Hot fare with flare

September 30, 4:53 PMPhoenix Mexican Food ExaminerSunny Conley

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Seeking unusual recipes with a chile-hot flare? If so, I suggest “The Complete Mexican, South America & Caribbean Cookbook” (Milton, Fleetwood, Flippelli, Anness Publishing Ltd., 2007). The 500-page tome includes nearly 1500 color photos, cooking techniques, culinary traditions, and specialty ingredients from Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. Shared here are seafood recipes from Mexico. In a future column, I’ll include recipes from South America and the Caribbean but—first, I want to give them a taste bud test!

Chargrilled Tuna with Fiery Pepper Puree (Serves 4)

Tuna is an oily fish that barbecues well and is meaty enough to combine successfully with strong flavors – even hot chiles, as in this red pepper purée, which is excellent served with crusty bread or tortillas.

4 tuna steaks, about 6 ounces each
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lime wedges, to serve

For the pepper purée

2 red bell peppers, halved
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red jalapeño chiles, stemmed and seeds removed
1 slice white bread, crusts removed, diced
Salt

Trim any skin from the tuna and place the steaks in a single layer in a wide dish. Sprinkle over the lime rind and juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until required.

To make the pepper purée, brush the pepper halves with a little olive oil and cook them, skin side down, on a hot barbecue, until the skin is charred and blackened. Place the onion in its skin on the barbecue and cook until browned, turning it occasionally.

Leave the peppers and onion until cool enough to handle, then remove the skins, using a sharp kitchen knife.

Place the cooked peppers and onion with the garlic, chiles, bread, and olive oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add salt to taste.

Drain the tuna steaks from the marinade and cook them on a hot barbecue for 8-10 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Serve the steaks with the pepper purée and lime wedges, with crust bread if desired.

COOK'S TIP

The pepper purée can be made in advance, cooking the peppers and onion under a hot broiler; keep it in the refrigerator until you cook the fish.

Salmon with Tequila Cream Sauce (Serves 4)

Use reposada tequila*, which is lightly aged, for this sauce. It has a smoother, more round flavor, which goes well with the cream.

3 fresh jalapeño chiles
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup fish stock
Grated rind and juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup light cream
2 tablespoons reposada tequila
1 firm avocado
4 salmon fillets
Salt and ground white pepper

Strips of green bell pepper and fresh Italian parsley to garnish

Roast the chiles in a frying pan until the skins are blistered, being careful not to let the flesh burn. Put them in a strong plastic bag and tie the top to keep the steam in. Set aside for 20 minutes

Stir the cream into the onion and stock mixture. Slice the chile flesh into strips and add to the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a pan. Add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, then add the stock, lime rind and juice. Cook for 10 minutes, until the stock starts to reduce. Remove the chiles from the bag and peel off the skins, slit, and scrape out the seeds.

Stir the tequila into the onion and chile mixture. Leave the pan over very low heat. Peel the avocado, remove the pit, and slice the flesh. Brush the salmon fillets on one side with a little of the remaining oil

Heat a frying pan or ridged pan until very hot and add the salmon, oiled side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the underside is gold, then brush the top with oil, turn each fillet over, and cook the other side until fish is cooked and flakes easily when tested with the tip of a sharp knife.

Serve on a pool of sauce with the avocado slices. Garnish with strips of green pepper and fresh parsley. This is good with fried potatoes.

*A tequila that often tastes mellow or rounded with hints of vanilla or spice. It is aged for about two months to one year in oak barrels.

Mexican Spicy Fish (Serves 6)

In Mexico, fish is often marinated in a spicy mixture before cooking. Here the fish is flavored with cumin, cinnamon, and annatto – a traditional Mexican spice.

3-3 1/2 pounds striped bass or any non-oily white fish, cut into 6 steaks
1/2 cup oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
12 ounces tomatoes, sliced
2 drained canned jalapeño chiles, rinsed and sliced

For the marinade

4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground annatto
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup mild white vinegar salt
Italian parsley, to garnish

Arrange the fish steaks in a single layer in a shallow dish. Make the marinade. Using a pestle, grind the garlic and black peppercorns in a mortar. Add the dried oregano, cumin, annatto, and cinnamon, and mix to a paste with the vinegar. Add salt to taste and spread the marinade on both sides of each of the fish steaks. Cover and leave in a cool place for 1 hour.

Cover the dish and cook over a low heat on top of the stove for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish is no longer translucent. Serve immediately, garnished with Italian parsley.