Cuban recipe

Cuban Completa with Pan-Seared Snapper, White Rice, Black Beans, Tostones and Salad

Name: Cuban Completa with Pan-Seared Snapper, White Rice, Black Beans, Tostones and Salad
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 250 g dried black beans; 6 cups fresh water for cooking the beans, plus what is needed for soaking and topping up; 1 small onion, chopped; ½ green bell pepper, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 bay leaf; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon oregano; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon vinegar; 1 teaspoon sugar, optional; Salt to taste; 2 cups long-grain rice; 3½ cups water; 2 garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1½ teaspoons salt; 4 boneless snapper fillets, about 180 g each; Juice of 1 lemon; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; Salt and pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons olive oil for the griddle; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; ¼ cup olive oil; 3 tablespoons sour orange juice, or an equal-parts mix of orange and lemon; 1 tablespoon very finely chopped onion, optional; Salt to taste; 2 green plantains; Olive oil for frying; Salt to taste

Golden pan-seared snapper fillet with garlic and citrus mojo, white rice, black beans, tostones and a fresh salad.

CiberCubaNovember 11, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation45 min
Cooking1 h 45 min
Total time2 h 30 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyMedium

The Cuban Completa is a full combination plate for a big table: white rice, black beans, a protein, fried sides and something fresh to balance it all. Here the star is the snapper fillet, a firm-fleshed white fish with a delicate flavor that is eaten a lot in Cuba, in restaurants and at home on special occasions.

This version cooks it on a griddle, without breading or frying it whole, with a mild garlic and citrus mojo that enhances it without covering it. It is served with stewed black beans, fluffy white rice, twice-fried green plantain tostones and a simple salad of lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

It is a Sunday or celebration menu: it takes some organization, but each component is simple and everything reaches the table hot if you coordinate the timing well.

Method

Black beans

Soak the dried beans in plenty of water for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse them and put them in a pot with the 6 cups of fresh water and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and continue at a gentle simmer for about 60-90 minutes, until tender; add hot water if needed.
Meanwhile, heat the oil for the bean sofrito and sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic until softened. Add the cumin and oregano and cook for a minute without burning them.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Add the sofrito to the tender beans, stir in salt and the optional sugar and cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes more, until the broth thickens. Finish with the vinegar, remove the bay leaf and adjust the salt.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

White rice

Gently heat the oil for the rice with the garlic cloves, without burning them. Add the rice and stir for a minute.
Add the water with the salt and bring to a boil. When the liquid has almost been absorbed, reduce to the lowest heat, cover and cook 15-18 minutes or until the rice is tender. Let rest 5 minutes covered and fluff with a fork.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Snapper and mojo

Check the fillets and remove any remaining bones. Pat them dry with paper towel, season with salt, pepper, the marinade garlic and the lemon juice and leave them covered in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Prepare the mojo separately: heat its oil over low heat with the chopped garlic for about 1 minute, without letting it burn. Remove from the heat, let it lose its intense heat and add the citrus little by little, carefully. Stir in the optional onion and the salt and mix.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Drain the fillets, discard the leftover marinade and pat the surface dry. Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet with the 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Cook about 3-4 minutes on the first side and 2-3 on the second, adjusting for thickness, until 63 °C in the center or the flesh is completely opaque and flakes easily.

Tostones

Peel the plantains and cut them into slices about 3 cm thick. Fry them in batches over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, until tender and just golden. Drain.
Flatten the slices with a tostonera or a sturdy plate to about ½ cm. Fry again in hot oil, without letting it smoke, about 1-3 minutes per side until crisp. Drain and salt as they come out.

Salad and assembly

Wash and drain the lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber. Cut and mix them; dress with lemon, oil and salt just before serving.
Serve the snapper with mojo, the rice, the black beans and the hot tostones, along with the fresh salad.

Tips and variations

Organization and timing: weigh the 250 g of dried beans and soak them for 8 to 12 hours in the refrigerator starting the night before. The 150 minutes listed cover the coordinated preparation and cooking on the day, not including that soaking. Marinate the fish for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator while the sides cook.

Snapper: check for and remove any remaining bones. Drain the marinade and pat the surface of the fillets dry before putting them on the griddle; discard the leftover marinade. The time depends on thickness: check for 63 °C in the center, or that the flesh is completely opaque and flakes easily. Do not go by the browning on the outside alone.

Mojo: cook the garlic gently without burning it. Remove the small pot from the heat and let the oil lose its intense heat before adding the citrus little by little. The mojo is prepared separately, without reusing the marinade that touched the raw fish.

Tostones: the first frying cooks the plantain and the second makes it crisp. Fry in batches without letting the oil smoke, and salt as they come out.

Storage and serving: refrigerate the rice and beans promptly in shallow containers and eat them within 1-2 days. Reheat until 74 °C in the center. The fish and tostones are best freshly made; serve the salad fresh and dressed at the last moment.