The Gourmet Mexican Kitchen- A Cookbook: Bold Flavors For the Home Chef by Shannon Bard

Author:Shannon Bard [Bard, Shannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Page Street Publishing
Published: 2015-02-24T05:00:00+00:00

Pescado con Pipian Verde

CILANTRO-MARINATED HALIBUT WITH GREEN PUMPKIN SEED

SAUCE

Pipian Verde is a wonderful traditional Mexican sauce made with serrano chiles, tomatillos and pumpkin seeds. It has an intense nutty, earthy flavor and although technically a mole, it is surprisingly simple to make. The Cilantro Marinade adds a touch of acidity and a nice herbaceous quality to the fish. I’ve used halibut here, but you can easily substitute any hearty fish, such as fluke, flounder or cod.

The sauce can even be prepared ahead of time with just a final sauté of the fish prior to serving.

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

CILANTRO MARINADE

2 cups (80 g) cilantro, stems intact

1 cup (240 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice

¼ tsp salt

4 (6 oz [170 g]) halibut fillets

PIPIAN VERDE

5–6 tomatillos

2 serrano chile peppers, dry roasted (here) 2 garlic cloves, dry roasted and peeled (here) ½ medium white onion, dry roasted (here)

½ cup (20 g) fresh cilantro leaves

2 romaine lettuce leaves

¾ cup (90 g) pumpkin seeds

¼ cup (40 g) raw unsalted peanuts

2 tbsp (20 g) sesame seeds

2 tbsp (30 ml) canola oil

Salt

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

⅛ tsp black pepper

OPTIONAL, FOR GARNISH

Pumpkin seeds

Cilantro

CILANTRO MARINADE

Bring 6 cups (1.4 L) of water to a simmer in a medium-size saucepan over high heat. Quickly blanch the cilantro by dropping it into the water for 20 seconds; remove with a slotted spoon. Cool the cilantro under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Add the blanched cilantro to a blender along with the extra virgin olive oil, lime juice and salt. Blend to a smooth puree. Pour the mixture into a glass baking dish or large shallow bowl. Pat the fish fillets dry with a clean paper towel and place in the dish with the marinade. Liberally spoon additional marinade over the fish to ensure that the fillets are completely covered. Place the fish and marinade in the refrigerator for 1 hour, and up to 3 hours.

PIPIAN VERDE

Place the tomatillos in a 4-quart (4 L) heavy-bottomed saucepan and covering them completely with water. Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil for 4–5 minutes, or until the tomatillos are just tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatillos from the pan and add to a blender along with 2 cups (480

ml) of the reserved tomatillo cooking liquid, serrano chiles, garlic, onion, cilantro and romaine. Puree for 3 minutes, or until smooth. Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer and discard any large particles.

Heat a small sauté or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the pumpkin seeds and peanuts and lightly toast for 2 minutes until fragrant.

Transfer the seeds and peanuts to a blender. Return the same pan to the heat and lightly toast the sesame seeds for 1 minute, or until just golden. Transfer the toasted sesame seeds to the blender along with 2 cups (480 ml) of the reserved tomatillo cooking liquid. Puree for 3 minutes, until smooth. Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer and discard any large particles.

Heat the canola oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot and begins to shimmer, pour the pureed vegetable sauce into the pan and immediately stir. Be careful as the sauce will splatter. Fry the sauce for 2–3

minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and begins to darken. Stir in the pureed pumpkin seed mixture and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the sauce further thickens. Season to taste with salt.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot.

Add the flour to a shallow baking dish. Remove the fish from the marinade and lightly dredge both sides in the flour mixture. Gently shake to remove excess and season both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Place the fish into the pan, skin side down, and cook for 4 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom. Gently turn the fish over and cook the other side for an additional 3–4 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and begins to flake. Place the fish on a plate or serving platter and top with the Pipian Verde sauce. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and a sprig of cilantro, if desired.

Note: At the restaurants, we strain the Pipian Verde multiple times to create an extremely smooth sauce, which adds to the delicate texture of the fish.

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