Empanadas de Cazón de Tamiahua

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.