Pan-Seared Mexican Fish

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – About the Mexican Flavor Profile

Last week, I did a major overhaul of my flavor profiles post from 2015. I also have a Global Flavor Profiles document that provides a summary of many of the flavor profiles I use to create new recipes for Beyond Mere Sustenance. I asked myself what would be the best way to teach this useful cooking skill? It occurred to me that preparing one featured ingredient using different flavor profiles would be a good way to illustrate the method.

I initially considered chicken breast, but don’t we all have a plethora of chicken breast recipes? I landed on cod (or other firm, mild white fish) because it’s so widely available, healthy, and relatively inexpensive. These flavors can easily be used with chicken or pork as well!

What fish species do I find in the Gulf of Mexico? For this recipe, I’d use red snapper, sheepshead, black drum, redfish, or speckled sea trout. However, cod, barramundi, tilapia, halibut, etc. are more widely available, and work great!

I used cod for a series of recipes that reflect a regional flavor profile using my well-stocked pantry and my knowledge of flavor profiles to create relatively quick, healthy main dish recipes. I hope I’m successful at communicating the “method to the madness.” Please let me know your thoughts or your questions in the comments section at the bottom of the post.

What constitutes the Mexican Flavor Profile?

My first flippant response is not the Tex-Mex enchiladas, rellenos, tacos, and tamales that you find on combination plates in the United States. I was born in southern California, and I still love that food, but it really isn’t a good representation of Mexican cuisine. 😆 Mexico has a vast array of regional, fresh, healthy cuisine, and bringing that to my readers is of paramount importance to me.

What makes this a “Mexican” fish recipe?

The two most obvious ingredients that contribute Mexican flavor to the pan-seared fish are the spices – ground cumin and ground chipotle powder. Of course garlic, onion, jalapeños, and tomatoes are nearly ubiquitous in Mexican cooking. While most people associate limes with Mexican food, oranges (Sevilla or bitter oranges) are definitely a “thing.” I have never found Sevilla or bitter oranges in the US, but I have been very satisfied with using a combination of citrus that ups the acidity and reduces the sweetness of domestic oranges.

📋 Ingredients Notes

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

• fish – You’ll want a firm, white, mild, flaky fish like cod, barramundi, snapper, sea bass, tilapia, etc. If you love salmon and/or tuna, I have not tried it, but you might really like it! As someone who loves Gulf of Mexico fish, I can tell you red snapper, redfish, black and red drum, and sheepshead all work really well in this recipe!
• onion
• garlic
• tomatoes
• jalapeños
• citrus – I like a variety of citrus juice. On photo day, I used half a blood orange, half a lime, and half a Meyer lemon. You’ll want 1/4 to 1/3 cup of juice.
• spices – This combination of ground chipotle powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, and sea salt works really well. The cumin and red chile powder are important spices in the Mexican flavor profile. You can substitute another red chile powder like ancho, guajillo, or New Mexico red chile powder. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE generic “chili powder” as it’s a spice blend (often with sodium added) that will throw off the balance of flavors.
• beer – I keep Coronitas (a 7 ounce Mexican lager) on hand for cooking, and they’re a perfect size. A lager is a good choice because it is a “clean” tasting beer that won’t bring a lot of bitterness or maltiness to the pan sauce. If you’d prefer to not cook with alcohol, substitute chicken, seafood, or vegetable broth.

🔪 Instructions

• Prepare the fish – Combine the ground cumin, chile powder, garlic powder and sea salt. Spread out on a plate. Press the fish fillets into the spice rub to generously coat each piece on both sides.

• Start the fish – To a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil or butter. Place fish portions in the skillet.

• Finish the fish – Gently lift the edge of the fillets to check for doneness. The fish should be white on at least the side against the heat. Turn carefully with a flat spatula. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

• Sauté the tomatoes and aromatics – Add the tiny tomatoes to the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until you see a good amount of brown blistering or even bursting. Add the onion, and garlic. Sauté an additional 2-3 minutes until onions soften.

• De-glaze – Add the beer or broth to the skillet. Bring to a boil, and reduce by about half.

• Finish the pan sauce – Add the jalapeño and citrus juice. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Simmer an additional 5 minutes to soften all the veggies.

• Finish the Pan-Seared Mexican Fish – Add the cooked fish back into the skillet. Spoon sauce over the top. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and/or scallions as desired. Enjoy!

💭 Tips

Firm white fish works well in this Mexican fish recipe. Whether you’re fishing in the Gulf of Mexico like my husband and I do or not, good quality, sustainable white fish options are widely available. If you’re not in an area with good fresh fish, rely on frozen. These options are often frozen on the boat shortly after being caught, and are actually better quality than “fresh.”

Look for sustainable options like barramundi, cod, and snapper. If “farm raised,” know the country and feeding method.