Panfried Red Snapper with Chipotle Butter

Serves 4
Active time : 15 minutes
Start to finish : 15 minutes

Chefs love red snapper for its inherent drama. The fillets are often served skin side up because the skin is so beautiful. The sweet, mild flavor of the fish contrasts with the smoky heat of canned chipotle chiles in a tomatoey adobo sauce. If you can't find red snapper, you can substitute grouper, yelloweye rockfish, or onaga (Hawaiian red snapper), as long as the fillets are the same size and thickness, preferably with skin on.

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2-1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
(to taste; see Glossary in book) plus 2 teaspoons sauce from can
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 (6-ounce) red snapper fillets with skin
Freshly ground black pepper
About 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Accompaniment: lime wedges

Mash together butter, chipotles, adobo sauce, and salt in a small bowl with a fork until blended. Spread flour on a plate. Pat fish dry and cut each fillet crosswise in half. Season with salt and pepper.

Dredge fish in flour and shake off excess. Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 2 fillets, skin side up, and panfry, turning once, until browned and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. With a slotted spatula, transfer to plates and loosely cover to keep warm. Add oil to skillet as needed, heat until very hot, and cook remaining 2 fillets in same manner. Top fish with dollops of chipotle butter and serve with lime wedges.

Buy the Book!

from:
The Gourmet Cookbook
More Than 1000 Recipes
by Ruth Reichl (Editor)
John Willoughby and Zanne Early Stewart (Coeditors)
Houghton Mifflin
$40.00/Hardcover: 1056 pages
ISBN: 0618374086
Recipe reprinted by permission.