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Veracruz Huasteca corn masa empanadas filled with shredded cazon cooked in jitomate, chile serrano, onion, and epazote, fried until crisp at the edges and served with lime and salsa.
Veracruz, the Huasteca coast, Tamiahua. That is where these empanadas live: near the lagoon, near the Gulf, where the seafood is not decoration on a menu but daily work at the market.
Cazón means small shark, usually dogfish, and in Tamiahua it is cooked first, shredded by hand, then folded into a jitomate guisado with white onion, garlic, chile serrano, and epazote. The epazote matters. It cuts through the richness of the fried masa and tells you this is coastal Veracruz, not some generic fish turnover. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
Do not confuse this with Campeche pan de cazón. That is a layered tortilla dish with beans and tomato sauce. This is different. Here the corn masa is pressed, filled, sealed, and fried in manteca de cerdo or clean oil until the edges turn firm and golden. The women who sell these near the market do not overfill them, because they know the masa has to close cleanly or the fish escapes into the fat. La cocina no es decoración, es trabajo.
If you cannot find cazón, ask a real fishmonger for dogfish, smoothhound, or another firm small shark from a responsible source. If shark is not available or not appropriate where you live, firm white fish is a compromise, not the same dish. I will tell you the truth before I give you the substitution. Así se hace y punto.
Tamiahua sits on the northern Veracruz coast, where lagoon fishing and Gulf trade shaped a seafood kitchen distinct from the inland Huasteca of beans, corn, and dried beef. Empanadas de cazón belong to a wider Gulf tradition of cooking small shark into economical fillings, but Veracruz versions often use epazote and fresh chile serrano while Campeche made pan de cazón famous as a layered tortilla dish with black beans and tomato sauce. The use of corn masa for frying connects the dish to pre-Columbian nixtamal technique, while the jitomate, onion, and garlic guisado reflects the colonial coastal pantry that Veracruz absorbed through its port.
Quantity
1 pound
skin removed if needed
Quantity
1/2 medium
for simmering
Quantity
2
for simmering
Quantity
1
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
Quantity
2 tablespoons
for the guisado
Quantity
1/2 medium
finely chopped
Quantity
2
finely chopped
Quantity
3
finely chopped
Quantity
1
finely chopped
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
crumbled
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
2 pounds
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
for the masa
Quantity
2 to 4 tablespoons
only if the masa feels dry
Quantity
2 cups
for frying
Quantity
for serving
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cazon (dogfish or small shark) steaksskin removed if needed | 1 pound |
| white onionfor simmering | 1/2 medium |
| garlic clovesfor simmering | 2 |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| manteca de cerdo or neutral oilfor the guisado | 2 tablespoons |
| white onionfinely chopped | 1/2 medium |
| garlic clovesfinely chopped | 2 |
| ripe Roma tomatoesfinely chopped | 3 |
| fresh chile serranofinely chopped | 1 |
| fresh epazote leaveschopped | 2 tablespoons |
| dried Mexican oreganocrumbled | 1/2 teaspoon |
| fresh lime juice | 1 tablespoon |
| fresh corn masa for tortillas | 2 pounds |
| fine sea saltfor the masa | 1/2 teaspoon |
| warm wateronly if the masa feels dry | 2 to 4 tablespoons |
| manteca de cerdo or neutral oilfor frying | 2 cups |
| lime halves (optional) | for serving |
| salsa de chile serrano and jitomate (optional) | for serving |
Place the cazon in a saucepan with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, and enough water to cover by one inch. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes when pressed. Do not boil it hard. Cazon is firm, but rough boiling makes it dry and stringy.
Lift the cazon from the broth and let it cool just enough to handle. Remove any cartilage, dark skin, or tough bits. Shred the meat with your fingers into fine flakes. Hands are better than forks here because you feel what does not belong. Strain and save 1/2 cup of the cooking broth.
Heat the 2 tablespoons manteca de cerdo in a wide skillet over medium. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until it smells alive. Stir in the jitomate, chile serrano, epazote, and Mexican oregano. Cook until the tomato collapses and the mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. This is not a watery filling. The masa will punish you for that.
Add the shredded cazon and 1/4 cup of the reserved broth to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until the fish absorbs the tomato and the pan looks almost dry, 6 to 8 minutes. Add more broth only if the filling sticks before the flavor comes together. Finish with the lime juice and taste for salt. Let the filling cool completely before shaping. Hot filling breaks masa. No me vengas con atajos.
Knead the fresh corn masa with the fine sea salt for 2 minutes. It should feel soft, smooth, and barely tacky, like a tortilla masa ready for the press. If the edges crack when you flatten a test piece, knead in warm water one tablespoon at a time. Dry masa makes broken empanadas. Broken empanadas leak.
Divide the masa into 12 balls, about 2 1/2 ounces each. Line a tortilla press with two pieces of plastic cut from a clean bag. Press each ball into a round about 5 inches across. Do not press it paper-thin. These are empanadas, not tortillas, and they need enough body to hold the cazón.
Place 2 tablespoons cooled cazon filling on one half of each masa round, leaving a clean border. Fold the plastic over to bring the masa into a half-moon, then press the edges firmly through the plastic. Peel it back and pinch the seam with your fingers. A good seal is the difference between an empanada and a skillet full of fish.
Heat the 2 cups manteca de cerdo or oil in a deep skillet to 350F. Fry 2 or 3 empanadas at a time, turning once, until the masa is golden with deeper brown freckles at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan or the fat cools and the masa drinks it. The empanadas should sound firm when tapped with tongs.
Transfer the empanadas to a rack set over a tray, not a pile of paper towels where the bottoms soften. Serve warm with lime halves and salsa de chile serrano and jitomate. They should crack gently at the edge, then give way to the soft fish guisado inside. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.
1 serving (about 130g)
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