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Tilapia Veracruz is a flavorful Mexican-inspired dish featuring tender tilapia simmered in a zesty tomato sauce with olives, capers, and peppers. Perfect for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner!
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I have the perfect dinner recipe for you today which is a great quick and delicious meal for the middle of the week – One Skillet Tilapia Veracruz. It’s also Paleo. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and most ingredients I use are standard pantry staples. This One-Skillet Tilapia Veracruz is a healthy Mexican dish with wonderful flavors. Its taste is very similar to a lot of Mediterranean meals – pretty much the same ingredients – tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, olives, oregano and I also added some jalapeno peppers. It’s only 1 Tbsp jalapeno peppers, and they are cooked. I couldn’t even tell it was spicy, it just adds a nice flavor, so it’s kid approved.
If you love one skillet and one-pot meals, I think you will also love this One Skillet Tilapia Caponata and this Ground Beef and Broccoli recipe.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Bursting with flavor: The combination of tangy tomatoes, briny olives, and zesty capers creates a rich and vibrant taste you’ll love.
- Quick and easy: This dish comes together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
- Versatile and crowd-pleasing: Works well with tilapia or other proteins and pairs beautifully with rice, quinoa, or crusty bread!
Ingredients And Substitutions
- Tilapia fillets – The star of the dish! You can swap tilapia with cod, snapper, halibut, or any white fish of your choice.
- Tomatoes – Fresh, chopped tomatoes add a natural sweetness. Canned diced tomatoes work as a convenient alternative.
- Red bell pepper – Brings a mild sweetness and color. You can use yellow or orange bell peppers for a slightly different flavor.
- Onion – Adds depth and a hint of sweetness. White or yellow onions work best, but shallots can also be used.
- Tomato sauce – Enhances the dish with a rich, tangy tomato base. Crushed tomatoes or marinara sauce can be substituted.
- Garlic – Fresh minced garlic adds a bold, aromatic flavor. Garlic powder can be used in a pinch.
- Black olives – Provide a briny, salty bite. Green olives or kalamata olives are great substitutes.
- Capers – Contribute a tangy, briny flavor. If unavailable, a splash of lemon juice or chopped green olives can work.
- Jalapeño slices – Adds a mild heat. Feel free to adjust the amount or swap for red pepper flakes if you prefer.
- White wine – Enhances the sauce with a subtle acidity. Chicken or vegetable broth can be used instead.
- Spices – The oregano brings an earthy, aromatic touch. Italian seasoning or thyme can be used as an alternative. And salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How to Make Tilapia Veracruz
- Sauté the Vegetables: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, and onion. Season with salt, stir, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Prepare the Sauce: Add tomato sauce, minced garlic, olives, capers, jalapeño slices, and white wine to the skillet. Season with salt, black pepper, and oregano. Stir well to combine.
- Season the Fish: Season both sides of the tilapia fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the fillets on top of the Veracruz sauce in the skillet.
- Cook the Fish: Spoon some of the sauce over the tilapia fillets, cover with a lid, and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve warm with your favorite sides!
TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN
Recipe Notes and Tips
These techniques and tips will help ensure your Fish Veracruz turns out deliciously flavorful and perfectly cooked every time!
- Don’t skip the capers and olives – These ingredients add a signature briny depth to the dish. If you prefer a milder taste, rinse them before adding.
- Season in layers – Add salt and seasoning at different stages (while cooking the vegetables, when making the sauce, and when seasoning the fish). This ensures every component is well-seasoned and flavorful.
- Let the sauce simmer – Allow the sauce to cook for a few minutes before adding the fish. This helps the flavors meld and develop a more balanced taste.
- Cover while cooking – Keeping the lid on while the fish cooks ensures it stays moist and absorbs the flavors from the sauce.
- Avoid overcooking the fish – Tilapia cooks quickly! Check for doneness at the 5-minute mark—it should flake easily with a fork but still be moist. Overcooked fish can become dry and tough.
- Spoon sauce over the fish – While cooking, occasionally spoon some of the sauce over the fillets to infuse them with even more flavor and keep them moist.
Pair It With
This dish pairs well with rice, quinoa, or crusty bread to soak up the delicious Veracruz sauce. Sometimes I also serve it with creamy mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash for a low-carb side.
If you are looking for a dinner recipe for this week, look no further, this One Skillet Tilapia Veracruz is so delicious and easy to make, you will want to make it over and over again.
More Quick & Delicious Dinners
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Fish Veracruz
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Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup black pitted olives, pitted and halfed
- 1 Tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 Tablespoon jalapeño pepper slices, chopped
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 Tablespoon oregano
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 tilapia filets
Instructions
- Sauté the vegetables: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, and onion. Season with salt, stir, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Prepare the sauce: Add tomato sauce, minced garlic, olives, capers, jalapeño slices, and white wine to the skillet. Season with salt, black pepper, and oregano. Stir well to combine.
- Season the fish: Season both sides of the tilapia fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the fillets on top of the Veracruz sauce in the skillet.
- Cook the fish: Spoon some of the sauce over the tilapia fillets, cover with a lid, and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve warm with your favorite sides!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this recipe is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice. I am not a doctor or a dietitian. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance regarding your diet or health. For more details, please read my full disclosure page.
I love this fish recipe…a must try!!!
Thanks, Jocelyn! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Delicious! Definitely a repeat recipe. Thank you!
So glad you liked it! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know you liked it! 🙂
Any tips on saving leftovers? I’d like to make a bunch but worry that the reheated version would lose a lot. Does anyone have experience to share?
I have put leftovers in the fridge and they reheat very well the next day.
I would love to make this, but just a question, do I use fresh jalapeños or pickled? I just want to get the recipe correct, I tend to improvise, but for my first time making it, I want to do recipe as is. Great recipe, can’t wait to make it!
Neethie, I used jalapenos from a jar. They are pickled. Hope you like it! 🙂 It’s one of my favorite go-to recipes!
Looks delicious. Question? Do you find the acidic tomato sauce damaging to the seasoning in your cast iron skillet? (I thought cooking tomatoes in cast iron was a no-no)?
Thanks, Dixymiss! I have heard that too. I rinse & season the skillet after every use, and it still looks like new. I do try to limit using acidic tomato sauces in my cast iron skillets when I can.
I made this last night and it was delicious!
Thank you, Evie! I am so glad you like it! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I have to say making this delicious dish brings me back to my Lovely Veracruz! Thanks so much for sharing one of our traditional dish.
I started making this and I realized I didn’t have half the ingredients, but it still came out amazing! I put onion, tomato and red bell pepper, marinara sauce and chicken broth. Some salt, pepper, oregano and the fish on top. I did add more chicken broth so I have some sauce to spoon on rice. It was very tasty and feels light and healthy.
Creativity is my best friend in the kitchen as well! 🙂 Love what you created, Donna! Sounds delicious!
This looks so yummy! I’m going to make it for Valentine’s Dinner tonight! Already have everything in the house. Thank you to Pinterest for bringing me to your site!
Thanks, Brooke! So glad to have you here! Hope you had a fantastic day with your Valentine! 🙂
YUM! What a gorgeous healthy recipe. I’m always looking for more ways to include healthy seafood in my main dish rotation. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you, Sara!