Pescado A La Veracruzana

This recipe, 'Pescado a la Veracruzana', comes from a 1904 manuscript cookbook compiled by Paulina Morante, under the guidance of Sr. H. Winder. The cookbook represents the fusion of European and Mexican culinary traditions at the turn of the twentieth century, highlighting the burgeoning popularity of Mediterranean-inspired flavors—like olives and tomatoes—in Mexican coastal cuisine. Written for well-to-do urban households, the manuscript offers a snapshot of the kinds of refined cooking being taught and shared among Mexico’s early twentieth-century bourgeoisie. At this time, recipes were documented more as memory aids or guidance for experienced cooks, rather than as precise instruction manuals. Morante’s adaptation of this classic dish illustrates both the cosmopolitan aspirations and the local ingredients embraced by the Mexican kitchen of her era.

The preparation of this dish in 1904 would have required simple but sturdy kitchen tools: a well-seasoned cast iron or copper frying pan, a wood or coal-fired stove providing a steady source of heat, a sharp kitchen knife for slicing vegetables and fish, and a mortar and pestle for crushing aromatics if needed. Linen towels would be on hand for drying fish, and a clay cazuela or deep pan might be used for simmering the stew gently over the hearth. All these reflect the practical, resourceful approach of cooks at the time. The absence of precise measuring tools means the cook relied on experience, taste, and touch, adding ingredients by eye and seasoning to individual preference.