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
- 1 Red Ruby Onion julliened
- 1 Habanero (omit if you would like it less spicy) sliced thin
- 5 Lunchbox or 3 Cubanelle peppers sliced thin
- ½ cup Cherry Little Bing tomatoes (sliced in half)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 tbsp. Mint chopped
- 1 tbsp. Pineapple sage chopped
- ¼ tbsp. Fresh oregano chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1t cumin
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
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.

Herbs
Vegetables
Fruit
Flowers
Succulents