Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Care for some snapper?

We did! And we're glad we did! :)

This is a long overdue post from a couple of weeks ago - with Navarathri and travelling and all, things have been really hectic and I'm woefully behind with my food postings. But things are back to being relatively normal, so the postings shall flow again! :)

A couple of weeks ago, the guy at City Fish convinced me to buy some of what he called "super fresh" snapper - so much better than the cod, he said! Well, that sold me - anything better than fresh cod must be good, real good! And this worked really well for dinner a couple of nights later since Megan got all excited in anticipation of a seafood meal :)

We poked around several recipes online before finally settling on a version of blackened snapper that sounded pretty happy. Simple seasoning, delicate fish, "herbalicious" sauce topping - all goodness!

Blackened snapper with tomato-dill sauce

Servings: 3

3 fillets skinned snapper - 8 oz each
2 T olive oil
a handful of chopped parsley

Seasoning
----------------
1 T cayenne
1 t kosher salt
1 T garlic salt
1.5 T onion powder
1 t ground black pepper
1 T fresh thyme

Sauce
----------
3 roma tomatoes - peeled and chopped
1/2 red onion - finely chopped
3 cloves garlic - smashed
1 T coriander powder
1 t cayenne
2 T chopped dill
kosher salt
1 t olive oil
1 t turmeric

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onions+garlic. Once browned, throw in the tomatoes and spices and cook for about 12-14 minutes till the tomatoes are cooked and blended. Mash the tomatoes with a wooden ladle and let the sauce simmer for a few more minutes. Finally toss in the chopped dill. (I *love* the explosive smell when the dill is thrown into the sauce - so overpowering!)

Fishy fishy
----------------
Mix the seasoning ingredients till well blended.
Brush the fillets with olive oil and rub all over with the seasoning. Place the fish in a large greased skillet and cook over low for about 4-5 minutes. Drizzle a few more drops of olive oil as the fish cooks. Flip the fish over and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Place a fillet on a plate and spoon the sauce over it. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before serving - the fish was delicate enough to immediately start absorbing the flavors of the sauce!
Top with the chopped parsley.

Our first side was pretty simple - oven roasted fingerling potatoes dusted with salt, pepper and some thyme - yum! The other side was even happier - hierloom tomatoes sauteed in their own juices along with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Delicious! :)

Our camera was not super happy that day, we only have one substandard picture as testament to a yummy meal!

Wait ... there is more! Megan brought some yummy desserts from Whole Foods - we decided the flan was too rich, but the raspberry tart was tasty and the chocolate mousse was simply decadent!

11 comments:

Swaruchy said...

Kaykat ....after a long time.....:-))
What happened no post from u all these days..?
Nice delicious spread :-)

Kribha said...

wow...that plate of snapper looks super tempting. I've not tried snapper like this before. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Bet you had a great meal with that desserts too.

FH said...

Yes Madam, I do! looks delicious!:))
Happy Halloween!:)

Saju said...

That looks simply delicious. I love fish and aim to try it asap.

Mandira said...

Kaykat, that does look delicious. Are those baby roasted potatoes on the side...yummy!

me said...

It was fabulous, I liked every bite! and the company was equally fabulous!

Nabeela said...

Yumm! I had some fish tonight too...so can vouch for the tastiness of a seafood dinner :)

Cynthia said...

Yes, I care for some snapper, especially the way you have prepared it here.

KayKat said...

Sirisha - I'm glad to be back too. Kind of missed my time in the kitchen :)

Mandira, those are fingerling potatoes - they're plentiful in the farmers' markets here in summer and early fall - *so* good!

Rachel said...

that sure does look worth a try!

love the way you write by the way!!! :)

Seena said...

KK,
thanks for visiting my blog..
I love your recipes here, that really tempting to try out..will come back to read them all..:)