Oh, Snapper!
★ | Whole Red Snapper with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette over Baby Mesclun and Jasmine Rice
I PROMISED MYSELF THAT THIS week I would at least attempt to start eating healthy. Or healthi-er. So after last week's fried food festival, I started today with a turkey sandwich on wheat and container of orange juice. Then, as I joined my friend, Danny, on a quick vehicular errand to retrieve sundries for his bar, I imagined what my next meal would be.
Healthier still than my beef, chicken, and pork, as of late, could be some fish; but, knowing how my diet has been influenced by the knowledge that I might very well take photos of the meal as well, I came up with a dish that I thought might please the palate and the eye. Don't I always...?!
Skipping over the decision-making and shopping exercises, I ultimately prepared a full Roasted Red Snapper (seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, butter, and olive oil) Over Jasmine Rice and Baby Mesclun Salad (tossed with fresh cilantro and balsamic vinegar) With Yellow Pepper Dressing (roasted red bell peppers, garlic, turmeric, lemon juice, egg yolk, salt, pepper, olive oil, cider vinegar).
I was quite pleased—even proud—of the entire dish. The fish was nice, firm and flaky. There was a nice crisp to the skin, although I would have preferred it crispier (next time, I'll leave it uncovered for a longer amount of time while it's in the oven). The piquant dressing a nice balance to the savory fish, it's aromatics only heightened the nuanced bouquet of the sweet, slightly nutty rice. The baby mesclun leaves proved a cool, crisp counter to the piping hot fish and warm rice.
The only downside was having to use a square casserole pan that was a little smaller than the length of the fish, causing the tail to burn to an almost full crisp. That flaw only making the dish suffer in presentation, not in taste, since fish tails are never meant to be eaten, of course.
Years of eating at Southern-style fish fries have awarded me the skill to work around the bones with nominal deftness. I cleaned the plate, leaving only what seemed to be a caricature of what fish bones look like in cartoons (I was surprised the eyes weren't just "X"s!).
So I'm satisfied with what is only my first day af my new diet regimen. Next, as is evident by the photos, I need to work on portion size....
Bun Apple Tea!
.kac.
Whole Red Snapper with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette over Baby Mesclun and Jasmine Rice
