Sea Bass Tacos with Papaya Chile Salsa
De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.
Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.
Ingredients:
1-1/2 onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/4 pounds of sea bass fillets, boned and cut in strips
black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/3 tsp. chiles de arbol, toasted
salt to taste
1-3/4 Tbsp. lime juice
2-1/2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
1-1/2 cups cubed papaya
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1-1/2 scallions, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
1-1/2 red onions, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1-3/4 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
6 cloves garlic
Salsa:
3/4 quart shredded cabbage
black pepper to taste
1/3 cup lime juice
3/8 cup chopped cilantro
6 corn tortillas, heated
6 sprigs cilantro for garnish
6 chiles de arbol, toasted for garnish
Instructions:
In sprayed saute pan over medium heat, saute the onion until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add the fish pieces, pepper, oregano, chile, and the lime and orange juices. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
In a bowl, combine the papaya, lime juice, scallions, jalapeno, onion, bell peppers, oregano and garlic. Set aside to blend flavors.
In a separate bowl add the cabbage, pepper, lime juice and cilantro. Place 1-1/2 oz. of cooked fish in each heated tortilla and a generous pinch of cabbage/cilantro mix. Arrange on a plate with a ramekin of papaya salsa, a sprig of cilantro and a toasted chile de arbol.
Yields 6 servings.
Recipe from Chile Pepper Magazine.