Mahi-Mahi with Lemongrass Slaw and Rice Fritters
These are very hot little firecrackers from the orient. They can be used to add spice to almost any oriental dish. They dry very easily and can be stored and used this way for a long time.
Ingredients:
Lemongrass Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp Asian fish sauce
4 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp minced red onion
2 tsp minced lemongrass
1 small garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
Vietnamese Sauce:
1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
6 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced seeded Thai chile or serrano chile
1 1/2 tsp water
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
Marinade:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp minced lemongrass
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp sweet Spanish smoked paprika or sweet Hungarian paprika
Rice Fritters:
1/4 head of Napa cabbage (5 oz)
1 cup cooked medium-grain rice (such as sushi rice), cooled
3/4 cup chopped green onions (about 6)
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs), divided
6 6- to7- oz mahi-mahi fillets
Vegetable oil for frying
4 cups peeled jicama, cut into matchstick-size pieces
3 cups pea sprouts (4 oz)
Instructions:
For lemongrass dressing:
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover, chill.)
For Vietnamese Sauce:
Mix first 5 ingredients in small saucepan. Bring sauce to boil over medium heat. Whisk 1 1/2 tsp water and cornstarch in small bowl. Add to sauce and boil until mixture thickens, about 1 minute. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Divide sauce among 6 small bowl. Cool to room temperature.
For marinade:
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend. (Marinade can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
For rice fritters:
Separate leaves from cabbage. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until wilted, about 30 seconds. Drain,and pat dry. Finely chop.
Mix cabbage, rice, green onions, and 3/4 cup panko. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in egg. Place remaining 1 1/4 cups panko on plate. Measure heaping tablespoonful of rice mixture. Press together firmly to form ball, then flatten slightly into disk. Press disk into panko to coat. Repeat with remaining rice mixture. Cover and chill 30 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
Place fish in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over fish and chill at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Add enough vegetable oil to heavy medium skillet to reach depth of 2 inches. Heat oil to 375°F. Working in batches, fry rice fritters until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer fritters to paper towels to drain. Heat large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish with marinade still clinging to surface and cook fish until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and roast fish until just opaque in center, about 5 minutes longer.
Place jicama matchsticks and pea sprouts in large bowl. Pour enough lemongrass dressing over to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide slaw among 6 plates, mounding slaw in center. Arrange fish atop slaw on each plate. Divide rice fritters among plates and serve with Vietnamese sauce alongside.
Serves 6.
From Bon Appetit, January 2007.