5 lb Red snapper -cleaned and prepared -for baking, with -backbone removed -and head and tail left on -(or substitute sea bass -striped bass, or pike ) Juice of 4 limes 2 Cloves garlic, minced Salt Black pepper to taste
FOR THE STUFFING
4 sl White bread, torn into
-small pieces
1/2 c Milk
2 tb Spanish olive oil
2 tb Salted butter
1 sm Onion, finely chopped
1/2 sm Green bell pepper,
-seeded and finely chopped
1 sm Tomato, seeded and
-finely chopped
1 Clove garlic, minced
1/2 c Minced baked ham
3 tb Dry sherry
1 ts Worcestershire sauce
1 tb Finely chopped parsley
Salt
Black pepper to taste
1/2 lb Small raw shrimp,
-shelled and deveined
1 Lobster tail simmered
-in salted water to
-cover over medium heat
-until
-cooked, about 5 minutes,
-and sliced into 4 pieces
Rinse the fish, pat it dry with paper towels, and place it on a
nonreactive platter. Squeeze the lime juice over the skin, and rub the fish
inside and out with garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at
least 1 hour.
To prepare the stuffing, soak the bread in the milk in a small bowl. In a
medium-size skillet over low heat, heat the oil and butter until fragrant,
then cook the onion, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, and ham, stirring, until
the onion is tender but not brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the sherry,
Worcestershire, and parsley, mix thoroughly, remove from the heat, and
allow to cool slightly. Squeeze the bread to remove the excess milk, stir
into the mixture, and add salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drain the fish and reserve the marinade
(there will be a small amount). Stuff the fish with the stuffing mixture,
arrange the shrimp and lobster slices on top of the stuffing, and sew up
the pocket with needle and thread or secure with toothpicks or skewers.
Transfer the fish to a shallow baking pan lined with well-oiled aluminum
foil, allowing for enough overlap to pick up the fish. If the tail does not
fit in the pan, wrap it in foil. Pour the reserved marinade over the fish,
drizzle with a bit of oil, place in the oven, and bake, uncovered, until
the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. For an even
crisper skin, place in a preheated broiler for the last 3 to 4 minutes of
cooking time. Transfer the fish carefully to a serving platter, remove the
thread, toothpicks, or skewers, and serve hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings
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