Chef Lupita
Asado Chiapaneco de Comitán
Comitán's special-occasion pork asado, cubed pork loin browned in manteca and braised in a thick chile ancho adobo with tomato, vinegar, olives, raisins, and warm spices.
Culinary Explorer
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Mone de Robalo Tabasqueño
Created by
Tabasco's Sierra fish parcel, robalo wrapped in hoja de momo and banana leaf with manteca, chile amashito, tomato, and black pepper, then steamed until the leaf perfumes every bite.
Main Dishes
Mexican
Special Occasion
Dinner Party
Make Ahead
45 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 40 min total
Yield6 servings
Tabasco, especially the Sierra around Tacotalpa, Teapa, and Tapijulapa, is where this mone lives. The robalo comes from Gulf water, river mouths, and lagoons. The hoja de momo grows fat and glossy in humid patios. The banana leaf is not decoration. It is the cooking vessel.
I learned this technique from women who could wrap a fish parcel tighter than most people can tie a shoe. First the hoja de momo touches the fish, because that leaf gives the perfume. Then the tomato, onion, chile dulce, chile amashito, black pepper, and manteca de cerdo settle over it. Last comes the banana leaf, folded like a package that knows its job. The fish cooks in its own juices, not in a dry pan pretending to be elegant.
Do not replace the hoja de momo with parsley. Do not use butter because you are nervous about lard. La manteca es el sabor. This is Tabasco's green, wet, river-fed cooking, and it should arrive at the table opened in its leaf, with the juices still pooled inside and warm corn tortillas waiting. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
Mone belongs to the Yokot'an Maya, also called Chontal, and mestizo cooking of Tabasco, where fish from rivers, lagoons, and the Gulf is wrapped in aromatic leaves and cooked by trapped moisture rather than direct fire. Hoja de momo, Piper auritum, is native to Mesoamerica, while banana leaf became a common outer wrapper after plantain entered New Spain in the 16th century and spread through the humid southeast. In the Sierra and Chontalpa, the filling may be robalo, pejelagarto, bobo, or pigua, which is why the wrapping technique matters more than one single fish.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
robalo fillets
Quantity
2 1/2 pounds
skinless, pin bones removed, cut into 6 portions
hoja de momo leaves
Quantity
12 large
rinsed, thick center ribs trimmed
banana leaf rectangles
Quantity
6 large pieces, about 14 by 16 inches each
plus extra for lining the steamer
manteca de cerdo
Quantity
3 tablespoons
softened, plus more for greasing the leaves
Roma tomatoes
Quantity
4 ripe
finely diced
white onion
Quantity
1 medium
thinly sliced
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
pounded in a molcajete or finely grated
fresh chile dulce tabasqueño
Quantity
2
thinly sliced
fresh chile amashito
Quantity
6
stemmed and crushed, plus more for the table
fresh cilantro criollo
Quantity
1/2 cup
chopped, tender stems included
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1 teaspoon
sea salt
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons, plus more to taste
fresh lime juice
Quantity
1 tablespoon
water
Quantity
as needed
for the steamer
warm hand-pressed corn tortillas (optional)
Quantity
for serving
lime halves (optional)
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| robalo filletsskinless, pin bones removed, cut into 6 portions | 2 1/2 pounds |
| hoja de momo leavesrinsed, thick center ribs trimmed | 12 large |
| banana leaf rectanglesplus extra for lining the steamer | 6 large pieces, about 14 by 16 inches each |
| manteca de cerdosoftened, plus more for greasing the leaves | 3 tablespoons |
| Roma tomatoesfinely diced | 4 ripe |
| white onionthinly sliced | 1 medium |
| garlic clovespounded in a molcajete or finely grated | 4 |
| fresh chile dulce tabasqueñothinly sliced | 2 |
| fresh chile amashitostemmed and crushed, plus more for the table | 6 |
| fresh cilantro criollochopped, tender stems included | 1/2 cup |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1 teaspoon |
| sea salt | 1 1/2 teaspoons, plus more to taste |
| fresh lime juice | 1 tablespoon |
| waterfor the steamer | as needed |
| warm hand-pressed corn tortillas (optional) | for serving |
| lime halves (optional) | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Tamalera or wide pot with a steamer insert
- •Cast iron comal or gas flame for softening banana leaves
- •Volcanic stone molcajete for crushing garlic and chile amashito
- •Kitchen twine
- •Barro rojo platter or shallow clay cazuela for serving
Instructions
- 1
Soften the leaves
Rinse the banana leaves and wipe them dry. Pass each piece over a gas flame or hot comal for a few seconds per side until it turns glossy, darker green, and flexible. Do not burn it. The leaf should bend without cracking. Line the steamer basket with extra banana leaf scraps.
- 2
Season the fish
Pat the robalo dry. Rub it with the lime juice, 1 teaspoon of the salt, half the black pepper, and the pounded garlic. Let it sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables. Do not drown the fish in lime. This is mone, not ceviche.
Robalo should smell clean and faintly sweet. If it smells sharp or tired, no leaf and no chile will save it. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina. - 3
Mix the recado
In a bowl, combine the diced tomato, sliced onion, chile dulce, crushed chile amashito, cilantro criollo, softened manteca de cerdo, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining black pepper. Work it together with your fingers or a spoon until the lard breaks into small glossy streaks through the tomato juices. That fat will carry the pepper, chile, and leaf fragrance into the fish.
- 4
Wrap the parcels
Lay one softened banana leaf rectangle on the counter, glossy side down. Lightly grease the center with a little manteca. Place two hoja de momo leaves in the middle, overlapping them so they can hug the fish. Set one portion of robalo on top, spoon a generous layer of the tomato and chile mixture over it, then fold the momo leaves over the fish. Fold the banana leaf around everything into a tight packet and tie with kitchen twine.
The hoja de momo must touch the fish. The banana leaf is the outer wrapper. If you put parchment between the herb and the robalo, you have blocked the flavor. No me vengas con atajos. - 5
Set the steamer
Pour water into a tamalera or wide pot fitted with a steamer insert. The water must sit below the rack, not touch the parcels. Bring it to a steady simmer. Arrange the packets seam side up in a single layer if possible, or stack them loosely so the covered pot can circulate heat evenly.
- 6
Steam slowly
Cover the pot and cook for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Keep the simmer steady and add more hot water if the pot runs low. The banana leaf will darken, the tomato juices will collect inside the packet, and the robalo should flake cleanly when opened. If the center still looks glassy, close the packet and cook 5 to 8 minutes more.
- 7
Rest and serve
Let the packets rest off the heat for 10 minutes. Open them at the table over a barro rojo platter or shallow clay cazuela so none of the juices are lost. Spoon those juices back over the fish. Serve with warm corn tortillas, lime halves, and extra crushed chile amashito for the person who knows what they are asking for. Así se hace y punto.
Chef Tips
- •In Villahermosa, ask for hoja de momo at Mercado Jose Maria Pino Suarez. Outside Tabasco, Mexican and Central American markets may sell it as hoja santa or acuyo. If you cannot find it, make another fish dish. Epazote is a compromise, not mone.
- •Chile amashito is small, hot, and Tabasco to the bone. If you cannot find it, chile piquin or chiltepin will give heat, but not the same green, sharp bite. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
- •Use fresh manteca de cerdo from a Mexican butcher if you can. The shelf-stable white block from the supermarket works in an emergency, but good lard smells clean and savory. Vegetable oil will not give the same body to the juices.
- •Robalo is ideal because it is firm, clean, and sweet. Corvina, huachinango, or grouper can work. Thin tilapia fillets fall apart and taste like whatever pond they came from.
- •This dish is not about setting your mouth on fire. The chile amashito gives a clean sting, then the momo and lard round it out. Not all Mexican food is built on heat. This one is built on leaf, river fish, and patience.
Advance Preparation
- •The banana leaves can be softened and wiped dry one day ahead. Stack them, wrap tightly, and refrigerate.
- •The tomato, onion, chile, cilantro, and lard mixture can be made up to one day ahead. Keep it covered and refrigerated, then bring it close to room temperature before wrapping so the lard softens again.
- •The fish packets can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead and held refrigerated. Do not assemble them the day before. Salt and lime will tighten the fish if you make it wait too long.
- •Cooked packets reheat best while still wrapped, 12 to 15 minutes in a covered steamer. Freshly cooked is better, but this is the cleanest way to serve it for guests without losing the juices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 335g)
Calories
440 calories
Total Fat
15 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
90 mg
Sodium
740 mg
Total Carbohydrates
38 g
Dietary Fiber
6 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
40 g
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