Grilled Whole Fish with Salsa Yucateca and Spring Polenta

Grilled Whole Fish with Salsa Yucateca and Spring Polenta

Ingredients

Marinated Branzino

  • 4-6 whole fish (I like snapper and branzino 1-2# each)
  • 2 guajillo chiles seeds and stems removed.
  • 1 cup orange juice 
  • ½ cup grapefruit juice
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • 2 tbsp. white vinegar
  • 5 oz. achiote paste
  • ¼ cup Yellow Georgia Onion rough chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp. Pineapple Sage picked
  • 1 tbsp. Lemon Balm picked
  • 1 Serrano pepper stemmed and deseeded
  • 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 whole cloves stems removed
  • ¼ tsp. ground allspice
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Salsa Yucateca

Spring Polenta

  • 1 cup yellow polenta
  • 3 cups chicken stock or water
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 tbsp. Butter
  • ½ cup fresh cotija cheese
  • ½ cup herb puree (parsley, chive, and Lemon Balm blanched, blended and strained)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup cotija to sprinkle on top

Directions

Grilled Branzino

  • Place whole fish in a nonreactive dish. Season  liberally with  salt and pepper.
  • On a frying pan, toast the guajillos on each side, making sure not to burn chiles.
  • Cover with water and simmer over medium heat to soften and rehydrate chiles for about 15 minutes.
  • In blender add rehydrated chiles, 2 tbsp. of liquid from rehydrated chiles, citrus juice, vinegar, onion, achiote paste, herbs and spices. Blend until smooth.
  • Cover the fish with marinade, making sure both surfaces of fish are completely covered. Cover with plastic and let marinade in refrigerator for one to 12 hours.  
  • Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
  • Using a fish basket or fine wire grill grate (oiled) , grill the fish till flesh is firm and you have nice char spots throughout. About 3-4 min each side.
  • Lay fish flesh side up on a serving platter.

Salsa Yucateca

  • Prepare the vegetables.  Juillenne the red onion, thinly slice the peppers (de-seed if you like), and slice cherry tomatoes in half at the stem.  Add to a medium mixing bowl
  • Chop the herbs and garlic and add to vegetables.
  • Add citrus juice, vinegar, and olive oil
  • Add sugar, cumin. salt & pepper to taste
  • Gently mix and let marinate for 10 min

Spring Polenta

  • Heat the stock and milk in a heavy bottomed pot till just boiling. Once boiling slowly add polenta while whisking to avoid lumps. Constantly stir till it starts to thicken and turn the heat to low.
  • Cook Polenta stirring every few minutes for 30 min or until it is creamy and starts to pull away from the edge of the pot.
  • Add butter, cotija, herb puree, and salt & pepper and miss till incorporated.
  • Serve in dish garnished with more cotija and chives.

Build

  • Garnish the grilled fish with a liberal sprinkling of salsa yucateca and any torn herbs you have on hand.
  • Serve hot Polenta on the side.