Cazón a la Veracruzana

Veracruz, on Mexico's Gulf coast, has used local sharks and rays in tacos and ceviches since pre-colonial times — the species varies by what the day's catch brings in. Spiny dogfish (cazón) is one of the most common; cazón empanadas and tacos are a Yucatecan and Veracruzano staple. The grilled-rather-than-stewed preparation is more recent, an outgrowth of late 20th-century coastal taqueria culture.

Veracruz dogfish stew — the port's Spanish-Caribbean inheritance on a plate: olives, capers, olive oil, tomato, jalapeño. The capers and olives are the giveaway; no other Mexican coast uses them this heavily.

Two warm corn tortillas stacked, holding flakes of grilled spiny dogfish — a small shark, white-fleshed, mild and slightly sweet. Topped with a tomato-pepper salsa and a lime crema, finished with shredded cabbage. The fish has more bite than tilapia, less oil than mackerel; it grills clean and stays firm on the tortilla without flaking apart in the hand.

Dogfish, like all sharks, retains urea in its flesh that converts to ammonia after death — fishermen must bleed and ice the catch within minutes or the meat smells faintly of cleaning fluid. Properly handled fish soaks in lime juice or milk for 30 minutes before grilling to neutralize residual ammonia. Skip the soak and even fresh-caught dogfish carries an off-note that all the salsa in Mexico can't cover.