Fish Vera Cruz Recipes

VERACRUZ STYLE WHITE FISH

Steps:

• PREPARING THE SAUCE
• Over medium heat, fry the onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons of cooking oil for 4 minutes.
• Add the tomato, black pepper, and salt.
• Reduce the heat to low and cook the sauce for 15 minutes until the tomatoes have given off much of their liquid.
• Then, crush the tomatoes, onion, and garlic with a bean or potato masher.
• Next, add the spices and stir.
• Add the chicken broth.
• Add the chopped olives and capers and stir. Simmer for 15 more minutes.
• COOKING THE FISH
• After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, start cooking the fish. In a separate pan over medium heat, lightly brown each side of the fish in 3 tablespoons of oil.
• Once you have browned the fish on both sides, place each fish fillet in the simmering sauce.
• Cook for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly and the fish is fully cooked and has taken on the flavor of the sauce.
• Check the flavor of the sauce and adjust the salt if necessary.
• SERVING
• Serve the fish with white rice. First, put the rice on the plate then place the fish next to the rice. Gently spoon about 1 cup of the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

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.

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.

COD VERA CRUZ

Steps:

• Place fish in a 2-qt shallow baking dish.
• Mix, soup, broth, salsa, lime juice, cilantro, oregano and garlic powder. Pour over fish. Bake at 400 for 20 minute or until fish flakes easily. Serve over rice.

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.

SEA BASS VERACRUZ

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine tomatoes, olives, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and capers together in a bowl. Place flour in a shallow bowl.
• Place fish on a flat work surface and season with salt and pepper. Dredge one side of each fillet in flour.
• Heat oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish, flour-side down, and saute for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Stir broth into skillet and scrape the bottom to deglaze. Add 1/2 the tomato mixture. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Saute 3 minutes more. Nestle fillets into the skillet.
• Place skillet in the preheated oven and roast until fish flakes easily with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove and discard bay leaves. Add remaining tomato mixture to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Serve fillets topped with tomato mixture.

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.