Chinese New Year at Casa de Cuisine: Asian Spicy Red Snapper

When growing up in San Francisco there was not a more festive holiday than Chinese New Year. The sidewalks of Market Street would be lined with thousands of people on a usual cold, damp and foggy evening in February to watch the colorful and loud parade. And then there was the star of the parade. The flowing dragon who was both lead and followed by dancers tossing firecrackers to ward off any evil spells. Now, as an adult and away from San Francisco, I still like to celebrate Chinese New Year with the difference being, I do it with food!

One of the great things about the fish known as red snapper, aside from its price, is the fact it can be prepared in so many delicious ways and usually quite easy and with very little time. I have probably eaten red snapper more than any type of fish and I never get tired of its texture or flavor.

This red snapper classic is of the Asian world of fine cooking. There are many Asian dishes featuring red snapper but this one is one of my favorites for two reasons. First I love the exotic taste combinations and secondly, you can prepare it at home exactly as they would at a classic Asian restaurant.

Ingredients needed to make Asian Spicy Red Snapper (serves 4):

• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 red snapper fillets, skinned and boned
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. red chili sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. rice wine
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. grated ginger

Steps:

1. Sprinkle each of he red snapper fillets with salt and set aside in the refrigerator 2 hours, turning once.
2. In a small bowl whisk together all the remaining ingredients to make a paste.
3. Pre-heat the broiler.
4. Remove the red snapper fillets from the refrigerator and rub each with the paste. Let the fish sit at room temperature 10 minutes.
5. Place the red snapper fillets on a broiling pan and place under the broiler for 5 minutes per side.

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