Another recipe with Mexican salsa verde: fish poached in salsa verde, and then served with the salsa and Mexican crema. This is quick and easy if you have already made the salsa verde. It is important not to overcook the fish and I provide an easy technique to accomplish just that: moist tender fish that is not overcooked. With the delicious salsa verde, this is very tasty.

Ingredients

For 2 servings

300 grams (.66 lb) white fish fillet, such as cod (I used wolffish)

1/2 recipe salsa verde

60 ml (1/4 cup) Mexican crema, or sour cream diluted with some milk

salt

fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Season the fish fillets with salt on both sides, preferably an hour in advance (and store the fish in the refrigerator). This will not only season the fish throughout, but also keep it more moist and firm.

Bring the salsa verde to a boil in a saucepan or small frying pan in which the fish fits as snugly as possible.

As soon as the salsa boils, lower the heat as much as possible and add the fish fillets.

Spoon salsa verde over the fillets, such that they are completely covered.

Cover, and allow the heat of the salsa to gently cook the fish. If the fish is 1.25 cm (1/2 inch) or less, 10 minutes should do it. (If the fish is thicker, you may wish to cut it into thinner slices.)

Gently turn the fish after 5 minutes, making sure it is again covered with sauce.

This method works even better if the amount of sauce is at least twice that of the fish. In such a case you can turn off the heat completely and use only the residual heat of the sauce to cook the fish. In this case there is not enough salsa for that, so very low heat is needed. But it definitely should not boil. We are aiming for a core temperature around 50C/122F of the fish.

After 10 minutes, some juices will have been released by the fish and they will look like milk. This is normal. Take out the fish and place it on preheated plates.

Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring, and allow to boil briefly to thicken the juices released by the fish.

Spoon the warm sauce over the fish.

Drizzle with Mexican crema, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Sides could include guacamole, tortillas, and refried beans.

Flashback

Sole with mint, peas, and fennel is an elegant dish for a dinner party that is easy to prepare. Flatfish with mint sauce is a combination I saw in one of Biba Caggiano’s cookbooks. In this case I used sole. If turbot is the king of flatfish, then sole certainly is the queen. But you could also use turbot or even flounder. Mint works well with peas, and the fennel salad adds a nice crispy element. This is one of those dishes where each bite should include a little bit of everything on the plate for the best experience.