Veracruz Style Fish Soup 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.

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.

VERACRUZ-STYLE FISH SOUP

Steps:

• Place the tortillas in the bottom of the insert of a 5-7 quart slow cooker.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.
• Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, bell peppers, cumin, and oregano and saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
• Deglaze the pan with the beer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
• Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker and stir to combine with the tortillas.
• Stir in the tomatoes and clam juice.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.
• Stir in the fish, rice, and cilantro; cook for 1 hour, until the fish is cooked through.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

SEA BASS VERACRUZANA

Steps:

• Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Heat one very large or two medium sized saute pans over medium high heat for a minute, then add the butter. When the butter is sizzling, add the fillets flesh side down and turn the heat to very high. Sear the fillets until golden brown and flip to sear the other side. Remove fillets from pan and reserve on a rack over a plate to catch juices.
• Return the pan (or pans) to the heat, add the onions and cook, stirring often, over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno slices, lime wedges, tomatoes, oregano and olives and saute briskly for 1 minute more. Add the white wine and reduce to half. Add the fish stock and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and return fish fillets, along with their juices, to the pan. Finish cooking, covered, about 1 to 3 minutes depending upon the thickness of fillets.
• Taste broth and adjust seasoning, then serve immediately in soup plates with a generous puddle of broth and garnish of vegetables on top.

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.

VERACRUZANA CRAB SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onions. Cook, stirring, for five to 10 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute or two, until the garlic begins to color. Add the tomatoes and about 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes are somewhat cooked down and the mixture smells fragrant. Add the potatoes, the winter squash, chiles, olives, capers, bouquet garni and the oregano, and stir together for five minutes. Add 2 quarts water and salt to taste, and bring to a simmer. Simmer 30 minutes, until the potatoes and winter squash are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and/or garlic if you wish. Remove from the heat if not serving right away.
• Bring the soup back to a bare simmer, and stir in the crab. Heat through, stirring and being careful not to let the soup boil or the crabmeat, which is already cooked, will become too rubbery. Just before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro, and serve with lime wedges on the side.