Tilapia à la Veracruzana with brown rice

In a small sauce pot, combine the rice and 1 cup [1¾ cups] water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork, cover, and keep warm. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the meal.

• Peel and thinly slice enough onion to measure ½ cup [1 cup].
• Remove the stem, ribs, and seeds from the bell pepper; thinly slice the pepper crosswise, then cut into bite-size pieces.
• Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure 1 teaspoon [2 tsp]. 
• Cut the olives in half, checking for any pits.
• Strip the oregano leaves from the stems. Coarsely chop half the leaves for the salsa; set aside the remaining whole leaves for garnish.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add the tomatoes, olives, and chopped oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cover to keep warm. Wipe out the pan.

While the salsa is cooking, start preparing the seafood. 

• Pat the seafood dry with a paper towel (if using shrimp or scallops, rinse and drain, then pat dry.) Season lightly with salt, pepper, and the chile spice blend.

In the same pan used for the salsa, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat for tilapia (medium-high heat for shrimp, scallops, and halibut) until hot but not smoking.

Tilapia:
Add the tilapia and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook until the flesh is opaque and flaky, 3 to 4 minutes. 

Shrimp:
Add the shrimp and cook, turning once, until firm and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. 

Scallops:
Add the scallops and cook without turning until golden brown on one side and starting to turn opaque, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn and continue cooking for about 30 seconds for translucent or 1 to 2 minutes for opaque.

Halibut: 
Add the halibut and cook until lightly browned on the bottom side, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and cook until the flesh is opaque and flaky, 2 to 4 minutes.

Transfer the rice to individual plates and top with the Veracruz salsa and seafood. Garnish with as many of the remaining oregano leaves as you like and serve.