Fish Veracruzana Recipes

VERACRUZ-STYLE RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion; cook and stir until onions begin to turn translucent, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Cook and stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add capers and caper juice; stir to combine.
• Stir in tomatoes, olives, jalapeno pepper, . Cook and stir until jalapeno pepper softens and tomatoes begin to collapse, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in oregano.
• Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil into a small baking dish. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the tomato-olive mixture. Top with 1 snapper fillet, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Top with more filling and juice from 1 lime. Repeat with remaining snapper fillet, seasoning, and lime juice in a second baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until fish is flaky and no longer translucent, 15 to 20 minutes.

FISH VERACRUZANA

Steps:

• Put potatoes through thick slicing blade of food processor.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in non-stick skillet or 3 tablespoons in regular skillet. Saute onions over medium high heat until they begin to take on color. Push to the side and add potatoes. Cook, stirring often, until potatoes begin to take on color.
• Put bell peppers and chilies through thick slicing blade of food processor . Add to potatoes with lime juice, garlic and black pepper. Reduce heat and cook until potatoes and peppers are beginning to soften.
• Chop cilantro and add 1/3 cup to skillet, along with tomato puree and fish. Cover fish with vegetables and cook until fish is done, about 8 minutes, depending on thickness of fish.
• Serve the fish with the remaining chopped cilantro for garnish and the lime wedges.

VERACRUZANA FISH

Steps:

• Cut the onion into very thin slices. Grate the tomatoes to get all their flesh. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sauté onion over medium heat until soft and slightly golden. Add the tomato pulp and allow to stir-fry for 5 minutes more. Cut olives into small pieces and add to skillet. Add the capers and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate all ingredients well. Chop finely and add chilies. Let the sauce cook for approximately 10 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and reserve the sauce.
• Cut the fish fillets and bring the sauce back to the fire. When boiling, add fish fillets and ½ cup of water to prevent the sauce becomes too dry.
• Let cook on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness of fillets).
• Serve fillets with a good amount of sauce and spread cilantro or parsley.

VERACRUZ-STYLE TILAPIA ("PESCADO A LA VERACRUZANA")

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the fish fillets on both sides with salt and black pepper, to taste. Saute the fillets until they are opaque and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a glass baking dish where they fit snugly.
• In the same saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, Anaheim chile, bay leaf and oregano and bring the pan to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and let the sauce simmer until the chiles soften, about 6 minutes. Uncover the pan, add the olives and capers, and cook until the flavors combine, about 4 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Pour the sauce over the fish in the baking dish. Bake until the fish is heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, discard the bay leaf and serve.

FISH VERA CRUZ

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, boil the tomatoes, jalapenos, oregano, and garlic salt for about 8 minutes, or until tomatoes have cooked down to a liquid. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. *Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Return sauce to pan, add chopped onion and cilantro, and stir well. Heat through and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (you can use as little as 2 tablespoons oil to up to 1/2-inch deep). Season fish with salt and pepper and then carefully place in the pan; this may require adding the fish in 2 batches if your skillet is not large enough to hold all 4 fillets. Saute or pan-fry the fish until cooked on 1 side (fish will be opaque on that side). Carefully flip fish and continue cooking until cooked on second side and cooked through in the middle; the fish should be opaque in the middle. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of the fish fillets and the type of fish, but it should not take more than 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer fish onto a serving platter or each of 4 dinner plates and top with the sauce. Serve immediately.

RED SNAPPER, VERACRUZ STYLE

Steps:

• Place drained tomatoes in medium bowl. Using potato masher, crush tomatoes to coarse puree. Drain again, reserving juices.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir 30 seconds. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add tomato puree and cook 1 minute. Add bay leaves, parsley, oregano, and 1/4 cup reserved tomato juices. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Add olives, raisins, capers, and all remaining reserved tomato juices. Simmer until sauce thickens again, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread 3 tablespoons sauce in bottom of 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange fish atop sauce. Sprinkle fish lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon remaining sauce over. Bake uncovered until fish is just opaque in center, about 18 minutes. Using long spatula, transfer fish with sauce to plates. Garnish with pickled jalapeño halves.

FISH VERACRUZANO

Steps:

• Combine tomato, celery, bay leaves, cilantro, oregano and simmer til celery is tender.
• Cut Olives and jalapenos in half and drain.
• In separate skillet add olive oil, onion, and garlic and saute til onion is clear. Add Onion olive oil mixture to tomatoes along with capers, jalapenos, olives. Cook for 10 minutes more to bring flavors together. Add salt to taste. Maintain hot.
• Separately Cook fish simply in your preferred manner. I just like to put the fish in a skillet with a little wine, butter and salt. Put on lid and cook til flaky. Serve fish on bed of rice and top with tomato sauce.

PESCADO VERACRUZANO (BAKED FISH VERACRUZ STYLE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Squeeze lime and rub fish with juice. Coarsely chop lime rind and put in cavity. Sprinkle fish inside and out with pepper. Place in baking dish.
• Heat oil in saucepan and add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until wilted. Add green peppers and stir briefly. Add oregano, pepper flakes and tomatoes. Bring to boil and let cook about 10 minutes.
• Pour sauce over fish and place in oven. Bake, basting often with sauce, about 30 minutes or until done. When cooked, back fin bones will slip out easily when tugged. Brush fish with sauce and serve.