Gastronomy Guide: Dinner at Oceana at Secrets Los Cabos

Here in Los Cabos, the landscape is so different than the east coast of Mexico. Where Riveria Maya is mostly flat, Los Cabos is almost mountainous. Such interesting terrain. So while we were excited to eat at Oceana since we have dined at the same venue at other Secrets resorts, we weren't expecting such a great view from our table.

What a great table!! So many things to try. I think I could have ordered one of every appetizer but decided it would be prudent to narrow it to three so we'd have room for mains.

First up was Shrimp Aguachile Sinaloa style. I had not had this dish before so excited to try it. It is similar to a ceviche except it is shrimp and not fish. Also, the shrimp is whole with tails in. The liquid is a blend of lime juice, sal, chili peppers and cilantro. It also has sliced cucumbers. The acid really brought out the shrimp flavor.

Next up was Peruvian ceviche. This was more you think of when you order ceviche. Small bite sized pieces of fish that is marinated in lime juice and pepper. I loved the addition of the pickled onion and fresh slivers of peppers.

My favorite appetizer was Esquites which is commonly refered to as Mexican street corn. I have had this dish a few times. The traditional preparation is where the corn is grilled in the husks and then the corn is covered in mayonnaise, chili flakes and cojita cheese. Cojita has a similar texture and flavor to feta cheese. I have also had it where the corn is taken off the cob and then mixed together with those three additions. I had not seen such a creative version as what was served at Oceana. You had a dish if fresh corn with nicely cooked shrimp. And then separate dishes of mayo, chili powder and cojita cheese. And you then made your own perfect bite of Esquites. So creative and so delicious.

Our first main was the butter octopus.

Over many years of travel into Mexico, I have always found the preparation of octopus to be so much better than any I have had in the United States. And this dish was no different. It can be easy to have octopus be tough and chewy. Here it seems that the octopus has been braised and then grilled briefly. It came in a buttery sauce with just a hint of garlic. People will always say that lobster is their idea of an indulgent, succulent bite of food. I would strongly disagree. Octopus, cooked properly, is so much better.

Our other main was a fish fillet. And like most great fish dishes, this was simply prepared. Grilled but still moist.

And the best part of the dish was it had been topped with minced pieces of octopus and shrimp. Those had been also grilled separately in butter and garlic. They were slightly crispy so it added some needed texture. A real clever preparation.

With such a great view, we didn't want the evening to end so we ordered two desserts. First was a passion fruit cheesecake.