📍 Guerrero

Pescado a la talla (grilled chile-rubbed fish)

Name: Pescado a la talla (grilled chile-rubbed fish)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 red snapper or snook, butterflied open; Guajillo and ancho chiles; Garlic, cumin, and oregano; Orange juice and vinegar; Mustard and mayonnaise for the crust; Salt and oil

· Lunch

Fish butterflied open, rubbed with a chile adobo, and grilled over coals, typical of the Guerrero coast.

Editorial content by WorldBites · 2026-10-04 · Contact

Pescado a la talla (grilled chile-rubbed fish): Fish butterflied open, rubbed with a chile adobo, and grilled over coals, typical of the Guerrero coast. — Photo: T.Tseng · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto resized, converted to WebP and cropped for display.

⏱ 55 min🍽 4 servings📊 Intermediate🏷 Commonly associated🌱 Gluten-free🌱 Dairy-free

Preparation: 30 min
Cooking: 25 min
Waiting and resting: 0 min

History

A specialty of the Guerrero coast associated with Barra Vieja in Acapulco. The fish is marinated in a red chile adobo and grilled over charcoal.

Ingredients

Adjust quantitiesServings

Only numeric quantities at the start of an ingredient are adjusted. Descriptive quantities, seasoning to taste and timings remain unchanged; check them when changing servings.

Preparation

1
Grind the soaked chiles with garlic, spices, and orange juice.
2
Butterfly the fish open and salt it.
3
Rub one side with red adobo and the other with green adobo or mustard.
4
Grill over the coals, starting with the skin side.
5
Flip carefully until the flesh is firm.
6
Serve with tortillas, grilled onion, and lime.

Cooking tips

This list supports a red-marinade and mustard coating; no extra green sauce is needed.

Technique and preparation

What to check during preparation

Ask for cleaned, butterflied fish and check for loose bones. Spread an even layer of marinade without thick patches that can burn. A hinged fish basket helps turn the fish without breaking it. Move to gentler heat if the marinade darkens before the center cooks. Check the temperature in the thickest flesh without touching bone and serve immediately.