RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
July Pick: Instant Pot Meals

Cod Veracruz

Cod fillets poached in a Veracruz sauce of tomatoes, sweet peppers, green olives, capers, and jalapeño, the sauce pressure-cooked in minutes.

Why you'll love Cod Veracruz

Pescado a la veracruzana comes from the port city of Veracruz on Mexico's Gulf coast, for centuries the main port between Spain and Mexico, and the sauce shows it: olive oil, green olives, capers, and bay leaves from Spain, cooked with tomatoes, jalapeños, and oregano from Mexico, with a pinch of cinnamon in the background. The traditional fish is red snapper; cod is easy to find, mild, and flakes into big, tender pieces in the sauce.

The Instant Pot does the slow part fast. Four minutes at pressure collapses the onion, peppers, and tomatoes into a sauce that would simmer for half an hour on the stove. The cod waits until the pressure is off, then poaches gently in the hot sauce on the sauté setting, because a fillet goes from moist to dry in a minute and is far easier to watch with the lid unlocked. A rub of lime and salt while the sauce cooks seasons the fish through.

It is a bright, briny summer dinner in about 40 minutes, and the sauce is even better made a day ahead.

Quick overview: This Cod Veracruz takes 15 min of hands-on time and about 40 min in all and makes 4 servings, each 1 fillet with about 1 cup sauce. You'll need an Instant Pot.

Jump to recipe

Cod fillet in Veracruz tomato sauce with olives and capers
Prep 15 minCook 25 minTotal 40 minServes 4Serving 1 fillet with about 1 cup sauceYou'll need Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 4 cod fillets (6 oz each), about 1 inch thick
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice, plus wedges to serve
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt, divided
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and sliced into rings
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes Label: tomatoes, and salt if any
  • 1/2 cup pitted green olives, such as manzanilla, halved Label: olives, water, salt, and vinegar or lactic acid
  • 2 tbsp capers, rinsed Label: capers, water, vinegar, and salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • a pinch of cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tbsp chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Season the fish: Lay the cod in a dish, rub it with the lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and refrigerate it while you make the sauce, no longer than 30 minutes. The salt seasons the flesh and the lime gives it a bright edge, and longer than that the acid starts to firm the surface.
  2. Soften the vegetables: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté on Normal and heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until they soften. Add the garlic and jalapeños and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant.
  3. Deglaze: Pour in the water and scrape the bottom of the insert with a wooden spoon until nothing is stuck to it. A clear bottom is what keeps the Instant Pot from showing its overheat warning. Press Cancel.
  4. Layer the tomatoes: Pour the crushed tomatoes over the vegetables without stirring them in, then scatter the olives, capers, bay leaves, oregano, cinnamon, black pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt on top. Thick tomatoes resting on top of thin liquid stay off the hot bottom under pressure.
  5. Pressure-cook the sauce: Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then carefully release the rest with a towel over the valve. Stir the sauce well; the peppers should be silky.
  6. Poach the cod: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté on Less and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Nestle the cod into the sauce, spoon some over the tops, and set the lid on loosely without locking it. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part. Press Cancel as soon as it gets there.
  7. Serve: Remove the bay leaves. Lift each fillet into a shallow bowl with a wide spatula, spoon the sauce over it, and scatter with parsley. Serve with lime wedges.

Storage and leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container within 2 hours of cooking, for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat just until hot, so the fish stays tender.

The sauce alone keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer. Bring it back to a simmer and poach fresh fish in it.

Variations

  • Red snapper: Use red snapper fillets, the traditional fish, and poach them for 5 to 7 minutes, until they reach 145°F (63°C).
  • Shrimp: Poach 1 1/2 lb of large peeled shrimp in the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes, until pink, opaque, and 145°F (63°C).
  • Halibut: Use thick halibut fillets, allowing 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Milder: Use one jalapeño, fully seeded, or swap in a sliced poblano for a gentle, earthy heat.

Notes and tips

  • Check the olive label: Green olives should read olives, water, salt, and vinegar or lactic acid. Pitted plain olives are easiest; pimento-stuffed ones work if the label is all real food.
  • Rinse the capers: A quick rinse washes off the brine so they taste of caper rather than salt.
  • Thaw fish properly: Thaw frozen cod overnight in the refrigerator and pat it dry before it goes into the lime.
  • Use a wide spatula: Cooked cod is tender and breaks easily; slide a wide spatula under each fillet to lift it out whole.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Cod brings protein along with iodine, selenium, and vitamin B12, and its mild flavor takes on the sauce.
  • Tomatoes cooked with olive oil make more of their lycopene available to your body.
  • Green olives and olive oil are the real fats here, and capers and olives together give the sauce its briny, savory depth.
  • Peppers, onion, and tomatoes put a full serving of vegetables in every bowl.
  • As you eat, notice the briny olives and capers against the sweet peppers and tender fish, and check in later: this dinner should keep you comfortably full for at least 3 to 4 hours, through a long summer evening.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Cod Veracruz? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Can I put the fish in under pressure?

It works, but fillets overcook easily at pressure and fall apart. Poaching them in the hot sauce with the lid unlocked lets you check them and pull them at exactly the right moment.

Can I use frozen cod?

Yes. Thaw it first in the refrigerator overnight; frozen fillets release water that thins the sauce and cook unevenly.

What should I serve with it?

Cauliflower rice catches the sauce the way white rice does in Veracruz. Sliced avocado or a crisp cabbage salad with lime are good alongside.

Is it spicy?

Mildly. Seeded jalapeños give a gentle warmth; leave some seeds in for more heat.

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Tags: July Pick, Instant Pot Meals, Mexican, Dairy-Free