Cumin-Chipotle Snapper with Tropical Salsa Recipe

Cumin-Dusted Snapper with Tropical Salsa

In this part of the world, we eat a lot of snapper.

So when the local, sustainable magazine, edible Orlando, asked me to work with them at an event at Williams-Sonoma, I practically jumped on board before I had snapper in my cooler or even knew the event details.

As it turns out, it wouldn’t have mattered when, where or how I could help Kendra, Pam and Katie at edible Orlando, I love helping them because I love their magazine and the Edible Communities philosophy for supporting local, sustainable food.

And I love fresh snapper!

The smoky, dusty flavor of the cumin pairs with the chipotle chocolate (yes, chocolate and seafood-hurray!). The crunchy, fresh salsa complements the soft, flaky fish.

My thanks goes to edible Orlando for asking for my recipe and help, and now you can find my recipe right here.

This recipe is easy-to-prepare. Don’t just take my word for it, go ahead, try it. Come back and tell me what you think, or tweet me @SeafoodLadyOrl.

Enjoy!

CUMIN-CHIPOTLE-CHILI DUSTED SNAPPER WITH ANCHO CHILI CHOCOLATE & FRESH SALSA WITH PEANUTS (Serves 4)

Ingredients List

SALSA (makes 2 cups)

1 small white onion
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small orange bell pepper, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium jalapeno, seeded and diced (add seeds for more heat)
½ cup chopped pineapple, drained
½ cup cilantro, chopped finely
4 cilantro leaves for garnish
Sea Salt to taste
¼ cup peanuts

FISH

½ cup flour
2 tablespoons cumin powder
1 tablespoon chipotle-chili powder
Salt and black pepper
4 yellowtail snapper portions, boneless/skinless (about 6 ounces each)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Ancho-chili dark chocolate bar (optional)

Method

Prep ahead 30 minutes:

Rinse fish with cold water and pat dry. Season fish portions with salt on both sides. Cover fish with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Chop onion into small pieces. Rinse onion in colander with cold water and let drain. Dry with paper towel if necessary. Place chopped onion in a small bowl, add lime juice and stir. Set aside.
Place chopped peppers, tomatoes and pineapple in a medium bowl.
Drain onion again and add to pepper/pineapple mix.
Season vegetable mixture lightly with salt. Taste. Add more salt, if needed.
Add cilantro to vegetables and stir to incorporate all flavors. Set aside.
Chop peanuts finely. Set aside.
Remove the fish from the refrigerator.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cumin, chipotle chili powder and black pepper. Put flour mixture on a large flat platter or shallow baking dish for dredging.
Dredge fish fillets on both sides, covering evenly. Shake off excess.
Heat a 12” skillet to oven pan on medium high heat for about four minutes.
Add olive oil, swirl around pan. Oil will roll, but should not smoke. Adjust heat if necessary.
Work quickly and place floured fish fillets, top side down in skillet, evenly distributed.
Sear for 2 minutes. Turn fish and sear another minute.
Place entire pan into a preheated oven to finish cooking, about 6 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork. A good rule of thumb for cooking fish in this manner is 10 minutes per inch of thickness, total cooking time. Fish will continue cooking after it’s removed from the oven. Adjust cooking time according to fish thickness.
Remove fish from oven.
Place fish on a large serving platter. Using a microplane, grate ancho-chili dark chocolate over hot fish fillets.
Using a slotted spoon, scoop fresh salsa over fish.
Sprinkle chopped peanuts over entire platter.