Drunken Fish
Submitted by LAURIEH
Pescado borracho: whole red snapper baked in a smoky ancho chile and red wine sauce with olives, capers, and fresh tomatoes. This Veracruz-style Mexican fish dish is bold, briny, and unforgettable.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
65 minREADY
145 minPescado borracho brings together everything that makes Mexican coastal cooking so thrilling. A whole red snapper gets buried under a sauce built from rehydrated ancho chiles blended with dry red wine, then layered with fresh tomatoes, briny olives, capers, and a hit of oregano and cumin.
The fish bakes covered until it flakes at the touch of a fork, soaking up that smoky, winey sauce the entire time. It’s a dish that owes a debt to the classic Veracruz style but takes its own path with the dried chile and red wine combination.
Present the whole fish on a platter with the sauce spooned over top. It’s the kind of centerpiece that makes people reach for their phones before their forks.
Kitchen Tips
- Soak the dried ancho chiles for a full 45 to 60 minutes. Shortcutting the soak leaves tough bits in your sauce.
- If you can’t find whole snapper, red drum, striped bass, or branzino all work as substitutes. Look for a firm white fish that can hold up to a long bake.
- Score the fish with a few diagonal slashes on each side before baking. This lets the sauce penetrate deeper into the flesh.
- The olives and capers add salt, so season cautiously. Taste the sauce before pouring it over the fish.
Ingredients
Directions
Fish: Use a fresh or frozen whole dressed Red Snapper or other whole fish.
Tomatoes: The medium tomatoes should be peeled, seeded and chopped.
Olives: The olives should be sliced.
Thaw the fish if frozen. Cut the chiles open.
Discard stems and seeds. Cut the chiles into small pieces with a pair of scissors or a sharp knife.
Place the snipped chiles in a small bowl and cover with boiling water.
Set aside for 45 to 60 minutes then drain. Place the chiles in a blender container and add the wine.
Blend until nearly smooth.
In a medium saucepan cook the onion and garlic in the hot oil until tender but not brown.
Add the chile-wine mixture (or the crushed red peppers and wine to the saucepan), tomatoes, ⅓ cup of water, parsley, sugar, salt, oregano, and cumin.
Bring to boiling then reduce the heat.
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the fish in a greased 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking dish .
Season cavity of the fish with salt and pepper.
Stir the sliced olives and capers into the tomato sauce mixture and pour over the fish.
Cover and bake in a preheated 350℉ (180℃) oven for about 45 to 60 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Carefully remove the fish to a serving platter.
Serve with the remaining sauce.
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