Crispy Sichuan New Zealand Snapper (Pink Sea Bream)

Friday, March 8th, 2013 | posted by mike

Serves 2

1 1/2 – 2 lb. whole New Zealand snapper, red snapper, yellowtail snapper, or black sea bass (scaled, gilled, gutted)

2 T olive oil

1 cup peanut oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 T fresh ginger, grated

3 scallions, thinly sliced, all of white section and 2/3 of green section

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sweet chili sauce

2 t mirin

Pinch of Sichuan peppercorns

2/3 cup fish stock

1/2 cup water

1 t cornstarch

1 small fresh Thai chili or serrano (if not available, pinch of dried red pepper flakes)

Drakes batter mix or seasoned flour

1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

The Sauce

In a large heavy-duty pan or skillet, heat the olive oil over med.- high heat

Add scallions, garlic and ginger and stir until the onions soften and the garlic just starts to brown

Add soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, peppercorns and mirin

Add fish stock and stir

Dissolve the t of cornstarch into the 1/2 cup of water

When sauce comes back to boil, add the water with dissolved corn starch to sauce, stir and reduce until sauce starts to thicken (sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat fish but not be to thick)

Take sauce off the heat, set aside

With a sharp knife, score the fish in slices about 2 inches apart

Dust fish in Drakes batter mix or seasoned flour

In a large heavy-duty pan or iron skillet, heat peanut oil over med- high heat

When oil is hot (when vigorously sizzling when tail of fish is lowered in) add fish (if fish is a little longer than pan, have tail stick out from one end, then after 3 min. or so slide fish forward to make the tail crisp)

Fry fish for a total of 10 min. Per inch of thickness (about 5 min. a side) or until fish is just opaque to the bone

Remove fish to drain on paper bag or paper towel

Bring sauce up to heat

Pour most of sauce on platter, serve fish on top of sauce, and then lightly glaze fish with sauce

Garnish with chopped cilantro

Chopsticks make it a cinch to pick the nice flakes of the fish off the bone.

Enjoy!

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Cuban Mojo & Grilled Whole Yellowtail Snapper

Friday, June 10th, 2011 | posted by wendy

Besides being a Florida Keys favorite, Cubans love yellowtail snapper. I thought that for this week’s recipe a Cuban Mojo might be great with grilled yellowtail.

Mojo is a Latin garlic citrus table sauce that is served with many foods. Great on meats, veggies, fish,  it’s kind of a Latin vinaigrette. It’s made with sour oranges (available at Latino groceries) but you can mix fresh OJ and lime juice with good results. The intense, garlicky, sour citrus flavor worked perfectly with the sweet flavor of the yellowtail. The sauce has plenty of flavor so we didn’t marinate the fish. We just basted it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

For the Mojo
1/3 cup olive oil
8 to 10 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup sour orange(available at Latino grocery stores, or equal portions fresh orange and lime juice)
1/2 tsp cumin seed (roasted in a pan, then ground with a mortar & pestle, if possible)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly toasted. Just about 30 seconds should do it.

Add the sour orange juice, cumin and salt and pepper. Bring to a rolling boil. Taste and balance seasoning.

Cool before serving. Mojo is best when served within a couple of hours of making, but it will keep for several days in a tightly sealed container, in the refrigerator.

For the Fish
Whole yellowtail snapper, scaled, gutted & gilled
Olive oil
salt & pepper

Monahan's Seafood Market, Ann Arbor, MI | Whole FishScore the sides of the fish, baste with a little olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Cook over a hot, well-oiled grill for several minutes a side (internal temperature should read just over 120 degrees. Remove the fish from grill, transfer to serving platter, and garnish with fresh mojo (which has been cooled) before serving with fresh crusty bread.

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Fresh from the Florida Keys...

Friday, June 10th, 2011 | posted by mike

Monahan's Seafood Market | fresh whole fish | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Former fishmonger Vic demonstrates how to eat a whole grilled fish

It’s grilling time and what could be more fancy, elegant and beautiful than a grilled whole fish on a platter.

Out of all the whole fish that we offer there are not many as gorgeous and tasty as the yellowtail snapper. Sure the red snapper is the more famous cousin and the mangrove, mutton, vermilion and lane snappers are no slouches at the table but there’s something about the sweet, subtle, delicate flavor of a fresh yellowtail.

These sub-tropical beauties range from Florida to Brazil. Our fish are caught by hook and line in the  Florida Keys and shipped to us still stiff, shining and so fresh they still have a surprised look on their faces. Freshness is everything to us fishmongers. Proper handling from the boat to the plate make all the difference. Yellowtails are very perishable and don’t travel well. Out off all the snapper species we handle, these fish have to move quickly. This could be a reason that you don’t often see this fish on many menus outside of Florida—they just lose it so fast. That fresh sweet delicate flavor will begin to disappear within a couple of days after they’re caught, so make sure when buying that what you’re getting are super fresh domestic fish. A good percentage of all snappers sold in the U.S. are now imported from Central America, Mexico and beyond. Most snapper species travel fairly well and you might find an edible import, but to enjoy yellowtails at their finest they’ve got to be brand fresh from the U.S.A. (which is the only yellowtail snapper we carry at our market).

Monahan's Seafood Market | Whole yellowtail snapper | Ann Arbor, MIBesides being a Florida Keys favorite, Cubans love yellowtail snapper. I thought that for this week’s recipe a Cuban Mojo might be great with grilled yellowtail. Mojo is a Latin garlic citrus table sauce that is served with many foods. Great on meats, veggies, fish,  it’s kind of a Latin vinaigrette. It’s made with sour oranges (available at Latino groceries) but you can mix fresh OJ and lime juice with good results. The intense, garlicky, sour citrus flavor worked perfectly with the sweet flavor of the yellowtail. The sauce has plenty of flavor so we didn’t marinate the fish.We just basted it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

We’ve got plenty of Florida Keys Yellowtail Snapper coming in this weekend, so come on down!

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