Red Snapper with Mango Salsa and Wild Rice

I first started thinking about this meal a couple of days ago but I couldn’t quite figure out exactly what I would make and how I would make it.  I’ve thought about making tropical salsa for a while but don’t really know what to serve it with or which fruit to use.  I finally decided to focus on mango and go from there.  I knew I would go with seafood but it wasn’t until I got to the fish market that the red snapper spoke to me.  I really wish I could have found a filet, but in the end I had to settle for the red snapper steak.  Here’s the recipe that ended up producing this.

Ingredients

2 Red Snapper Steaks (or filets)

1 tsp chili powder or cayenne

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp grated ginger

salt to taste

juice of half a lime

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Pat the fish dry and lay on individual large pieces of foil. Mix spices in a small bowl and squeeze half of lime juice in and stir together.  

Use the mixture as a rub for the fish.  If using steak, rub both sides.  

If filet, only rub on non skin side.  Squeeze remainder of lime juice over the fish then fold foil ends so they meet then fold down and secure creating a wrap.  Place fish on a baking sheet and bake for 10 – 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.  When you remove it from the oven, open up and this is what you get

I tried to capture the steam rising but couldn’t quite get it.  Mango Salsa recipe below.

Mango Salsa

1 mango, peeled, pitted and cut into bite size pieces

1 small cucumber, peeled, deseeded and cut into bite size pieces

1 small jalapeno, chopped

¼ cup chopped red onion

1 8oz can of pineapple chunks

1 tbs cilantro chopped

juice of 1 lime

The ingredients

Combine ingredients in a bowl, stir and refrigerate for 10 – 15 minutes.

I try not to comment too much on the taste of my own food unless if I did something wrong, that way you won’t fall victim to my own mistakes.  I will say that the snapper tasted incredibly delicious.  It was perfectly cooked.  If you’re using a filet, I recommend baking for 10 minutes instead of 15.  The seasonings were different than what I normally use, but they went really well with the salsa.  The salsa may have tasted better with tomatoes, but it’s definitely not tomato season and I couldn’t find a single delicious looking one at the farmer’s market.  I would recommend making it as is then adding tomatoes if it’s too tangy for you.

The final product was incredible.  The wild rice was Uncle Ben’s, but we all need a little help sometime J I also made spiced pumpkin bread.  I’ll post about the recipe later.  Overall, a delicious way to start the week.  Looking forward to good eats this week.

Hungry yet?