By Pati’s Mexican Table
Pati has tons of fun in her kitchen creating a full menu featuring the perfect blend of Italian and Mexican cuisine. Two cuisines that aside from having a lot in common, have managed to mingle in Mexican homes for centuries.
Pescado con Ensalada de Eneldo y Salsa de Jalapeño y Aceitunas
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the fennel salad:
– 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
– 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
– 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (about 1/4 of a red onion)
– 2 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced or cut into segments, plus juice
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
– Kosher or coarse sea salt, to taste
– Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the olive salsa:
– 1/4 cup golden raisins
– 1 tablespoon tequila
– 1/4 cup pitted black Italian olives in brine, chopped
– 1 jalapeño chile, thinly sliced
– 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, leaves and upper stems, chopped
– 1/4 cup fresh parsley, leaves and upper stems, chopped
– Freshly squeezed juice of 2 limes
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– Kosher or coarse sea salt, to taste
– Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the fish:
– 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
– Kosher or coarse sea salt, to taste
– Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
– 4 6-ounce red snapper fillets, or any mild fish of your choice, such as tilapia, rockfish or grouper
– 3 tablespoons olive oil
DIRECTIONS
To prepare the salad:
To toast the pumpkin seeds, place them in an already hot, small sauté pan set over low heat. Stir often, being careful that they don’t burn, until you start to hear popping sounds (similar to popcorn), and they begin to turn from green to a toasty brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl.
Combine fennel, red onion, orange segments and juice in a mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Add the toasted pumpkin seeds. Toss once more and wait to serve with the fish.
To prepare the salsa:
Place the golden raisins in a medium mixing bowl and pour the tequila over the raisins. Allow the raisins to plump up in the tequila for a few minutes while prepping the remaining ingredients. Then add the olives, jalapeño, cilantro, parsley, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to the bowl with the raisins and tequila. Combine well and serve with the fish.
To prepare the fish:
Combine the flour, a pinch salt and a pinch pepper on a flat plate and spread. Using a small knife, score each fish filet, cutting 3 shallow horizontal lines into the skin of each fillet – do not cut through the fillets. Dust the fillets on each side with a thin layer of the flour mixture.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot and ready (test by dipping a piece of the fish to see if it happily bubbles), place the fillets in the pan skin-side down. Cook until the skin is crisped and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. If at any point the fish begins to curl, use a spatula to press the fish firmly down in the pan. Flip with a spatula or tongs and cook on the other side until done, about another 4 minutes. Transfer the fish to a plate covered in paper towels to drain. Serve on top of the fennel salad and with the salsa on the side.
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