Red Fish en Papillote with Thyme
At first glance these eye-catching chile peppers look like red jalapeno. However, they have a different flavor and are less meaty than Jalapeno. Red Fresnos are great roasted and added to salsas. Try grilling them alongside your steaks or in kabobs.
When roasting these they should char, blister, and become soft. Try substituting these in your favorite chile recipes.
Ingredients:
four (8-10 oz.) red fish fillets, cleaned and trimmed
1 small bunch thyme
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon (about 8 tsp.)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
1 pound small vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 red Fresno chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup good-quality black olives, pitted
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
To prepare the fish:
Preheat the oven to 425F. Season the red fish fillets on both sides with salt and pepper and put 2 sprigs of thyme on top of each one.
Brush four 12″ squares of foil with a little of the olive oil and put a fish fillet diagonally across the center of each piece. Bring the sides of the foil up around the fillet and crimp it together tightly at each end, leaving the top open.
Mix the wine with 1/4 cup of water and pour 2 Tbsp. of the wine and water mixture, 2 Tbsp. of olive oil and 2 tsp. of lemon juice into each parcel. Add the remaining sprigs of thyme and season with a little more salt and pepper. Seal the packets well and place on a large baking sheet. Bake the fish for 10 minutes.
To make the salad:
Meanwhile, for the salad, scatter the tomato wedges, red chile, garlic and olives on four small plates. Drizzle the olive oil over the salads and season with some salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the parsley.
To serve:
Put the unopened packets of fish on four heated plates, then take them to the table with a bowl of fries cooked in olive oil and the plates of tomato salad. Let each person open up their own parcel.
Recipe adapted from one by Rick Stein, from Complete Seafood, (Ten Speed Press, 2004).