Make It Snappy!

When I was a kid, my favorite kind of fish (besides Long John Silver's) was red snapper. I was a big fan of shrimp, too. One of my family's traditional celebratory meals was shrimp in beer. Anyway, when we would go down to the Gulf Coast of Florida, there were a couple of restaurants we frequently visited. One was called The Admiral's Wardroom and it was there that I discovered the joy of munching on radishes. The red snapper we had there was simply broiled, nothing like the Cuban recipe I made tonight for red snapper with capers. Tonight's dinner was rounded out with rice and a simple traditional Cuban salad with avocado and artisan leaf lettuce sprinkled with Spanish olive oil and cider vinegar, along with a scattering of salt and pepper.

Red Snapper with Capers

Sauce:
6 tbsp. oil
1 1/4 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 c. toasted almonds (I used slivered ones, I am sure chopped would work equally well)
2 tbsp. capers
1 1/4 c. fish broth (I actually used chicken broth, though...easier to obtain pre-made)

Fish:
1 1/2 lb. red snapper fillets
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. oil

Cut fish into 3" pieces. Marinate in lime juice, with some salt sprinkled over, for 10 minutes per side. For the sauce, heat oil. Sauté onion & parsley until the onion is soft. Add capers and almonds and cook about 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook gently about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Fry the fish golden on each side in the 2 tbsp. oil. Pour the sauce over the fish and bring to a boil. Cook another minute or two, then serve fish with sauce ladled over it.

This is my adaptation of one of my favorite Cuban cookbooks, A Taste of Cuba.