the shade. Warm coconut water is like cat piss, according to Robbie.

I have yet to try the old man's cracked nuts but I'm seriously thinking about it. I wonder how many I'd have to eat to cleanse the toxins out of my system? Mexico may not have enough coconuts.

I love coconut and so do chefs, bakers and vendors in this town. Two of my favourite coconut dishes we serve at the Shack. Shrimp in aguachili is one of Joe's ceviches and probably the most interesting. First he halves raw shrimp then tosses them with cilantro and shaved fresh coconut before dousing the whole mixture in a blend of coconut water, lime juice and serrano chilies.

If you let the shrimp sit in the aguachili it will eventually cook from the lime juice but it's better to just pile a shrimp and some strands of coconut onto a tortilla chip and eat it raw.

For the less adventurous there's the coconut pie. Not coconut cream pie, but coconut pie. A 3"-high wedge of delicious, not-too-sweet coconut tossed in the lightest of custards, just to bind in all together. We serve it with a dollop of real whipped cream and the people go crazy.

One was delivered still warm from the bakery on Wednesday. I sold a piece to everyone of my tables. Actually I didn't have to do much selling.

Then there's the candy man vendor from the beach. He sells these sweet and sticky coconut logs, almost like a macaroon but soft and chewy. It's the perfect beach snack, especially if I'm sipping on a Miami Vice--such an old lady drink but so damn delicious. It's half pina colada and half strawberry daiquiri. It makes bartenders hate you.

I love it. Coconut too.