Yucatán Fish Recipes

YUCATAN FISH WITH CRISP GARLIC

Steps:

• Combine 2 tablespoons oil with garlic in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until garlic browns, 5 to 10 minutes; season with a little salt and pepper, and turn off heat.
• Meanwhile, put remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. A minute later, add fish and chilies and cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add all but a tablespoon or 2 of lime juice, along with tomatoes if desired. Cook another 2 minutes or so, until fish is cooked through. Do not turn fish.
• Carefully remove fish to a platter. Stir cilantro into pan juices and pour, with tomatoes, over fish, along with garlic, its oil and remaining lime juice. Serve immediately.

YUCATáN FISH

Steps:

• Make the pickled onions: Put onion in a bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Add serrano, 3 tablespoons orange juice and 2 tablespoons lime juice, then mix well. Set aside for at least 15 minutes. Combine and reserve remaining citrus juice for marinade.
• Make the marinade: Put achiote, cinnamon, oregano and chipotle in a small stainless steel or glass bowl. In a small dry skillet over medium heat, lightly toast cumin, cloves and allspice until fragrant, 1 minute or less. Grind toasted spices to a powder in a spice mill or mortar, then add to other spices. Add garlic, 1 large pinch salt and remaining citrus juice and stir to make a paste. If very thick, add more lime juice. (Note: achiote may stain surfaces or clothing.)
• Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, score skin at thickest parts, if desired. Paint fish on both sides with marinade. Squeeze a little lime juice over fish. Chill for 45 minutes (or up to 2 hours).
• Bring fish to room temperature and heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut banana leaves crosswise into footlong lengths and soften by passing them briefly over a stovetop burner. Rinse leaves and pat dry. Lay a double thickness of leaves on a baking sheet and lay fish on it, skin-side down. Top fish with a large handful of pickled onions. Arrange tomato wedges over onions. Sprinkle with salt and a little more lime juice. Lay more leaves on top, then wrap like a package, tying with string or strips of leaf. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove and let package rest, unopened, for 15 minutes. Serve with remaining pickled onions.

YUCATAN LIME FISH

Steps:

• Thinly Slice garlic and saute in oil until crisp and brown.
• Set aside.
• Heat a large heavy pan on high heat and add oil until hot.
• Add fish and Jalepeno.
• Saute fish until crispy on one side.
• Do not disturb fish while cooking.
• Fish need not be done at this point.
• Lower heat to medium/low.
• Squeeze juice from limes (about 3/8 cup) and add to pan.
• Fish will now 'poach' in lime juice.
• Remove fish when done and rest on a plate.
• Add chopped cilantro, if using Allow lime juice to thicken slightly and mingle with oil and fish juices.
• Pour on top of fish and top with toasted garlic.

YUCATAN STEW

Steps:

• Begin with a hot skillet. Saute the clams and mussels for two minutes. Then add chopped garlic. Cook for a minute (be careful not to burn garlic). Then, add onions and tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Next, add fish stock as mussels and clams begin to open. Add shrimp, whitefish and chile puree. Cook for three minutes. At this point add calamari, coconut milk cilantro. Cook for a minute more and serve in halved coconut.

YUCATAN-STYLE GRILLED FISH / TIKIN NIK

Steps:

• 1. Rinse the mahimahi fillets under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Place the fillets in a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold them flat in a single layer. Set aside while you prepare the recado.2. Combine the annatto seeds, peppercorns, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon in a spice mill or clean coffee mill and grind to a fine powder. Transfer the powder to a small bowl and add the sour orange juice, regular orange juice, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir until the salt is dissolved and the mixture is well blended, then taste and add enough water to take out the sharpness. Pour the recado over the fish in the baking dish, turning the fillets to coat. Cover and let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 30 minutes.3. Preheat the grill to high.4. When ready to cook, preheat a fish or vegetable grate (if using) for 5 minutes. Drain the fillets and blot dry with paper towels. Brush both sides of the fillets with oil and season with salt and pepper. Generously oil the fish or vegetable grate or grill grate, then arrange the fillets on it. Grill 3 to 4 minutes. Using a long spatula, carefully turn the fillets, inverting each one onto a banana leaf rectangle (see Note). Arrange the onion and tomato wedges and the epazote (if using) on top of the fillets and grill until the fish breaks into firm flakes when pressed with a finger, 3 to 4 minutes more.5. Using the spatula, carefully transfer the fillets to a serving platter. Surround the fish with the lettuce and the cucumber, tomato, and lime slices, and top with parsley sprigs. Serve immediately, accompanied by the salsa.Serves 4Note: You can omit the banana leaf, if you like, and just turn the fillets over onto the fish grate, but the fish won't be quite as moist.

YUCATECAN -STYLE GRILLED MAHI-MAHI

Steps:

• Place fish in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk achiote paste and next 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour achiote mixture over fish; turn to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour.
• Prepare barbecue (high heat). Brush shiny side of banana leaves with 2 tablespoons oil; place each on baking sheet, oiled side down (some of leaf will hang over edge of sheet). Arrange 2 fillets with marinade still clinging crosswise in center of each banana leaf, spacing 2 inches apart. Drizzle wine around fish in leaves. Top each fillet with 1 bay leaf and 1 sprig of fresh epazote or parsley or 1 pinch of dried epazote. Fold overhanging edges of banana leaf over fish to enclose loosely. Transfer fish from baking sheet to grill, folded edges up. Cover and grill until fillets are just opaque in center, about 10 minutes.
• Open banana leaves. Transfer fish to plates. Garnish with tomato and lime slices. Serve with Yucatecan Pickled Onions and Habanero-Tomato Salsa.

PESCADO EN ACHIOTE (MEXICAN FISH IN ANNATTO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine 3/4 cup water, achiote paste, onion, juice of 2 limes, juice of 1 orange, vinegar, garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt, and pepper in a blender; blend until smooth.
• Season both sides of the fish fillets with salt and pepper, then brush the top with melted butter. Arrange fish fillets in a baking dish. Add shrimp on top and cover with achiote sauce. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 30 minutes.
• Place red onion and habanero peppers in a glass bowl. Add 1 cup water, juice of 1/2 orange, and juice of 1 lime; stir well and season with salt, peppercorns, and Mexican oregano.
• Serve fish and shrimp with achiote sauce and top with habanero sauce.