Cuban-style fish (Pescado a la cubana)
- ▪︎A whole fish (or just fish fillets)
▪︎Potatoes (or sweet potatoes)
▪︎Oil
▪︎Salt
▪︎Pepper
▪︎Parsley
▪︎Bay leaves
▪︎Oregano
▪︎Toasted almonds (or peanuts)
▪︎A white onion
▪︎Lemon or bitter orange juice
Fish has always been an essential dish on the Cuban menu, despite its recurring scarcity in recent times.
Among the fish intended for the Cuban table we mainly find snapper, grouper, cherna, cabrilla, rabirrubia, red mullet, guaguancho, serrucho, swordfish, emperor, sea bream, mackerel, pez perro, parrot fish and bonito.
So Cuban fish is a recipe from the 1950s, of which here is an adaptation of the famous preparation of Nitza Villapol, the most popular Cuban cook of all time in this country.
Prepare a sofrito, that is to say a Creole oil sauce with well-crushed toasted almonds, finely chopped onion and lots of parsley.
Cover the bottom of the grill plate with oil, sliced potatoes and onions, so that the fish is mounted there, with the bay leaves, oregano and peppercorns. Add a little salt and lemon or bitter orange juice, and pour the sofrito over the fish, then put it in the oven.
Cook for 30 to 40 minutes over medium heat. The time will also depend on the size of the fish. It can also be roasted in a casserole dish with a lid.
Cuban fish can be served with any salad, as well as a garnish of boiled or fried sweet potatoes and natural tomatoes.
