In the coast of Mexico is Veracruz a state with a unique culinary style. Mexican cooking has been fused with the spices and grains brought from Spain in the 1500s. And because is a coastal state it is lots of fresh seafood which is the signature of the region!
In this recipe I combine those flavors and make it as easy as I could, to give you a fast and delicious restaurant kind of meal at home.
so Lets start:
Ingredients
12 Spanish Olives (stuffed is ok) 3 Cloves Garlic 1 Bunch Fresh Oregano 1 bunch Fresh cilantro (if you dont like cilantro, just reserved a pinch of fresh oregano to garnish) 1 Jalapeño Pepper 1 Lime 1 medium ripe tomato 1 Yellow Onion
1/4 cup sweet corn
1/4 cup cooked pinto beans 1/4 teaspoon saffron 1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric 1 Cup Basmati Rice 1 15-Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes 1 Fresh Bay Leaf ¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon 2 Tilapia Fillets 2 sweet corn ears 2 tablespoon of homemade tex-mex/taco seasoning (recipe here in the blog) 1/2 cup of real butter 2 cups of homemade or store bought organic broth chicken or vegetarian. Let's Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and mince the garlic. Remove the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno, then small dice. Using a peeler, remove the green rind of the lime, avoiding the white pith; mince the peel to get 2 teaspoons of lime zest. Cut the lime into quarters. Peel and small dice the onion. Pick the oregano leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Chop the olives. chop the tomato.
Now, let's make the butter, to 1/2 cup of real butter add 2 tablespoons of my homemade tex-mex seasoning, mix until is completely mixed and soft. Save for later. In a big enough pot boil water with salt to taste. When the water boils add the ears of corn. Cook until is tender. In a medium pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium until hot. Add half of the onion and half of the garlic and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened and fragrant, add the tomato chop and stir frequently. Stir in the turmeric and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until toasted and well combined. In the same pot, add the basmati rice, a big pinch of salt and 2 cups of broth. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. When starts boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook 14 to 16 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed and rice tender. Remove from heat and stir in the juice of 2 lime wedges. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
While the rice cooks, in another pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the jalapeño, remaining onion and remaining garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add the tomatoes, the corn and the beans, lime zest, cinnamon, bay leaf and 1 cup of water. Stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper too and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly reduced in volume. While the sauce cooks, season the tilapia filets with salt and pepper on both sides.
In a large fry pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the tilapia and cook 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Reduce the heat to the fish to medium and add the tomato sauce and all the rest of the ingredients , (olives,oregano etc) except the cilantro (save for garnish) to the pan. Frequently spooning the sauce over the fish, cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly reduced in volume. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf. To plate your dish, divide the rice between 2 plates and top with the tilapia and tomato sauce. Garnish with the fresh cilantro (the real fresh flavor comes with the bite of the raw cilantro mix with the rice ) and lime wedges. Add your hot ear corn to your plate with a generous spoon of tex-mex butter.
Enjoy!
