|
Return
to master recipes list
Picture it: A balmy breeze fans a charcoal fire kindled on the pure-white sands of a tropical beach. A red snapper sizzles on the grill as you whip up a batch of garlicky Ajilimojili sauce. Even if it's the middle of winter and your kitchen is in Canada, Daisy will fill it with the alluring fragrances and flavors of the Caribbean. After Daisy demonstrates the simple art of grilling a whole fish, she will show you the equally simple art of eating one. Add Asparagus with Sour Orange Dressing and Tostones de Panapen (Crispy Fried Breadfruit Chips) to the menu and you'll feel like you're on a trip to Paradise Beach.
Chillo al la Parilla
I use a gas grill at home, one that gets very hot. I don't want to char the skin of the fish, because we love to eat it. So, I set the dial to about medium-high and let it heat up for 10 minutes or so before cooking. If you don't have a gas grill, see the box on page 000 for more information on how to control the heat of your grill.
Makes 4 servings
Two 1 ½-pound cleaned red snappers, left whole
Dry Adobo, homemade (see "Staples") or store-bought
2 lemons, cut in half
Juice of 1 sour orange (naranja agria) or juice orange, optional
Ajilimojili (recipe follows)
|
I cook the fish separately in very handy non-stick fish-shaped grill baskets, made specifically for this purpose. If you don't have fish baskets, oil the fish and then the grill with a thick wad of paper towels dipped in oil before grilling. Use two long kitchen forks to turn and remove the fish.
|
1. Sprinkle the fish inside and out very liberally with the adobo. Line them up side by side in a baking dish large enough to hold them comfortably. Squeeze the lemons and sour orange, if using, over the inside and outside. Cover and refrigerate the fish for up to an hour (longer and the lemon juice may start to cure the fish).
2. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a banked coal fire (see page 000). Grill the fish, turning once, until the meat along the backbone close to the head is opaque and firm, 15 to 20 minutes. If you're working over coals, start the snapper on the hotter side of the grill then gently move it, after about 5 minutes, to the middle zone. The skin should be golden and crispy in spot. Serve whole.
3. To serve the fish, start by making a cut along the backbone. Insert the knife and, working gently, separate the fillet from the bones starting at the head and working toward the tail. Take it slowly and you will see that the fillets separate easily from the bone. Don't worry about making perfect fillets the first time out; you'll get better with each practice. Each person can finish removing bones from the fish as they work their way through the fillet. That's part of the fun of eating a whole fish.
|
| |
|
|
You'll keep coming back to these Latino
kitchen basics!
|
|
