Name: Pescado a la Veracruzana (Fish Veracruz Style)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 300 g White Fish, fillets or steaks; 3 Tomato, finely chopped; ¼ cup Green Olives, sliced; 1 tbsp Capers, rinsed if very salty; ½ cup Onion, thinly sliced; 3 clove Garlic, minced; 1 Jalapeño Pepper, sliced; ½ tsp Dried Oregano, crumbled; 1 Bay Laurel Leaf, whole; 1½ tbsp Cooking Oil, for sauce; ½ Lemon, juiced; 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped, for finishing; to taste Salt, for seasoning; ¼ tsp Black Peppercorns, freshly crushed

Pescado a la Veracruzana (Fish Veracruz Style)

40 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild

Add to your week

Method

Season the white fish with salt, black pepper, and lemon juice, then rest it while preparing the sauce.
Heat the measured cooking oil in a wide pan and cook the onion until softened.
Add the garlic, jalapeño, tomato, bay leaf, and dry oregano, then cook until the tomato breaks down into a saucy base.
Stir in the green olives and capers, then simmer briefly so the sauce becomes savory and briny.
Place the seasoned fish in the sauce, cover, and cook gently until the fish is just cooked through.
Spoon sauce over the fish, remove the bay leaf, and adjust salt carefully because olives and capers are salty.
Finish with fresh coriander and serve hot.

How to tell it's done

The fish should flake easily but stay moist, and the sauce should be thick, tomato-rich, and lightly briny.

Getting it right

Tip

Cook the fish gently in the sauce instead of boiling it hard; this keeps the fillets tender and whole.

What to serve it with

Serve with Mexican red rice, plain rice, or warm corn tortillas.

Common mistakes

The fish overcooks and falls apart.: Lay it into a sauce that is already finished and let it poach covered on low heat. The sauce should be tasted and adjusted before the fish ever goes in — once it does, the clock is short.
The dish comes out too salty.: Season the sauce lightly and taste after the olives and capers have simmered in it. Both are salted heavily, and salt added at the start has nowhere to go.

Substitutions

Use Boneless Fish Fillets if White Fish is unavailable; adjust cook time based on thickness.
Use Black Olives only if Green Olives are unavailable; the flavor will be milder and less traditional.
Use Green Chilli instead of Jalapeño Pepper if needed.
Check fish freshness carefully and avoid overcooking, as lean fish can turn dry.

Storing and reheating

Keeps two days in the fridge. The sauce alone keeps four days and freezes for two months, which is the sensible way ahead — cook fresh fish into reheated sauce. Frozen and thawed fish goes chalky.

Cochinita Pibil

A Yucatán-style slow-cooked pork dish marinated with achiote and sour orange juice, served tender and shreddable.

6 hr 25 minnon vegetarian

Mexican Beef Picadillo

A home-style Mexican minced beef and potato guisado cooked with tomato, carrots, peas, and mild spices.

45 minnon vegetarian

Michoacán Carnitas

Michoacán-style Mexican carnitas with slow-cooked pork, citrus, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and a lightly crisp finish.

2 hr 15 minnon vegetarian

Pollo Adobado (Chicken in Red Adobo)

Tender Mexican chicken simmered in a deep red adobo sauce made with dried chiles, tomato, garlic, vinegar, and warm spices.

55 minnon vegetarian

Red Pork Pozole

A red Mexican pork and hominy soup with guajillo chile broth, served with crisp cabbage, radish, coriander, and lime-style lemon.

2 hrnon vegetarian

Sopa de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)

A comforting Mexican tomato-broth soup with tender beef meatballs, potatoes, carrots, and fresh herbs.