Fish fillets make an easy weeknight dinner
When it comes to landing dinner on the table on a weeknight, fish fillets are among the very quickest dishes you can prepare, rarely requiring more than five minutes to go from raw to ready to eat. And given the relative mildness of a fish’s flavour, they’re a natural canvas for a vast palette of seasonings (and acid, too), meaning they turn out just about exactly as flavourful as you make them.
For the first recipe, white fish fillets are dusted with flour spiked with Creole spice mix, after which they’re crisped up in a skillet. The famously potent spice mix — spearheaded by cayenne and black pepper — is built into the DNA of Louisiana cuisine. Virtually all of New Orleans’ Hall of Fame chefs — including Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse — developed signature versions of this mix and used it liberally in just about everything they cooked. Fair warning: If you’re not a fan of blazing heat, you won’t be a fan of Creole spice mix. Unless, of course, you balance it with one key ingredient — sugar. Sugar will balance any spicy dish. If you dig into a bowl of chili and discover that you’ve overdone the hot sauce, just sprinkle in a little brown sugar. If your barbecue sauce sets your mouth on fire, tame it with a dab or two of honey. Conversely, if you’ve added too much sugar to a savoury dish, even it out with some heat. The goal is to add just enough of sweet and heat so that you’re not bowled over by either of them.
In this recipe, the fiery Creole spice mix is countered by the natural sugars built into the pineapple mango salsa. The additional herbs and fresh lime contribute some festive end-of-summer flair to this weeknight entrée.
Spicy Sautéed Fish with Pineapple Mango Salsa
Start to finish: 35 minutes Makes: Four servings 3/4 cup finely diced pineapple 3/4 cup finely diced mango 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes and patted dry 2 to 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice 3 Tbsp chopped fresh mint or cilantro or a mix • Kosher salt 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 3 Tbsp creole spice mix (recipe below) or store-bought, such as Zatarains In a bowl, combine the pineapple, mango, onion, lime juice and herbs; add salt to taste.
On a piece of parchment, combine flour and spice mix; stir well. In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Dip the fish in the flour mixture, coating it well on all sides, shake off the excess and add it to the skillet. Cook it until golden brown, about two minutes a side and transfer a portion to each of four plates. Top each portion with salsa.
Creole Spice Mix
2 tsp hot paprika 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp kosher salt 3/4 tsp onion powder 3/4 tsp cayenne 3/4 tsp oregano 3/4 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together well. Nutritional information: 328 calories; 106 calories from fat; 12 g fat; 85 mg cholesterol; 573 mg sodium; 21 g carbohydrates; 2 g fibre; 8 g sugar; 36 g protein.