Fish Veracruz (pescado a la veracruzana)
White fish simmered in a bright tomato sauce with olives, capers and a little jalapeño, a coastal Mexican classic in about half an hour.
- 40 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.65 a serving
- 500 calories
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-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
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz
- ⅓ cup Kalamata olives, halved
- 1 tbsp capers, drained
- 1¼ lb frozen white fish fillets, thawed and patted dry
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¼ cups water
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leave
Each serving has about 500 calories, 29 g protein, 66 g carbs and 13 g fat, and costs about $2.65 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 diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No Kalamata olives? Black olives work.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro 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
Heat the oil in a large with a lid over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, until soft, then add the garlic and jalapeño for 1 minute.
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 heatTimer: 6 min
Add the tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf and ½ teaspoon of the salt and for 8 minutes, until the sauce .
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.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min
in the olives and capers.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heat
the fish with the rest of the salt, nestle it into the sauce and spoon some sauce over the top.
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.
Cover and on low for 8 to 10 minutes, until the fish is opaque and 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: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: Leave it alone while it cooks. Stirring breaks the fish into shreds.Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Take out the bay leaf, scatter the parsley over and serve with the rice.
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.
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