Yucatan Style Snapper Recipes

XOCHIPILLI'S ROASTED RED SNAPPER YUCATAN STYLE

Steps:

• The sausage can be stuffed into a natural casing and smoked; it can be frozen or grilled fresh. It can also be served in patties as well. Please allow the sausage to sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking to allow the flavors to develop. Use half the batch for this snapper recipe, and freeze the rest.
• To assemble: Place the oil in a sauté pan over high heat and add the onions, garlic, herbs and spices. Cook for several minutes until onions are glassy. Add the tomatoes and cook until liquid is evaporated. Cool and fold in the corn, lime juice and cheese.
• Unroll the banana leaves and cut into 3-foot lengths. Place a fish portion into the third of the leaf nearest you. Place a few tablespoons of raw sausage, crumbled on top of the fish and cover with a few tablespoons of the sauce. Season with salt, pepper.
• Fold the fish packages burrito-style, tucking the sides in as you roll up the leaf. Place on a sheet pan, seam side down to prevent unrolling, and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 40 minutes until cooked through.
• Serve with corn tortillas, limes and a good spiky fresh hot chili puree.

RED SNAPPER GRILLED IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Combine the cilantro, mint, chiles, ginger, scallion, coconut, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender and pulse to make a coarse paste. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, vegetable oil and fish sauce and blend to make a smooth, slightly thick sauce. Season with salt. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Make the fish: Preheat a grill to medium high. Lay the banana leaves on a work surface, overlapping each about halfway, so the leaves are large enough to wrap around the fish, with the tail and head sticking out slightly. Lightly brush the banana leaves with vegetable oil. Cut three 24-inch pieces of kitchen twine and run under water to moisten (this will prevent the twine from burning on the grill).
• Make 2 or 3 slits crosswise on each side of the fish, cutting about 1/2 inch into the flesh. Season the fish inside and out with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt total. Stuff the lime and ginger slices, chiles, and cilantro and mint sprigs into the cavity of the fish. Set the fish at one short end of the banana leaves and roll it up, leaving the head and tail sticking out, then tie together in 3 places with the kitchen twine.
• Once the grill registers 425˚ F to 450˚ F, grill the fish until the banana leaves are charred, about 12 minutes. Flip and grill until the fish is cooked through, 12 to 14 more minutes. (Because the fish is wrapped, it is difficult to test for doneness. The juices will run clear from the head and gills when poked.) Let the fish rest 5 minutes, then untie and remove the banana leaves. Lift the flesh from the bones and serve with the cilantro-mint sauce.

YUCATAN STYLE SNAPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F Over medium heat saute garlic and onion in olive oil until onion turns clear.
• Stir in olives, red pepper, cilantro and annato or paprika and cook stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.
• Add orange juice, lime juice and seasonings. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
• Place fish on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to envelop fish. Pour sauce over fish and wrap bringing longer sides of foil over fish and folding edges down loosely and crimping to seal.
• Place on cookie sheet and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
• Note: Annato seed may be purchased in the ethnic aisle of your grocery store or at a Hispanic grocer. If unavailable, they may be omitted. The sauce will be less intense in color but the flavor will not be altered much.