Today we're heading to the very heart of Mexican cuisine — bright, generous, and incredibly diverse. We'll make two iconic dishes that locals have eaten since childhood: crispy chilaquiles for breakfast and tender Veracruz-style fish.
🌮 Chilaquiles
A classic Mexican dish of fried corn tortillas simmered in tangy salsa sauce. Crispy on the outside and sauce-soaked inside, the chips are served with egg, cheese, and sour cream — the perfect hearty breakfast.
Ingredients:
• Corn tortillas — 8 pieces (or ready-made corn tortilla chips — 200 g)
• Tomatoes — 4 medium-sized
• Jalapeño (or green chili) — 1-2 pieces
• Yellow onion — 1 medium
• Garlic — 3 cloves
• Chicken stock — 200 ml
• Vegetable oil — for frying
• Eggs — 4 pieces
• Feta or mozzarella cheese — 100 g
• Sour cream — 4 tablespoons
• Fresh cilantro — small bunch
• Salt — to taste
• Black pepper — to taste
Preparation:
Step 1. Preparing the tortillas
If using fresh tortillas: cut each into 6-8 triangles (like pizza). Heat 3-4 mm of oil in a pan to 180°C (when a dropped piece of tortilla immediately floats and sizzles). Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden and crispy. Transfer to paper towels. If using ready-made chips — skip this step.
Step 2. Making the salsa
Cut tomatoes into quarters, onion into large chunks, halve the jalapeño and remove seeds (if you want less heat). Heat a dry pan over high heat and char the tomatoes, onion, pepper, and unpeeled garlic cloves until lightly blackened — 8-10 minutes, turning. The tomato skins should blacken in spots and wrinkle.
Step 3. Blending the sauce
Peel the garlic. Transfer all charred vegetables to a blender, add 100 ml chicken stock, salt (1 teaspoon), and pepper. Blend for 30-40 seconds until you get a textured sauce with small chunks — not completely smooth. The sauce should be thick but pourable.
Step 4. Simmering the chilaquiles
In a wide skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Pour in the salsa (it should sizzle) and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and darkens. Add the remaining 100 ml stock, bring to a boil. Add the fried tortillas to the sauce, gently toss with a spatula. Simmer 2-3 minutes — the tortillas should soften but retain a slight crunch in the middle.
Step 5. Cooking the eggs
In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and fry the eggs — sunny-side up or scrambled, as you prefer. For sunny-side up: cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes until the white sets, the yolk should stay runny.
Step 6. Serving
Divide the chilaquiles among plates, top with an egg. Crumble the cheese, add a spoonful of sour cream, sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve immediately — the dish should be hot and the tortillas should retain their texture.
💡 Fact: Chilaquiles is an ancient Aztec dish, the name comes from Nahuatl 'chīlāquilitl', meaning "greens in chili sauce". Mexicans traditionally make it for breakfast, using yesterday's stale tortillas — it's a way not to waste daily bread.
🐟 Pescado a la Veracruzana
White fish fillet simmered in aromatic tomato sauce with olives, capers, and green peppers. This elegant coastal dish combines Spanish influence with Mexican temperament — juicy, bright, and surprisingly delicate.
Ingredients:
• White fish fillet (cod, haddock, sea bass) — 4 pieces, 180-200 g each
• Ripe tomatoes — 6 medium-sized
• Yellow onion — 1 large
• Garlic — 4 cloves
• Pitted green olives — 100 g
• Capers — 3 tablespoons
• Pickled jalapeño (or fresh) — 2-3 pieces
• Bay leaves — 2 pieces
• Fresh thyme — 4 sprigs (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• Dry white wine — 100 ml
• Olive oil — 4 tablespoons
• Lemon — 1 piece
• Fresh parsley — small bunch
• Salt — to taste
• Black pepper — to taste
Preparation:
Step 1. Preparing the fish
Rinse the fillets with cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Remove all small bones with tweezers. Drizzle with juice from half the lemon, salt (1/4 teaspoon per piece) and pepper on both sides. Let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. The fish should turn slightly white from the lemon juice.
Step 2. Preparing the tomato base
Score the tomatoes with an X on top, plunge into boiling water for 1 minute, then into ice water. Peel, halve, remove seeds with a spoon. Cut the flesh into 1×1 cm cubes. Slice the onion into thin half-moons (3 mm thick), finely chop the garlic. Slice the jalapeño into thin rings, halve the olives.
Step 3. Sautéing the vegetables
In a wide high-sided skillet or sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring, until translucent and soft — the onion should not brown. Add the garlic, cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 4. Building the sauce
Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes for the alcohol to evaporate. Lower the heat to low, add the olives, capers, jalapeño. Simmer 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should thicken, tomatoes should break down, and the surface should be covered with oily sheen. Salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5. Cooking the fish
Carefully place the fillets in the sauce skin-side down (if there's skin) or just in an even layer. Spoon sauce over the top so the fish is almost completely covered. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to minimum. Simmer 10-12 minutes for fillets 2.5 cm thick. The fish is done when it easily flakes into white pieces with a fork and loses transparency in the center.
Step 6. Final touches
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Sprinkle the dish with finely chopped parsley, drizzle with remaining lemon juice. Let stand covered for 2-3 minutes for the flavors to meld.
Step 7. Serving
Serve the fish right in the skillet or transfer to a platter with the sauce. Traditional sides — white rice or crusty bread for dipping in the sauce. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs.
💡 Fact: The dish was born in the port city of Veracruz, where Spanish culinary traditions (olives, capers) mixed with Mexican character (jalapeño, tomatoes). Veracruz was Mexico's main gateway to Europe from the 16th century, and this dish is living proof of cultural exchange between continents.