Pescado a la Veracruzana (Fish with Tomatoes, Olives & Capers)

Photo: Thelmadatter · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Veracruz's signature dish: mild white fish baked under a bright, briny sauce of tomatoes, green olives, capers and pickled jalapeños, with a whisper of cinnamon.

Ingredients

• 1½ lb cod, snapper or tilapia fillets
• 1½ lb Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, halved
• 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
• 2 jalapeños, sliced (or ¼ cup pickled jalapeños)
• ½ bunch parsley, chopped
• 1½ cups rice
• 1 lime

From your pantry: ¼ cup olive oil, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, ¼ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper.

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and start the rice. Season the fish with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime.
2. Warm the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium and cook the onion until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and cinnamon and simmer, stirring, until saucy and slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the olives, capers, jalapeños and half the parsley and taste for salt.
4. Nestle the fish into the sauce and spoon some over the top. Bake until the fish flakes easily and is opaque in the center, 12 to 15 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaves, scatter with the remaining parsley and serve over rice with lime wedges.

Tip: Red snapper is the Veracruz classic, often cooked whole. Pickled jalapeños (chiles güeros or jalapeños en escabeche) are traditional and add a nice vinegary bite.

Nutrition per serving

Good for

Adapted from Gourmet Traveller.

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