Danzon!!

It wouldn't be Saturday night in Veracruz without Danzon!

Watchtower at old Spanish Fort in Veracruz

On this visit to Veracruz I vowed that I would not miss the phenomenon of Danzon, the Saturday night social event of dancing in the city's main zolaco by a die-hard cadre of mainly middle-to-upper aged ladies and gentlemen.  I had missed it several times in past visits, but on this trip, I stayed right on the zocalo at the historic Gran Hotel Diligencias and arrived early Saturday to get a good seat up front and catch some photographic memories.  The ladies in traditional white dresses and men in natty straw hats with white slacks and shirts started arriving well in advance of the time of the dance, as this is an event for "regulars" to shine and to arrive early to protect their up-front metal folding chairs and spectator-visible dancing spots.  They probably looked carefully at this new gringo sitting up front in their clique. However, when I got my camera out, everyone was happy to oblige my hunger to capture the magic of their Saturday Night Fever. This was just one of the Afro-Cuban inspired traditions that were inspired by the Cuban roots of the people of Veracruz. The sweet, driving sounds of a charanga orchestra (that features violins and woodwinds combining in the cantradanza style), evokes memories of the driving Afro-Cuban rhythms from Havana dance clubs of the 1950's.  This seductive Latin rhythm box step dance is hypnotic to watch and it's obvious that this is a Mexican tradition unique to Veracruz, much like the music of their native son Ritchie Valens (called the first Latino rock star) is revered everywhere in this port city.  You can't go to a nightclub without paying homage to him by enjoying La Bamba a few times a night.

Another much-revered tradition here in Veracruz is its namesake fish dish... Snapper Veracruz (or Huachinango a la Veracruzana). I snapped a photo of mine at the Mariscos Villa Rica Restaurant  and offer a recipe for my readers.

Huachinango a la Veracruzana from the Villa Rica Restaurante

Snapper Veracruz Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 whole red snapper (1½ to 2 pound), cleaned and scaled with head and tail on.
• For the marinade:
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped 
• The juice of 2-3 limes 
• 2 tablespoons water 
• A pinch of ground clove 
• Pinch pepper 

For the Sauce:

• Vegetable or olive oil, for sauteí 
•  ½ cup of canned chicken stock 
• 1 medium onion, thinly-sliced 
• 2 whole bay leaves 
• ¼ teaspoon of dried oregano 
• ½ cup freshly-made tomato puree (water, tomatoes, and a dash of olive oil) 
• 4 coarsely-chopped plum tomatoes with juice. 
• 5 pickled Jalapenos or Serranos thinly sliced into rings
• 8 green olives pitted and crushed, plus 12 whole green pimiento-stuffed olives 
• 1 tablespoon of capers 
• Salt to taste 
• ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley 

Directions


Clean Red Snapper leaving head and tail attached. Score the flesh of the snapper diagonally. In a bowl, combine the garlic, lime juice, water, clove, and pepper to make the marinade. Pour the marinade over the fish and allow the marinade to penetrate the snapper for  ½ to one hour.