Vera Cruz Corn 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.

VERA CRUZ TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
• Cut tops from tomatoes; remove seeds and membranes. Place tomato shells upside down on paper towels to drain until filling.
• Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate, reserve drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. Return 2 tablespoons of drippings to skillet.
• Cook onion in the bacon drippings until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook and stir until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream, reserved crumbled bacon, and hot pepper sauce.
• Sprinkle tomato shells with salt; fill evenly with bacon and spinach mixture. Place tomatoes in prepared baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven until hot, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove, and top evenly with the shredded cheese. Return to the oven; bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

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.

VERACRUZ CORN

Steps:

• If grilling the corn, coat the grill grate with cooking spray and prepare a medium-high grill. Brush the corn with oil and place it on the grill. Cook, turning, until the corn is evenly cooked and browned in spots, 5 to 7 minutes. If boiling the corn, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the corn, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well.
• When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut it from the cob and set aside.
• If using the tortillas, line a baking sheet or large plate with paper towels. In a large skillet, heat 1 cup of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmery and hot but not smoking. Add a handful or two of tortilla strips-they can be touching but not overlapping-and fry just until lightly browned around the edges, about 45 seconds. Transfer the strips to the paper towel-lined baking sheet, tossing and moving them around so they take on squiggly shapes as they cool and harden. Continue in batches until all the tortilla strips are fried, adding more oil to the pan if necessary. Set aside.
• In a small, preferably ovenproof, skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn and tortillas, if using, and toss until warmed through. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper, or to taste. If necessary, transfer to a small, ovenproof dish.
• Drizzle the aïoli on top and sprinkle with the cheese.
• Place an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler and turn the broiler to high. Place the skillet or dish under the broiler and cook until browned and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Watch carefully so it does not burn. Serve.
• Queso fresco, or "fresh cheese," is a mild, salty cheese used widely in Mexican cooking. It has a crumbly texture; some brands are more easily crumbled with your hands than grated. Sprinkled over hot food, it softens beautifully and becomes creamy rather than stringy, like some other cheeses. Queso fresco is widely available, and grocery stores that sell a wide selection of Latin food will usually have at least a couple of brands to choose from. Try a few to find one you like; my favorite brand is Cacique Ranchero. Tightly wrapped, queso fresco will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

SHRIMP VERACRUZ WITH BROWN RICE, CORN, AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Combine 6 cups water, 2 cups rice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook just until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in corn, then drain. Transfer rice mixture to large bowl. Refrigerate until cold, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Mix in green onions, bell peppers, and olives.
• Boil shrimp in large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Drain; set aside. Blend salsa, oil, lime juice, cumin, and lime peel in processor until dressing is smooth. Stir half of dressing into rice mixture. (Can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Cover shrimp, rice mixture, and remaining dressing separately and chill.)
• Mix shrimp and remaining dressing into rice mixture. Season salad with salt and pepper. Transfer salad to large platter. Garnish with lime wedges.