Fish in salsa verde (pescado en salsa verde)
Tender white fish simmered in tangy tomatillo salsa verde with onion and cilantro, a short-list Mexican dinner that tastes like it took much longer.
- 35 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.34 a serving
- 430 calories
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 1¼ lb frozen white fish fillets, thawed and patted dry
- ½ white onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups salsa verde
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 430 calories, 28 g protein, 66 g carbs and 6 g fat, and costs about $2.34 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the rice, water and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a medium and over high heat.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the fish with ¼ teaspoon of the salt.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Heat the oil in a large with a lid over medium-high heat.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heat
the fish for 2 minutes per side, until lightly , then move it to a plate. It finishes in the sauce.
Sear. Searing means cooking the outside of meat or fish in a hot pan, without moving it, until a deep brown crust forms. The crust is packed with flavor, and it only forms on a dry surface.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the moment it goes in, and it lets go of the pan on its own when the crust is ready.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 4 min
Turn the heat to medium, add the onion and cook 3 minutes, until soft, then add the garlic for 30 seconds.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Pour in the salsa verde, add the rest of the salt and bring it .
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heat
Return the fish, spoon the sauce over, cover and on low for 5 to 7 minutes, until it flakes easily.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 6 min
Dolly’s tip: Spoon the sauce over instead of stirring. The fish is soft and breaks apart easily.Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Scatter the cilantro over and serve with the rice, lime wedges and a spoonful of sour cream.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
