Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Red Snapper with Mango Shrimp Salsa

On our third fish/seafood for the week, we finally picked up some red snapper.  We have avoided this fish because we just did not know what to do with it.  But we were lucky as we found a recipe in our file dating back to 1997 from Two Hot Tamales.  


Do you remember when cooking shows first started on television?  These two ladies, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger introduced us all to slightly different cooking.  We really wanted to cook a whole red snapper, but they were out at the fish market and so we got two beautiful fillets.  It worked out great for us.

We do think the Mango Shrimp Salsa that topped this fish is what made the dish.  A lot of chopping and dicing, but it came together quickly and we enjoyed it a lot.  And no, we did not add the 3 serrano chilies as the recipe called for.  First of all, we couldn't find any this week, so we substituted 1 red jalapeno and it was just enough heat.  It was also our first time using tomatillos.  We have seen them a lot, but again, did not know what to do with them.  We asked for 3 at the local market and unbeknown to us, when we arrived home we had at least a dozen.  Also asked for 1 jalapeno and came home with at least a dozen.  Will have to figure out what to do with the rest.

Red Snapper with Mango Shrimp Salsa
  from M.S.  Milliken and S. Feniger

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup diced raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Juice from 1/2 lime
Juice from 1/2 orange
3 serrano chilies, seeded and diced
3 Italian Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tomatillos, husks removed, seeded and diced
1 small mango, peeled and cubed
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 red snapper filets, about 6-8 ounces each
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Prepare the grill to make a hot fire.

To prepare the salsa, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet, over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic.  Saute 2 to 3 minutes, then add the shrimp.  Saute 2 to 3 minutes more, or until the shrimp turns pink.

Add the fruit juices, chilies, tomatoes and tomatillos.  Cook just long enough to warm the tomatoes and combine ingredients.  Remove from heat and gently stir in mango and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside

Coat the fish with oil on both sides.  Season with salt and pepper.  Grill the fish on one side 5 minutes or less.  Carefully turn and grill about 3 minutes or less.

Spoon the warm salsa over the grilled fish and garnish with springs of cilantro.

Very nice salsa, but we really enjoyed the flavor of the snapper.  Odd that we have never tried it before.


13 comments:

  1. I've always wanted to cook a whole fish - never have done it though (other than trout). the salsa *does* sound really yummy - bet this was a great meal. What do you mean you only asked for 3 jalapenos and got a bag full? Who did that? Why didn't you pick them out yourself? Was it a Farmers Market? If so, maybe they just figured they had a lot and would get rid of some. Curious minds want to know :)

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  2. Laughing here, Karen. Yes, a farmer's market. We told her 1 jalapeno and then looked away and found more veggies, etc., and she had a small child with her and got harried and by the time our requests were all filled and the bags were filled, we had the extra. It is all good. She is a lovely lady and I try to buy from her often. In the past she just throws 1 jalapeno in our bag for nothing.

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  3. This sounds delicious, but what are tomatillos?

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  4. I forgot all about Mary Sue and Susan. I thought they were great back then. I love, love red snapper and many years ago we could buy it here. Lucky you to have it and this recipe sounds delicious!

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  5. Your snapper and salsa look delicious. I just want to reach in and take a bite. Red snapper was my dad's favorite fish and he ordered it whenever it appeared on a menu. Our Whole Foods has lovely snapper but I've never purchased it. I think I will next time.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  6. This one sounds incredibly good! Love all of the ingredients. Thank you AGAIN!! blessings ~ tanna

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  7. This sounds just so delicious a perfect summer meal for me. Thanks. Diane

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  8. I do remember the Two Hot Tamales. Their show was a lot of fun.

    We love snapper and used to eat it often when we lived on the Texas Gulf coast. I was thrilled when we found it in a seafood market in Florida.

    This recipe sounds right up my alley with the mango shrimp salsa, all great ingredients.
    Sam

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  9. I remember the Hot Tamales too. Susan was a judge on the latest Worst Cooks in America final.
    That salsa sounds wonderful. So vibrant. I don't think I've ever tried Red Snapper. Don't you love to experiment with new dishes?

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  10. No matter how hard I try, it seems I never get enough seafood in our diets. I like this salsa on top, it does a good job of making fish very tasty!

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  11. This has to be a great combination. Funny I also made a mango salsa this weekend; not quite as complex as yours, but I am saving your recipe. Have never used tomatillos; I think I was afraid of them. Love your post Susan, it will be a while before our farmer's market shows life.

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  12. This sounds like a delicious dinner - I love just about any kind of salsa, adds such a fresh touch!

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  13. As fans of both snapper and mango salsa, I know we'd love this. I like the addition of tomatillos to it.

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