Snapper With Sweet Pepper Sauce and Garden Greens

It's early, but I think this will be one of the best recipes I prepared, when I look back at the end of 2007. It's fabulous-- swooningly good, easy to prepare, and appealing to the eye.  Most of it can be prepared in advance and would be easy to serve to guests.  There is one big problem and it wouldn't be fair unless I was honest and warned you. The sweet pepper sauce is delicious, and you'll be tempted to drink the entire amount and make the dish without it. The sauce is so wonderful, I'll find as many ways as possible to use it in the future.  It would make a fabulous soup, served in demitasse cups or shot glasses.   The recipe is from the new Cindy Pawlcyn book Big Small Plates, which is full of amazing recipes.

The recipe called for piquillo peppers, a small canned pimento type sweet pepper.  I wasn't able to find them and substituted larger canned ( in a glass jar) Spanish pimentos.  If you can't find these, roast 2 large red bell peppers until the skins are charred (you can also do it by holding the peppers over a gas flame), then cool under a cloth, and rub until the charred skin comes off.

After that, I briefly cooked the greens, onions and garlic, which took around 4 minutes.

The sauce and the greens can be prepared well in advance, and reheated just before you cook the fish. Next time I will get my skillet red hot, to sear the fish a darker color. The fish cooks quickly--mine took about 3 minutes in total. Then the fish is layered with the greens on top of a pool of the sauce.  Or you could drizzle the sauce over the fish.

By the way, several weeks ago the lovely Butta Buns Triple Dog Dared me to make a Cheetos Impossible Pie.  So, last week I dared her to make a Dagwood style sandwich, which she did yesterday.  Go over to her site and take a gander at the behemoth she created. And ate.  Amazing. 

Snapper With Sweet Pepper Sauce and Garden Greens

(Adapted from Big Small Plates, by Cindy Pawlcyn)

Pepper sauce

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon al-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups fish or chicken stock
6 piquillo peppers, or 2 large canned pimentos, or 2 large red bell peppers, charred in your oven, peeled and seeded

The greens

1/2 lb. rainbow or red chard
1/2 pound spinach or mustards greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 heaping teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 to 16 ounces red snapper or sea bass
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons minced parsley

Preparing sauce

Melt butter and oil in a small pan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour doesn't smell raw--about 2 minutes.  Season with the salt and pepper. Whisk in the stock and cook until the sauce coats the spoon lightly.  Add the peppers and simmer for a couple minutes.  Let the sauce cool a little bit, then put it in a blender and puree until smooth.  Return sauce to the pan and keep warm over a low flame. Or the sauce can be made ahead and re-heated when necessary.

Preparing the greens

Wash until no grit remains on the leaves.  Tear the chard leaves in bite sized pieces, then chop the stems into smallish pieces.  If using spinach remove the stems.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet and cook the garlic and onion until it starts to turn golden.  Then add the greens and sauté until they wilt, about 4 minutes.  Season with the salt and pepper.

Preparing the fish

Cut the fish into serving size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Brush with oil and cook in a heavy skillet that has been heated until it's very hot.  Sear the fish on each side and cook about 2 minutes on each side for a 1 inch thick piece of fish.   DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Serve by putting about 1/4 cup sauce on a plate, adding some of the greens, and placing the fish on top. Or simply ladle the sauce on top of the fish and greens. 

Comments

[Kirk]

Hi Sher - I love the colors.....the textures must be great as well.

[sandeepa]

ooooooooh....pretty pretty colour. You have the bestest fish(sp??) ever.

[aria]

look at those vibrant colors! its spring wooohooo :)

mmmmm, yup i'm swooning!

[Glenna]

Beautiful! And it does look simple. And easy spring/summer supper without a lot of fuss or muss. Thanks, Sher!

[Butta Buns]

The Triple Dog Dare is not to be trifled with, mwahahahaha! Thank you again for accepting.

Happily, since my Dagwood included roasted red peppers, I already have the ingredients for this waiting at home.

[ann]

that color! By god, it's gorgeous!! I'll have to try that sauce, it does sound perfect.

[Lydia]

What a beautiful looking dish! Piquillo peppers are getting much easier to find in the supermarket these days. Now I know what I'll make with the can that's sitting in my pantry.

[Tanna]

Incredible. I have to go make dinner. I just wish I had these ingredients. That really has be wishing I could have been at your table!

[Kristen]

That looks so good. I can see why it might be your favorite!

[janelle]

WOW, beautiful. Any excuse to use a blow-torch---in this case the red pepper---I am in. WOW. Oh yeah, I already said that...

[sher]

Kirk,

Yes, the texture of the dish is very good. I've always liked greens with fish.

Sandeepa,

Thank you! I do love the color. It's so pretty.

Aria,

Yes, it looks like spring colors to me too.

Glenna,

It really was simple--and delicious. The delicious part is the most important.

Butta Buns,

Yes, that sandwich you made was really wonderful! Have you recovered yet from eating it?? :):)

Ann,

Do try the sauce--but control yourself when you're testing it. You may wind up guzzling it all. :):)

Lydia,

This cookbook has several different ways of cooking the piquillo peppers. I had some a couple of years ago and I stuffed mine with high grade canned tuna. it was great.

Tanna,

Well, I wish you had been at my table, eating the dish with me. :):)

Kristen,

Thank you!

Janelle,

Yes, a blow torch for the peppers! Perfect. I have one and never use it!

[e]

Beautiful presentation and photo! Like a huge glowing sun with some fish :)

[Kalyn]

Just awesome. For some reason, snapper is hard to find here, and it's so delicious. Another recipe to save to del.icio.us in case I can find some!

[Patricia Scarpin]

Sher, what a beautifully set plate: I love it! It looks like those fancy (and very expensive) dishes we see in 5 star restaurants.

I'd be glad to sit for dinner and have a dish like that in front of me - of course it wouldn't last long. ;)

[Linda, The Village Vegetable]

what a stunning presentation. sweet pepper sauce sounds absolutely divine!

[Shannon]

Ooh, I'm thinking of numerous ways that red pepper sauce can be used besides fish. But since I do love the fish, this I gotta try!

[Ros]

Just the other day I made myself a sweet pepper sauce the same way I always do, with cream, and I thought to myself I need to start making some of my pepper sauces non-creamy. You have saved me the effort of thinking how to adapt my recipe, which I greatly appreciate. Thank you!

This sauce (and the greens) sound like a great accompaniment to snapper. If only I could afford them more often. They cost the equivalent of £12 each here!

[Katie]

I love red pepper sauce (As you know, I stock up on them in Andorra)!
The fish, on the greens, surrounded by the sauce - beautiful! Bet it tasted great, too!

[Callipygia]

This is stunning Sher- and it looks like this Pawlcyn book is a winner huh?

[Burcu]

O Sher, i loved the color!!! Great presentation.

[Christine]

Okay, I give! I'll make this this week! Beautiful recipe and beautiful presentation!

[s'kat]

That looks great, and believe it or not, I just happen to have some extra pequillo peppers that need to be used. And Dave is going out of town tomorrow, so you know what that means...

(seafood!*cough*cough*seafood!)