Cullen's Tilapia Tomatillos Avocado
4 x tilapia fillets - (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs)
Coarse salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
2 tbl extra-virgin olive oil
1 x lime halved
1/2 med red onion chopped
1 x jalapeno or serrano pepper seeded, chopped fine
2 lrg garlic cloves - (to 3) finely chopped
8 x tomatillos - (to 10) husks peeled, diced
1/2 x bottled pale beer
2 tbl chopped cilantro leaves plus
a few sprigs for garnish
MAQUE CHOUX
1 tbl extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 x red onion chopped
1 x jalapeno seeded, chopped fine
1 sm red bell pepper seeded, chopped
4 x ears fresh corn on the cob husked
A sprinkle sugar
1 dsh cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
2 tbl butter
2 x ripe avocado
1 x lime juiced
Method :
Season fish with salt, pepper, cumin, paprika. Heat a nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, 1 turn of the pan. Heat an ovenproof
serving plate in a warm oven. Saute fish 3 minutes on each side or until opaque.
Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime over the fish and carefully slide the fillets onto
warm platter. Cover the fish to keep it warm.
Return pan to heat and add remaining tablespoon of oil, 1 turn of the pan. Over
medium-high heat, quickly saute the red onion, jalapeno and the garlic. Saute a
minute or so, add the diced tomatillos with seeds and juices. Season mixture
with coarse salt and saute the mixture of vegetables 5 minutes.
Once you get your sauce working, get a second skillet hot over moderate heat for
your maque choux. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (1 turn of the pan,)
chopped onion, jalapeno and red bell pepper. Saute 2 or 3 minutes.
Working on a plate to catch the milky juices, scrape corn off the cob. Break up
the kernels and pour into the skillet. Combine corn with peppers and onions.
Season with a sprinkle of sugar, a dash of cayenne pepper and salt.
When mixture bubbles, reduce heat to simmer. Cut butter into pieces and stir
into corn mixture. Allow mixture to simmer and cook until creamy, 5 to 7
minutes.
While corn is working, go back to your sauce for the fish. Add the beer and the
juice of 1/2 lime and cilantro to the pan. Simmer sauce 5 minutes longer, then
spoon hot sauce down over the fish filets. Garnish platter with a few extra
sprigs of the cilantro.
Cut avocados in half lengthwise and remove pits. Squeeze lime juice over the
avocados to keep them from browning and season them with a little coarse salt.
Arrange on the serving plate.
To serve, fill the avocados with maque choux, allowing the corn to spill down
and over the sides of the avocado onto the serving platter. The ripe avocado is
spooned away from its skin with bites of creamy, warm corn and peppers. Place
the avocados alongside garnished fish and enjoy with lime sorbet topped with
raspberries and Grand Marnier.
This recipe yields 4 servings.