Pescado Mexicano

Every Filipino student knows — or ought to — that colonial Spain governed us through Mexico. What we refer to as “Spanish influence” is in fact that which had been filtered through that outpost in the New World. Arguably, Filipino cuisine owes a lot to Mexico.* And yet when you ask the average Pinoy about Mexican food, the most likely answer is taco, or, if in a pinch, tequila (which counts as sustenance in my book).

Much of Mexico’s coastline faces the Pacific Ocean, the bounty of which graces its cuisine like it does ours. Veracruz-style fish, named after one of the country’s oldest port cities — if on the Atlantic side, and incidentally the port of call for the incoming Spanish, who then had to travel by land to the port of Acapulco if intending to proceed to the Philippines — combines New World ingredients (tomato and chili) with Spanish/European culinary mainstays (olive oil and caper). It’s a simple dish to make, traditionally with maya-maya (red snapper), but here with lapu-lapu (grouper).

I made this a while back, I should say, before the current over-extended rainy spell (will it ever end?) that has made fresh fish scarce and expensive (outrageously so). Already I have exhausted my meager supply of canned sardines, but that’s for another post.

Veracruz-Style Fish

The ingredients should be available in a moderately well-stocked Philippine supermarket. You can use fresh tomatoes (choose the small ones) instead of canned. Use as much (or little) olives and jalapeño pepper as desired. As for the fish, insist only on the freshest.

• 500 grams grouper, filleted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon caper brine
• 1 tablespoon lime or kalamansi juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• pickled jalapeño pepper, sliced
• pitted green olives, sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425℉. Meanwhile cut each fish fillet in half and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until wilted, then stir in garlic and sauté for another minute before adding tomatoes, caper, caper brine, sugar, jalapeño, and olives. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes. Salt to taste and set aside.
3. Lightly oil a baking dish, spoon some of the tomato sauce on the bottom, lay on a layer of fish fillets, top with more sauce and some lime juice, and repeat with the rest of the fillets.
4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil (to catch the spatter) and place the dish in the center. Bake for 20 minutes or until fillets are cooked through and flaky. Serve immediately.

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* The article also cites this source to claim that, “all governor-generals [of the Philippines], except Legazpi, [were] Mexican-born.” Curious, I did a little fact-checking, and found out that majority of them were born in Spain. «