Recipe of the week: Yucatán fish (Tikin xic)
The “simple, flavorful” food of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is perfect summer fare.
The “simple, flavorful” food of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is perfect summer fare, said David Tanis in The New York Times. You need a hot oven (or grill) to make fish the Yucatecan way—steamed in banana leaves. But the rewards are substantial.
Yucatán fish (Tikin xic)
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 serrano pepper, chopped
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup lime juice
- 2 tsp achiote powder
- pinch cinnamon
- ½ tsp dried Mexican oregano
- ¼ tsp chipotle chile
- ½ tsp cumin seed
- ½ tsp cloves
- 6 allspice berries
- 4 garlic cloves, pulverized
- 1¾ lb grouper fillet, skin on
- 2 tomatoes, sliced thick
- banana leaves
Put onion in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then mix in serrano, 3 tbsp orange juice, and 2 tbsp lime juice. Set aside. For marinade: Combine next four ingredients in a bowl. In skillet over medium heat, briefly toast cumin, cloves, and allspice. Grind these to powder, then mix with other spices. Add garlic, a pinch salt, remaining orange juice, and ¼ cup lime juice. Stir to make a paste.
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Season fish with salt and pepper, paint with marinade, and add squeeze of lime. Chill 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Bring fish to room temperature. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut banana leaves crosswise and pass them over a burner to soften. Rinse leaves and pat dry. Place a double layer of leaves on a baking sheet and add the fish, skin down. Add pickled onions, tomato, salt, and a squeeze more lime. Lay more leaves on top, wrap, and tie with a string. Bake 25 minutes; let package rest unopened for 15 more. Garnish with remaining pickled onions. Serves 6.
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