Recipes by María “Mari” Santiago
20 recipes
35-Minute Quick-Braised Pork Shoulder en Salsa Morita
Small-cut pork shoulder quick-braised in a smoky, toasted chile morita and fire-roasted tomato sauce. Rich, Oaxacan-style flavor logic engineered for a fast weeknight dinner without waiting hours.
30-Minute Oaxacan Pollo en Amarillito (The Tuesday Yellow Mole Braise)
Tender chicken thighs fast-braised in a silky, toasted guajillo-tomatillo yellow mole base thickened naturally with corn tortilla. Deep Oaxacan warmth built for a busy weeknight—because we are not suffering for dinner on a Tuesday!
15-Minute Ancho-Garlic Hanger Steak & Blistered Tomato Skillet
Thinly sliced, tender hanger steak flash-sautéed with smoky ancho chile, garlic, and sweet blistered cherry tomatoes in a smoking-hot skillet. Finished with a splash of bright lime and fresh cilantro, this is high-flavor, fast-moving lunch magic that turns humble pantry spices into a bodega-style feast in minutes.
45-Minute Oaxacan Costillitas en Encacahuatado (Fast Peanut-Chile Braised Ribs)
Tender, bite-sized pork ribs fast-braised in a velvety Oaxacan peanut-and-chile sauce that tastes like it simmered all afternoon. It is smoky, rich, and spiked with a splash of apple cider vinegar right at the end to wake up the whole skillet.
15-Minute Seared Spice-Crusted Mahi-Mahi with Sizzled Corn & Charred Jalapeño Relish
Thick mahi-mahi fillets get a fast ancho-cumin rub before hitting a smoking skillet for that quick, gorgeous crust. While the fish rests, you sizzle sweet corn and sliced jalapeño right in the same pan juice for a bright, smoky lunch that comes together in a flash.
15-Minute Guajillo-Seared Pork Tenderloin with Warm Peach Salsa
Lean pork tenderloin sliced into fast-cooking medallions, seared with a smoky guajillo crust, and smothered in a warm, sweet-and-spicy blistered peach salsa. High-payoff Oaxacan flavor logic scaled down for a lightning-fast Brooklyn lunch.
15-Minute Achiote Ground Turkey Sauté with Crunchy Radish Slaw
Ground turkey gets a serious flavor upgrade with a quick-bloomed achiote-garlic spice paste and high-heat pan sauté. Tossed with warm pinto beans and finished with a crunchy lime-radish slaw, this lightning-fast lunch proves we are never suffering for midday flavor.
15-Minute Sautéed Chipotle-Lime Chicken Strips with Warm Zucchini & Pepita Salad
Chicken breast gets a fast high-heat sauté in warm spices and chipotle adobo before tumbling into a bright pan sauté with blistered zucchini, toasted pepitas, and a fresh squeeze of lime. It is fast, bright, and on your lunch plate before anyone can ask what is for lunch.
15-Minute Skillet Hake with Warm Tomatillo & Charred Scallion Sauté
A lightning-fast midday reboot featuring crisp pan-sautéed hake topped with a bright, smoky skillet sauté of charred scallions, tangy tomatillos, and jalapeño. Built for small Brooklyn kitchens when you need big Oaxacan flavor before your next Zoom call.
15-Minute Seared Shaved Pork Shoulder Bowls with Lime-Cabbage Slaw
When you need a serious midday rescue, thinly sliced pork shoulder seared fast in a smoking-hot skillet gives you deep, savory flavor in record time. Paired with warm black beans and a bright, crunchy cabbage-radish slaw, this is a 15-minute lunch that tastes like you spent hours at the comal.
20-Minute Pan-Seared Garlicky Chipotle Shrimp over Creamy White Beans
Juicy, high-heat seared shrimp bathed in a quick garlic-chipotle butter, served over velvety, citrus-kissed mashed white beans and crowned with a bright radish slaw. It's maximum flavor with minimal dish-washing—pure Oaxacan logic translated for a busy weeknight.
15-Minute Pan-Seared Red Snapper with Blistered Tomato & Pepita Relish
Crispy-skinned red snapper cooked in under five minutes flat, topped with a warm, blistered cherry tomato and toasted pepita relish that hits all the right notes—crunchy, tangy, and deeply savory. It is light enough for hot August nights, fast enough for a chaos Tuesday, and tastes like you spent an hour over a comal.
15-Minute Flash-Fried Haddock with Warm Serrano-Lime Relish (The Lunchtime Rescue)
Crispy masa-crusted haddock flash-fried in minutes, layered over crunchy shredded cabbage, and bathed in a blistered serrano-lime pan sauce. It's high-impact Oaxacan bright meeting fast Brooklyn weeknight efficiency for the ultimate quick lunch.
25-Minute Adobo Pork & Charred Pineapple Platter (The Friday Patio Hero)
Friday night is for cold drinks on the patio, not stressing over a hot stove. We are butterflying a pork tenderloin so it cooks in minutes under the broiler, glazing it with a sticky chipotle shortcut, and charring pineapple right alongside it. Swirled over creamy black beans with a crunchy slaw, this is how you feed friends without missing the sunset.
20-Minute Charred Corn & Chicken Esquites Skillet (The Summer Friday Lifesaver)
A deconstructed esquites dinner that happens in one pan with zero stress. We're getting a deep, noisy char on fresh summer corn, tossing in quick-seared chicken breast, and binding the whole thing together with a creamy, lime-spiked finish off the heat. It’s crunchy, bright, and exactly what a Tuesday—or a lazy Summer Friday—needs when we're absolutely not suffering for dinner.
30-Minute Pollo con Rajas (The Weeknight Poblano Braise)
This is a rich, smoky weeknight savior that tastes like it cooked all Sunday. We’re blistering poblanos for that deep, roasted flavor, searing chicken thighs, and bringing it all together in a bright, creamy corn pan sauce.
20-Minute Blistered Mango & Shrimp Platter (The Patio Party)
This is how we do a weekend patio gathering without being trapped in the kitchen. We get a skillet disrespectfully hot to char sweet mango cheeks and jalapeños into a jammy, smoky relish, then blast the shrimp in the same pan. It’s an interactive, high-payoff dinner where crunchy lime cabbage meets sweet-heat shrimp.
30-Minute Picadillo Verde con Papas (The Tuesday Comfort Braise)
When it is raining in Brooklyn and I need dinner on the table before someone asks for a snack, this is my lever. We are taking the rich, savory depth of ground pork and braising it in a bright, tart tomatillo sauce that we blend raw to save time. The magic happens in the pan: the pork fat cooks the sauce, the potatoes soak up the broth, and in 30 minutes you have a steaming, bubbling skillet of pure Oaxacan-meets-weeknight comfort. Grab some tortillas, we are not suffering for dinner tonight.
20-Minute Crispy Seta "Carnitas" over Silky Black Beans (The Meatless Tuesday Miracle)
We are going to treat these oyster mushrooms like carnitas: high heat, heavy hand, zero apologies. By giving the setas a hard, undisturbed sear, they develop crispy, frilly edges that rival any slow-cooked pork. Paired with a luscious black bean purée and a bright, raw tomatillo salsa that you make in the blender (which we aren't even going to wash before blending the beans), this is your weeknight meatless savior.
25-Minute Arrachera y Piña Asada Platter (The Sunday Pastor Shortcut)
Sunday family feasts usually demand hours of braising or setting up a trompo. We are not doing that today. This is a high-heat, pastor-inspired skirt steak and charred pineapple platter that delivers massive weekend energy on a weeknight timeline.