Red Snapper Chinese French Fusion Recipes

CRISPY RED SNAPPER "CHINESE STYLE"

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Put the soy sauce, fish sauce, plum wine, sugar, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, lemongrass, and water in a bowl and stir together; set aside.
• While you make the vegetables, pour enough oil to submerge the snapper into a wide, deep, heavy-bottomed pot. You will need at least a quart, depending on the width of the pot and the thickness of the fish. Heat the pot over medium-high heat to 370 degrees F.
• Make the vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced ginger and sausage and cook until the sausage begins to give off its fat, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to give off their liquid, adding more oil if necessary. Add the tomatoes, scallions, carrot, leek, and chile, and cook until just soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and keep the vegetables warm.
• Fry the fish: Score the snapper 4 times from top to belly, starting about 3 inches behind the head and making the last slash about 2 inches from the tail; take care not to cut into the flesh. When the oil is almost hot enough, dredge the snapper in the flour, shaking off any excess. Skewer the fish from head to tail with a metal skewer, curving the fish as needed. Slowly carefully add the fish to the pot and fry until cooked through and moist at the bone on the head end, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• To serve: Spread some sauce onto a fish platter and place the fish on top; spoon the vegetables over the fish. Present at the table, cutting individual portions there, and garnishing with pea sprouts. Serve the extra sauce on the side.

STEAMED WHOLE RED SNAPPER WITH ASIAN FLAVORS

Steps:

• Sprinkle inside of each fish with salt. Using sharp cleaver or knife, make 4 diagonal slits on 1 side of each fish, spacing equally and cutting to the bone. Insert 1 slice of ginger, 1 slice of garlic and 1 cilantro leaf into each slit. Turn fish over. Make 4 diagonal slits on second side of each fish and insert remaining sliced ginger, sliced garlic and cilantro leaves. Arrange fish in 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; refrigerate).
• Place a slice of ginger and garlic, then a whole cilantro leaf in each slit; they will add flavor to the fish during the steaming process. Hold back the flaps to insert the seasonings more easily.
• Pour enough water into wok or large pot to reach depth of 1 1/2 inches. Place bottom of 11- to 12-inch-diameter bamboo steamer over water in wok or open a steamer rack and place in pot. Place dish with fish in bamboo steamer (or on steamer rack). Curl tails if necessary to fit.
• The classic Chinese way to cook the fish is in a tiered bamboo steamer set over boiling water in a wok. Pour water to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into the wok.
• If you don't have a bamboo steamer or a wok, you can use a vegetable steamer rack set in a large pot. The pot should be large enough to allow steam to circulate around the glass pie dish that holds the fish.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon each of chopped cilantro, shallots, lemongrass and green onions into dish around fish. Combine broth and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in cup and pour into dish. Bring water to boil. Cover bamboo steamer (or pot). Steam fish until just opaque in center at bone, about 18 minutes.
• Before steaming, surround the fish with chopped shallots, lemongrass, green onions, and cilantro. Then pour a broth and soy sauce mixture into the dish to flavor the fish as it cooks.
• Meanwhile, combine sesame oil and vegetable oil in heavy medium skillet. Add chopped ginger and chopped garlic, then 2 tablespoons each of chopped cilantro, shallots, lemongrass and green onions. Stir over medium heat until oil is hot and seasonings are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour seasoned oil into small bowl; add remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce.
• Using oven mitts as aid, transfer dish with fish to work surface. Using large spatula, transfer fish to platter. Spoon juices from dish over fish. Spoon some of seasoned oil over fish. Serve fish with rice; pass remaining seasoned oil.
• You may have to special-order whole fish from the supermarket or fish market.
• ** Available at Southeast Asian markets and in the produce section of some supermarkets.

RED SNAPPER FRANçAISE WITH BUTTER AND LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• Season the fish with salt and pepper. Put the 1/2 cup flour in a shallow dish. Put the egg substitute in another shallow dish. Dredge the fillets in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then coat the fillets in the egg substitute and let them sit in the substitute until ready to add to the pan.
• Heat 2 large nonstick sauté pans over medium heat. When the pans are hot, spray them with cooking spray and add 2 fillets to each pan. Cook until the fillets are golden brown and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a serving platter, and tent it with foil to keep them warm.
• In one of the sauté pans, melt the butter over high heat. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons flour into the butter. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the parsley, and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Spoon the sauce over the fish, and serve.
• Fat: 36g (before), 8.6g (after)
• Calories: 611 (before), 232 (after)
• Protein: 29g
• Carbohydrates: 11g
• Cholesterol: 57mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sodium: 396mg

QUICK-BRAISED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine wine, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch, stirring until sugar has dissolved; set aside. Pat fish very dry; make 3 diagonal slashes at 2-inch intervals on each side. Sprinkle fish all over with remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
• Preheat a wok or large skillet over high until smoking hot, about 2 minutes. Carefully add oil and wait until it shimmers, 10 to 15 seconds. Add ginger and garlic; reduce heat to medium-high and cook until golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a plate with a fork or slotted spoon.
• Swirl oil around wok to evenly coat. Add fish and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown at bottom edges and it no longer sticks to pan (test by shaking vigorously; fish should slide back and forth when ready to flip), about 5 minutes. Flip and cook on second side, 5 minutes more. Flip again. Return ginger mixture to wok, along with wine mixture, peppers, and scallions. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, spooning braising liquid over top of fish constantly, until thickened slightly and fish is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately, with rice.

MED RED SNAPPER

Steps:

• Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with six grinds of black pepper and a couple of handfuls of ice, and 'throw' the cocktail between two shakers (or jugs) until chilled.
• Strain into a tall glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a tomato slice, celery ribbon, the salt and olive oil.