Fish Veracruz

This recipe is a great, light dinner with tons of flavor and Spanish influences.
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Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless red snapper fillets (7 oz. each)*
Cayenne
Salt 
Pepper
2 TBSP EVOO
1/2 of a White Onion, Diced
4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 TBSP Capers
1 TBSP Caper Brine
1 Large Jalapeno
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1/3 Cup Sliced Green Olives
2 TBSP Fresh Chopped Oregano
2 Limes

* Note: You can use any flaky, white fish for this recipe.

How to Make It

1. Set your oven to 425 degrees (Fahrenheit)
2. Prep the veggies - Wash jalapeno, cherry tomatoes, and oregano, and then prepare accordingly:
   1. Cut your full white onion in half, dice one half and put the other half back in the fridge.
   2. Peel and mince 4 cloves of garlic.
   3. Measure out your 1 TBSP capers and 1 TBSP caper brine.
   4. Slice your jalapeno. You can either leave in the seeds or take them out, depending on how spicy you'd like the dish to be.
   5. Halve cherry tomatoes until they fill a 1 cup measuring cup; set aside.
   6. Slice olives until they fill a 1/3 cup measuring cup; set aside.
   7. Chop up your oregano (you'll need 2 TBSP).
   8. Halve your limes. 
3. Prep your fish - Lay your fish out on a clean cutting board, and trim off any skin the butcher missed. Check for bones, and remove any remaining with tweezers. Then, halve your fish (it's really a 60/40 rather than a 50/50 cut, with the thinner end of the fillet being the 40% 'half'). 
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Then, add in your diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start to become translucent, which was about 6-7 minutes for me.
5. Toss in the minced garlic, and stir in for about 30 seconds. The garlic should be fragrant. Add capers and the caper brine, and stir them in.
6. Stir in the tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, and green olives. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes start to collapse and jalapeno softens. This should take about three minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the chopped oregano. 
7. In an 8x8 pyrex glass dish, drizzle olive oil. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of the cooked vegetable mixture, and place the two smaller, thinnner, fish fillet 'halves' on top side by side. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne and then top with filling and the juice from 1 lime. 
8. Repeat step 7 with the remaining larger 'halves', and make sure to use up all that yummy filling on top!
9. Place the pyrex in your preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through (no longer transluscent).

I love this recipe because it's simple, beautiful to look at, so yummy, and it makes you look like a fantastic chef to dinner guests! It also gives you a great excuse to have a glass of white wine. So, try it out and let me know how it goes in the comments below.

Until Next Time!