Mojo Isleño
(Puerto Rican fish with tomato-olive sauce)
Image © iStockphoto
Mojo isleño is a popular way to prepare fish in Puerto Rico. It's name can be translated as "islander sauce," and its components — olives, peppers, garlic and bay leaves — are typically Puerto Rican.
Sometimes called mojito isleño.
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- Olive oil -- 1/4 cup
- Onion, chopped -- 1
- Bell pepper, chopped -- 1
- Garlic, minced -- 4 to 6 cloves
- Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced -- 2 cups
- Red wine vinegar -- 2 tablespoons
- Green olives, pitted -- 1/4 cup
- Capers, rinsed -- 1 tablespoon
- Bay leaf -- 1 or 2
- Salt and pepper -- to taste
- Olive oil -- 1/4 cup
- Fish fillets, cut in serving size -- 2 pounds
- Salt and pepper -- to taste
Method
- Heat the first 1/4 cup olive oil in a saucepan over medium flame. Add the onions and peppers and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, olives, capers, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until somewhat reduced.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a saute pan or skillet over medium high flame. Season the fish with salt and pepper and saute on both sides until both sides are lightly browned.
- Pour the prepared sauce over the fish and simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Mojo Isleño Variations
- Use other seafood like shrimp or scallops in place of the fish.
- Substitute pimentos for the chopped bell pepper. Add at the same time as the tomatoes.
- Marinate the fish in some minced garlic and lime juice before sauteing if you like.
- The fish can also be grilled and the sauce served on the side.
