Pan-Cooked Grouper or Other Fillets with “Killed” Onions
Like the preceding dish, this one is wickedly strong tasting, not fiery-hot but potent with garlic, onions (which are salted to “kill” their harshness), and lime. Not for the faint of heart, but many people (including me) love it. You can use any firm-fleshed white fish: halibut, swordfish, striped bass, red snapper, and so on. Ideally, you’d serve this with Mexican Radish Salad (page 172), along with some beautiful tomatoes. Rice and beans would also be good.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Peel and slice the onion; sprinkle liberally with salt and toss. Let sit for 30 minutes or so, then rinse and toss with 2 tablespoons of the lime juice.
Step 2
Put 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the fish and cook, rotating if necessary but not turning, and sprinkling with salt and pepper as it cooks, until nicely browned on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and lower the heat to medium; continue to cook until the fish is tender (a thin-bladed knife will pass through its thickest part with little resistance), another 2 to 5 minutes, depending on its thickness. Transfer to a warm platter.
Step 3
Add the remaining oil to the skillet along with the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, just until the garlic begins to color—less than a minute. Turn off the heat, add the remaining 1/2 cup lime juice, and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan if necessary to incorporate the garlic, lime juice, oil, and whatever solids remain. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Pour over the fish, garnish with cilantro, and serve with the onion.
