Fish Veracruz (Pescado Veracruzana)

Fish with rice and a sauce made with tomatoes and olives.

Pescado a la Veracruzana literally means fish in the style of Veracruz. Fish Veracruz is light, colorful and simple Mexican dish with tomatoes, capers and olives.

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Level Beginner

Main Ingredient Fish

Diet Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Low Sugar, Low-Carb, Low-Fat, Pescatarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 294kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

4 fillets white-meat fish (snapper, cod, or halibut)
2 tablespoons olive oil for Veracruz sauce
1 small onion diced
4 large cloves garlic minced
3 medium tomatoes diced
1 Serrano chili minced
½ cup pitted green olives slice in half
⅓ cups capers in brine drained
½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
¼ teaspoon marjoram
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Salt for seasoning fish
Pepper for seasoning fish
2 tablespoons cilantro minced
1 lime sliced into wedges

Instructions

For the Veracruz sauce, fry the 1 small onion and 4 large cloves garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the 3 medium tomatoes, 1 Serrano chili, ½ cup pitted green olives, ⅓ cups capers in brine, ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano, ¼ teaspoon marjoram and 1 bay leaf. Cook over medium high heat for about 20 minutes to reduce the amount of liquid and concentrate the flavors. Taste it and add ½ teaspoon kosher salt as needed (about ½ tsp of kosher salt should do it).
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 small onion, 4 large cloves garlic, 3 medium tomatoes, 1 Serrano chili, ½ cup pitted green olives, ⅓ cups capers in brine, ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano, ¼ teaspoon marjoram, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
To get the fish crisp and brown on the outside, you need to get the surface very dry, use paper towels and try to get as much moisture off the surface as possible. Start heating a cast iron pan over medium high heat.
4 fillets white-meat fish
When the pan is very hot, lightly Salt and Pepper both sides of the fish. Add a splash of oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Put the fish into the pan and do not touch until it starts turning brown around the edges and no longer sticks to the pan. Gently flip and brown the other side. If you're cooking thicker cuts of fish, the center should read 125 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.
Salt, Pepper
When it's cooked, plate the fish. Stir the minced 2 tablespoons cilantro into the sauce. Cover the the fish with the Veracruz sauce and garnish with some spare cilantro leaves and a wedge of 1 lime.
2 tablespoons cilantro, 1 lime

Nutrition