Cap a hot day with fish, corn stew
There was something surprising going on in the posole verde at Mita’s Restaurant and Bar in Cincinnati.
Instead of the usual chunks of pork or chicken poking out of the chile-laden broth, tentacles, purple and white, curled over the radish and avocado slices. When I plunged my spoon in, plump grains of hominy mingled with shrimp and red snapper.
The flavors were familiar: There was the heady tang of lime juice and tomatillos, the fiery smack of the green chiles, the grassy cilantro. But while a more traditional posole verde has fatty chunks of pork or chicken (or both) to lend heft and richness, chef Jose Salazar’s seafood variation was briny, light and perfectly suited to the steamy heat of a summer evening.
In this version, I’ve taken Salazar’s already lighter pozole and made it even more August-appropriate. In place of starchy hominy, I used fresh corn, both kernels to mix into the broth and rounds to pick up and gnaw.
CORN-SEAFOOD STEW WITH AVOCADO AND CHILES
Total time: 1 hour; makes 4 to 6 servings 4 medium tomatillos, husked 2 medium poblano chiles 1 large jalapeño 5 large ears corn, shucked ½ tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil 4 garlic cloves, sliced 2 small shallots (or 1 large), halved lengthwise and sliced 2 packed cups cilantro leaves and stems, plus more leaves for garnish ½ cup packed parsley leaves and stems Fine sea salt, as needed 2 cups vegetable, chicken or seafood stock ¾ pound squid, tentacles separated, bodies cut into 1-inch rings ¾ pound shelled shrimp, cut into 1-inch pieces ½ pound firm white fish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 limes, cut into wedges Diced avocado, for garnish Sliced radishes, for garnish Shredded green cabbage, for garnish Preparation: Heat a grill or broiler. If grilling, grill tomatillos, poblanos and jalapeño until well charred all over, 3 to 7 minutes per side. If broiling, spread them out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Broil until charred all over, 3 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl, cover with a plate or foil, and let cool.
Grill or broil corn until golden brown in spots, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Let cool, then use your heaviest knife to slice two of the cobs crosswise into 2-inch rounds. Cut kernels off remaining 3 ears and reserve.
In a medium skillet over high heat, add oil. When hot but not smoking, add garlic and shallots and cook, sautéing, until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a blender.
Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place cilantro and parsley in a colander. Pour boiling water over herbs to wilt them, then immediately run cold water over them to cool them down. Press hard on herbs and squeeze to remove excess water. Transfer herbs to blender with shallots.
When chiles are cool enough to handle, remove skins, seeds and stems, and discard. Add peeled chiles and tomatillos to blender along with a large pinch of salt. Purée the mixture, adding a tablespoon or 2 of water if needed to make everything move, until it is thick but pourable. Taste and add more salt, if needed. It should be well seasoned.
In a pot or large skillet, bring the stock to a simmer. Add fish and seafood and cook until it’s just cooked through, 1 to 3 minutes. Stir 1 cup of chile purée into the seafood mixture and season aggressively with freshly squeezed lime juice from some of the wedges, and salt to taste. Taste and add more chile purée if you like. Stir in corn kernels.
To serve, spoon stew into bowls and top with rounds of corn on the cob, more lime wedges, avocado, radishes, cabbage and cilantro leaves.