SeafoodEasyFree

Veracruz-Style Prawns with Tomato and Olives

Name: Veracruz-Style Prawns with Tomato and Olives
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 cdas Olive oil; 2 pzas Güero or jalapeño chilli, sliced; 20 g Fresh parsley; 3 cloves Garlic; 3 g Dried oregano; 500 g Ripe plum tomatoes; 40 g Capers; 600 g Medium prawns, peeled and deveined; 1 to taste Salt and pepper; 80 g Pitted green olives; 1 pza White onion; 2 leaves Bay leaves

35 min (15 prep + 20 cook) Easy 4 servings Veracruz

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 29 Mar 2026 · Updated: 16 May 2026

Prawns in Veracruz salsa with tomato, olives, capers and fresh herbs.

About this recipe

Camarones a la veracruzana are a prawn version of the iconic Veracruz style, where fresh prawns are cooked in a sauce made with tomato, green olives, capers, guero chilli and fresh herbs in olive oil, creating a dish that perfectly fuses Spanish Mediterranean cooking with the tropical ingredients of the Gulf of Mexico. Its flavour is complex, tangy, salty and mildly spiced.

History & Origin

Veracruz salsa is the most important culinary legacy of the Hispanic-indigenous fusion in the port of Veracruz, the main point of entry from Spain to Mexico during the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. The tomato and guero chilli are native Mexican ingredients, while olives, capers, parsley and olive oil are contributions from the Spanish Mediterranean. Fish a la veracruzana is the original dish - documented in colonial recipe books of the eighteenth century - with red snapper (huachinango) being the most traditional. The prawn version is a twentieth-century adaptation that makes use of the abundant prawn production of the Gulf of Mexico in the states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas and Campeche.

Estimated cost

£16.00

Total cost

£4.00

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

280

Calories

28g

Protein

14g

Carbohydrates

12g

Fat

Fibre

680mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Blend the tomatoes until you have a smooth salsa. Set aside. Cut the onion into half moons and finely chop the garlic.
2
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or casserole over medium heat. Fry the onion for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and guero chilli and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3
Pour in the tomato salsa, add the bay leaves and oregano. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until the salsa thickens and concentrates.
4
Add the olives and capers. Cook for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
5
Add the prawns to the salsa. Cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until the prawns are pink and cooked.
💡 Do not overcook the prawns or they will become rubbery.
6
Remove the bay leaves. Scatter freshly chopped parsley. Serve with white rice or crusty bread.