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Mexico: Veracruz-style fish recipe (pescado a la Veracruzana)
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Serves 2
Javier Junquera Perez, head chef of Sydney's Guzman y Gomez, talks food and football in Mexico.
How has your heritage influenced your cooking?
My heritage influenced a lot my cooking, because, when I was a child, I was always close to my grandmother, and I looked at her when she was cooking for the family and for her little restaurant. I learnt how to cook Mexican food with her and with the time my interest in cooking grew. I understood that I had to follow this family’s tradition, so I decided to become a chef. When I arrived in Australia I decided to use my cooking knowledge to show and share my culture’s cuisine.
Why is this dish representative of Mexican cuisine?
The dish I chose is “Veracruz style fish” (pescado a la veracruzana) and is representative of a part of Mexico, Veracruz state, where I was born. This state is in the southeast coast, where fish and seafood are the most important part of the cuisine. The ingredients of this dish are green and red capsicum, red tomatoes and onion and they represent the three colours of the Mexican flag (green, white and red). This dish became very popular all around Mexico.
How closely will you be following the world cup?
In Mexico soccer is one the most important sports and I have been a soccer fan since I was a child. I will follow the world cup and especially the matches of Mexican team and Brazilian team.
Is food or football more important to Mexican people?
Food is really important to Mexican people, but football is also a big passion, so I can say that they are both important, and the best way to enjoy a football match is a meeting with friends, great food and drinks. 
This interview is part of a series on chefs representing each of the countries in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Ingredients
1 whole red snapper
Lime juice from 2 limes
70ml olive oil
3 cloves of garlic (diced)
4 red tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1⁄2 green sliced capsicums
1⁄2 red sliced capsicums
1 whole onion sliced
1/3 cup (75-80g) green olives pitted
1 1⁄2 Tsp (20g) capers rinsed
2 tsp (4g) dry oregano
1 bay leaf
300ml fish stock
150ml white wine
Salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation
Combine the fish, lime juice, salt & pepper in a large bowl, refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes in fridge.After the fish is ready to cook, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium flame. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, and then add the garlic and sautéing for another minute.
Add the capsicums, diced tomatoes, olives, capers, dry oregano, bay leaf and the white wine, sauté for 2 or 3 minutes until reduce the wine.
Then add the whole fish and cover with some of the sauce add the stock, season. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-12 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
Serve with rice (optional) and garnish with fresh parsley.
Note: Be careful with the amount of salt you add to this dish as the olives and the capers will add their own salt to the sauce. And it is easy to over do it, wait until the sauce has simmered for a while before you season it.
If you enjoyed this Mexico: Veracruz-style fish recipe (pescado a la Veracruzana) then browse more Mexican recipes, seafood recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.
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Displaying 10 of 239 Mexican Restaurants.
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| 1. | Prickles | Parap | |
| 2. | Gertie's Bar & Lounge | New Farm | |
| 3. | Bluecorn | St Kilda | |
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| 5. | Vera Cruz | Cremorne | |
| 6. | Mars Hill Cafe | Parramatta | |
| 7. | Juanita's Mexican Restaurant | Kensington | |
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| 10. | El Sol Mexican Restaurant | Cronulla |
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