You can salsa with wild shrimp at Whole Foods Market, Rosa Mexicano

Wild-caught shrimp from Whole Foods Market in Paramus cook in minutes in Whole Foods' 365 Everyday Value Thick & Chunky Salsa, below.

Editor's note: Amid a flood of low-quality farmed shrimp from Vietnam and other countries, two reliable sources for wild-caught shrimp are Whole Foods Market in Paramus and Rosa Mexicano, a fine-dining restaurant in Hackensack.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

When you feel like treating yourself to jumbo wild shrimp for Sunday dinner, they may not always be on sale.

We buy wild-caught Gulf Shrimp (16 to 20 per pound) from Whole Foods Market in Paramus, only a few miles from our home.

When on sale, they usually are $14.99, but on Sunday, I had to pay full price, $19.99 a pound.

They were worth it, though. For one thing, the fish counter workers will devein the shrimp for you.

About 1.5 pounds of shelled and deveined shrimp -- turned once -- cooked in minutes in Whole Foods' Thick & Chunky Salsa ($2.69 for a 16-ounce jar).

There were enough crunchy shrimp to feed three with leftovers (for about $10 a person). 

The medium-spicy salsa also served as a sauce for our side dish, yellow rice prepared with organic mixed vegetables.

Behind the biggest fresh seafood counter in North Jersey, a Whole Foods employee deveined my wild-caught shrimp.

Another worker said she adds fresh ice to the display every 30 minutes to replace melted ice. Whole Foods Market is in Bergen Town Center off of Forest Avenue in Paramus (201-226-1244).

At Rosa Mexicano in Hackensack, Veracruz-style Alambre de Camarones are grilled wild jumbo shrimp, marinated in garlic vinaigrette, with grilled onions and serrano chiles served with achiote rice and salsa verde picante ($22).

Wild shrimp at Rosa Mexicano

I immediately said yes when a friend invited me to lunch at Rosa Mexicano, the Hackensack restaurant where authentic dishes are made from scratch.

The kitchen turns out its own salsas and mole sauces, and wonderful, thick corn tortillas are made in one of the nicest dining rooms in Bergen County, decorated with Mexican pottery, textiles, sconces and other items.

The first Rosa Mexicano opened in Manhattan in 1984, and today, the menu in Hackensack offers a $23 lunch to celebrate the restaurant's 30-plus years at that location.

The fixed-price lunch includes sharing one of three starters, including Rosa Mexicano's signature guacamole, prepared at your table; a choice of any entree (normally $16 to $23), and a shared dessert, Churros or a cake called Tres Leches.

Neither of us had room for dessert.

Warm corn tortillas are perfect for wrapping guacamole, refried beans and other food. Extras are available for the asking.

Guacamole en Molcajete (avocado, jalapeno, tomato, onion and cilantro) is served with warm tortilla chips and salsa ($14.50).

I had the Alambre de Camarones, and my friend ordered Chicken Enchiladas smothered in a rich Mole Poblano ($17).

Side dishes included achiote rice, above, and refried black beans, below.

Rosa Mexicano is in the Shops at Riverside, 390 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack (201-489-0151).

Inside Mexico City's taco al pastor

Lebanese and Mexican traditions produce a great taco.

Three winters ago, we discovered the taco al pastor in Mexico City and lost count of how many we wolfed down at El Califa and other restaurants. On Tuesday, I heard from a Bergen County woman who just returned and has been pining for the delightful treats.

These scrumptious tacos are deceptively simple: First, marinated pork is roasted on a vertical spit, in the Lebanese style brought over by immigrants from that country (see photo above).

Then, the meat goes into two corn tortillas with fresh pineapple (that's it, at the top of the spit), onion, cilantro and a great salsa. Yet, I have not found their equal in North Jersey or the city.

A taco al pastor at Taqueria El Califa in Mexico City.

The taco maker in the photo is actually a blur in person -- slicing off meat with his right hand into small corn tortillas held in his left hand. Then, he swings the knife at the pineapple for the sweet garnish, shown above.

In Mexico City, the taco al pastor is served three at a time, with a couple of small cups holding red or green salsa. We sampled the taco at three places before deciding the best ones were being served at Taqueria El Califa, then returned two more times.

Here, I stopped looking for a good taco al pastor more than a year ago, the last time I ate meat. 

But I'm betting you can find something similar at Rosa Mexicano in Hackensack, even if you have to order a pork dish, bring your own fresh pineapple and make your own with the restaurant's scrumptious corn tortillas, which are prepared in the dining room.

Rosa Mexicano, 390 Hackensack Ave., in The Shops at Riverside, 
Hackensack; 201-489-9100.

Taqueria El Califa, Altata 22, Colonia Condesa, 
Mexico City; 5271.6285, 5273.4943.