These Fish Tacos Couldn’t Be More Brilliant

When Luis Herrera is cooking, Korean gochugaru, Thai curry paste and Venezuelan ají dulce make their way into his pots and pans. They appear as often as guajillo and ancho chiles and fresh masa milled down the block from his Mexican restaurant, Ensenada, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Inspired by the compatibility of various cuisines, the Venezuelan chef finds moments of ingenuity every day, pulling especially from Latin American influences. “I think that’s when greatness happens,” he says.

Recipe: Fish Tacos al Pastor

After culinary school in Caracas, Herrera worked at restaurants such as Alto in Venezuela and Cosme in Manhattan. Then, last year, he opened Ensenada, where one peek inside the compact but efficient kitchen’s fridge reveals the technicolor components that make up his food. Each salsa, marinade and pickle has its own pint container, the cook’s cabinet of potions ready at his disposal. In my favorite of his creations — this taco de pescado al pastor — he combines four ready-made elements: marinated fish, pineapple pico de gallo, fresh corn tortillas and, what really anchors the dish, an adobo sauce, brick-red and richly layered with chiles.

‘If the chiles in this recipe are the fire, then the pineapple is the ice.’