Pan-fried Red Snapper With Baby Arugula and Papaya Salad ►
This simple dish gets its bright Caribbean flavor from sour sop, lime, nutmeg, and papaya. A tart salad of papaya and arugula dressed with Soursop and Nutmeg Dressing is topped with a fillet of pan-fried snapper which has been simply seasoned with salt and fresh black pepper. Soursop, or cherimoya, is a large green tropical fruit that looks a little like a leathery avocado covered with curving points of soft spines; its white flesh has an acidic flavor that resembles banana. Substitute pureed banana if you can’t find soursop in your market.
Ingredients
- Soursop and Nutmeg Dressing
- Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
- Pureed Soursop (Cherimoya) - 1/4 cup
- Lime Juice - 3 tablespoons, fresh
- Cider Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- Nutmeg - 1 teaspoon, freshly grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Snapper
- Red Snapper Fillets - 4 (6- to 8-ounce), skin on
- Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
- Freshly ground black pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
- Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
- Arugula Leaves - 4 ounces (3 cups packed)
- Ripe Papaya - 1 cup, diced
Instructions
To make the dressing: In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine oil, sour sop puree, lime juice, vinegar and nutmeg. Cover jar; shake well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until serving time.
To prepare the snapper: Score the skinned side of each fillet to prevent curling while cooking. Sprinkle meaty side of fillets with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add fillets, skin side down. Cook for 4 minutes or until deep golden brown. Turn; continue cooking 30 seconds to 1 minute or just until fish is opaque in center. Drain on paper towels.
To serve: Toss the arugula and papaya with 1/4 cup of the dressing; arrange in the center of four serving plates. Top with snapper fillets. Drizzle remaining dressing around edges of plates.
