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VERACRUZ STYLE RED SNAPPER

Veracruz Style Red Snapper, A delicious and elegant dish that’s perfect for a nice dinner. Visit our site to check out the full recipe. When you visit Veracruz, your feast will start in the north with some zacahuil and bocoles, continue to the fried fish and seafood soups from Tuxpan...
Course Seafood
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4
Author Mely Martínez - Mexico in my Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 Whole Red Snapper cleaned and scaled. About 2 to 2/12 pounds in weight.
  • 2 tablespoons of lime juice.
  • 2 Tablespoon of olive oil
  • ½ cup of finely chopped white onion
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped.
  • 1 can 28 ounces crushed tomatoes or 1 ½ pound of tomatoes, finely chopped.
  • 1 small bunch of flat parsley finely chopped (about ½ cup).
  • 2 fresh branches of thyme
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • ½ cup of Pimiento Stuffed Olive whole or sliced.
  • 1 Tablespoon small capers rinse.
  • ¼ cup raisins Optional see note bellow*
  • 4 Pickled Jalapenos peppers thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup dry with wine **
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Warm Mexican White Rice to serve.

Instructions

  • Season the fish with salt, pepper and lime juice inside and out. Set aside.
  • In a large ovenproof frying pan, heat the oil in on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until transparent. Your frying pan has to be big enough to fit the fish. If you do not have a large enough oven-proof frying pan, then have a large baking dish ready to bake the fish there. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes or chopped tomatoes to the frying pan and cook for about 8 minutes. Add the herbs. Keep cooking for 4 more minutes or until sauce is cooked.
  • If using the dry white wine, add it while the tomatoes sauce is cooking.
  • Before adding the red snapper, add the pickled jalapeños, raisins, olives and capers and cook until the flavors combine, about 4 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
  • To bake the fish, add some sauce to the bottom of the baking dish, then place the fish and cover it with the rest of the sauce; bake for about 30 minutes or more. The fish meat should flake when you insert a fork. (If you want to cook it using the stove-top method, place the fish into the frying pan and cover with some of the sauce. Place a lid and simmer until fish is cooked.). The cooking time will depend on the size of the fish.

Serve in a large serving plate covered with the sauce.

    Notes

    • You can use Red Snapper, Tilapia or Bass filets instead, if you prefer them to the whole fish. It will require less cooking time.
    • Not everyone uses raisins, you can decide not to use them.
    • I am using Pickled Jalapeño peppers since they are easier to find outside Mexico, but if you can find pickled Guero pepper, use them instead.
    • Again, the white wine is a personal preference in our family, since it enhances the salsa flavor. If you decide not to use it, your salsa will still taste good.