Sopa de Pescado

By Evelyn Arévalo, NRDC program assistant, San Francisco

Ingredients

1 whole farmed tilapia, scaled and gutted
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 to 2 garlic cloves, whole
About 4 cups of assorted vegetables -- such as carrots, onions, green peppers, potatoes, zucchini or chayote -- diced into chunks
1/2 cup spinach leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Wash the tilapia well and make sure it is carefully cleaned. If you like, you can squeeze a lemon on it before you wash it. Cut the fish into four big pieces: head, tail and two for the torso.
2. Fill a big pot with about 6 quarts of water. Add tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
3. When the water boils, add the harder vegetables (chayote, potatoes and carrots). After they've started to cook, add the onion, green pepper and zucchini.
4. Take out the garlic and place the fish in. The fish cooks in about five to ten minutes; add the spinach leaves just before it is done.

Serves 3 to 4.

Tips

Chayote is a type of Mexican squash with crisp flesh -- you can find it in most Latino grocery stores. Also, if you have kids, make sure you take out the bones from the fish before serving.

Notes

My husband makes this soup -- we eat it at home with corn tortillas and cold Mexican beer.