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Fish Veracruz Brings Mexican Taste Home

Bev Bennett Los Angeles Times Service

Veracruz, on Mexico’s East Coast, is rich in seafood. Jewels from the Gulf of Mexico include red snapper, shrimp, crab and crayfish the size of Maine lobsters.

Is it any wonder that Huachinango a la Veracruzana (Red Snapper Veracruz Style) is the region’s best-known dish and one of the most famous in Mexico?

Every cook has her own secret recipe; however, the dish usually includes olives and capers, which indicate a Spanish influence. Some preparations are soupy, like a stew. More typically the fish is baked whole and topped with the olives and capers in a chili and tomato sauce.

As exotic as Fish Veracruz Style sounds, you don’t need to hop on a plane to enjoy it. The ingredients are as near as your supermarket and the warm Gulf breezes are a matter of your imagination.

Fish Veracruz Style

1 large shallot, peeled and minced

1 small green pepper, cored, seeded and diced

1 jalapeno chili, cored, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium tomatoes (enough to equal 1 cup diced)

2 tablespoons capers

2 tablespoons chopped, pitted green olives

Salt, freshly ground white pepper

1 (10-ounce) snapper or other white fish fillet, cut into 2 portions

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

Lemon-Scented Rice (recipe follows)

Saute shallot, green pepper and chili in olive oil in medium pan 5 minutes or until peppers are tender. Add tomatoes, capers, olives and salt and pepper to taste and cook until pulpy, about 5 minutes.

Place fish in oiled baking dish. Spoon on tomato sauce. Bake at 400 degrees until fish is white and firm throughout, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 266 calories, 9.8 grams fat (33 percent fat calories), 30 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrate, 52 milligrams cholesterol, 250 milligrams sodium.

Lemon-Scented Rice

3/4 cup long-grain rice

1-1/2 cups chicken broth or water

Grated rind of 1 lemon (yellow part only)

1 teaspoon minced jalapeno chili

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Salt

Combine rice, chicken broth and lemon rind in medium pan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Stir in jalapeno chili, lemon juice and salt to taste.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 313 calories, 2.4 grams fat (26 percent fat calories), 13 grams protein, 57 grams carbohydrate, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 1,177 milligrams sodium.