Matt here...
I just got back from the Yucatan and had the freshest fish and seafood I ever lived to tell about. We(my wife Edie & me) stayed in Tulum, about 100 miles south of Cancun. Paradise! Our place was right on the beach with a outdoor kitchen that was rocking all day. I had fresh shrimp at least once a day and it wasn't that store-bought fresh, it was actually reading the morning paper before I could get a chance to. Lots of fresh chilies, lots of citrus. We drove down thru the Mayan ruins and jungle along the coast to the Sian Ka'am reserve. The jungle down there is thick and prickly, but drier and dustier than the jungles of the Caribbean and Central America. It's much more shrubbery than viney. Anyway.. we took a boat to a tiny village where 90% of the lobster business gets it's business. The building was not what I expected at all. It was the size of a small house in a field of small houses. The village housed about 200 people with roads not much more than bike paths. Perfect, serene, releasing all of my NYC stress. Ahhhhhh... Of course, I had the lobster and tried to persuade the 8 year-old sitting next to me to order one for her and then, well...you know. No deal. Parental resistance. This lobster was as good as it got. Plantains, beans and rice and a scorching salsa made this one of the greatest lunches of all afternoon drinking, ever.
When we got back home I just had to have some more of that food. So, right out of the gate, I made some Veracruz with Lake Victoria perch. Que fantastico! Here's how it goes: Get yourself some nice perch or another lighter fish like snapper or even tilapia and rinse with cold water for a few seconds and pat dry. To prepare the fish:
2 fillets of fish
1 half white onion
1 TBSP dried basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Cracked black pepper
lemon juice...fresh, of course
Put fish in the pan that you want to cook it in and season with salt and pepper.
combine onions, pepper, basil, oil and lemon juice and mix together until onions are well coated with marinade.
Layer onions over fish evenly and drizzle with remaining marinade.
Bake fish in a 375 degree oven until firm but not hard, about 17-20 minutes
While that's in the oven, now's the time to jump on the stove..


Here's the recipe for the sauce:

1 half white onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 large fresh jalapeno chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
chicken or vegetable stock
green martini olives
2 TBSP capers
Spice mix of white pepper, cumin, cinnamon and kosher/sea salt...you can mix up and keep your spices in a shot glass for less clutter
Fresh oregano

Begin by sweating out the onion and garlic with a little olive oil until they start to brown, just a little bit
Add chopped jalapeno with seeds and saute for 1 minute
stir in the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil...add stock if sauce is too dry
add in remainder of ingredients except the fresh oregano
season to taste with more salt of you like
cook for few minute longer until saucy

Take fish from pan with all of the onions and drippings and drizzle sauce over top of both fillets and anoint with oregano.
Serve with fluffy white rice and watch the boats go sailing by! Enjoy this dish with a fruity Pinot Grigio, a light Beaujolais or even your favorite ice cold ale! MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Happy Eatin'
I'm gonna go to the fridge now,

Matt