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Fish filets with Mojo de Ajo sauce
The Magic of Mojo...
Last week we gathered several members of our office team for a
planning meeting. One of the main topics was to define the "mojo" of
our company. When defining a company's mojo, you're looking for the
"soul" of the company. You want to know what makes your company
magical and sets it apart from your competition. The meeting went very
well.
What really struck me was when I got home and read my Zola email.
There was one particular email where a reader named Helen was asking
me if I could find a recipe. The dish was called Mojo de Ajo. I
couldn't help but chuckle when I read the email. She had eaten the
dish at a restaurant called Daddy's in South Padre, Texas. I can
imagine that Daddy's is one cool joint.
Here I'd been working all day on defining mojo. Then I come back to my
office and this woman wants me to find mojo for her. The fact that
they are not pronounced the same didn't lessen the serendipity of the
moment. How many times in a lifetime do you run into the word mojo;
let alone twice in one day!
So I had to take the "bait". I decided to make up my own rendition of
Mojo de Ajo. The one Helen was seeking was a blackened fish filet with
Mojo de Ajo sauce. Frankly, the sauce was not difficult for me to
find. Challenge was the sauce is customarily served with vegetables;
specifically yucca.
I love blackened fish so I had no problem joining the two. In the
recipe you are about to experience I decided to tone down the
blackening part. Most folks don't have the equipment to blacken fish
without filling their kitchen with a smoky steam that lingers for
days. My Madison kitchen has a professional fan system so I can suck
that telltale smell out with the flip of a switch. I love that system,
and I put it in the kitchen specifically for blackened fish, which was
particularly popular about the time we built that house.
This is an easy dish to make. I will warn you that it's FULL of
flavor. The garlic breath it will produce could potentially linger for
days; just like the blackening spice effect. I can still taste last
night's effort even though I've brushed my teeth twice this morning
already. The mouthwash and then the syrup from breakfast haven't even
quite toned it down yet. Helen must love garlic and onions!
I hope you do too.
Fish filets with Mojo de Ajo sauce (hot garlic and onion
dressing)
Serves 4
5 to 7 whole garlic cloves. Peeled, crushed and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tbl of fresh lime juice
4 fish filets. I used sole but
you could also use red snapper, trout, tilapia, catfish, or several
others.
Flour for dusting the fish
Paprika, salt, pepper
and/or blackening spice mix to taste
1 Tbl of butter
1
Tbl of olive oil
For the "sauce":
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and add the garlic.
Sauté on medium for less than a minute. Don't brown the garlic
or it begins to taste burned. Add the onions. You are just barely
going to heat them. They will still be springy to the touch and not
weathered and wilted. Then immediately add the lime juice and stir.
Take off the heat. Add a bit of salt if it pleases you. Now turn to
the fish.
I don't make the fish until everything else is done because you want
to eat this dish as soon as the fish comes out of the pan.
For the fish:
In a ziplock bag, put in a few Tbl of white flour. Add each fish
fillet one at a time and toss to lightly dust the filet with the
flour. Remove and set aside. Do the other filets the same way. Then
sprinkle salt, pepper and your spices on the fish. If you don't want
any "spice/heat" from the fish just sprinkle on paprika to give it
some color. If you want blackened flavor add the blackening spices on
the top of the fish filets. Gently press your spice mixture so it
adheres to the fish.
Heat the butter and olive oil in the pan. When melted and mixed add
the fish filets spice-side down. Sauté on medium high for up to
3 minutes. This thin fish does not take long to cook. Then gently take
a large spatula and turn the fish over. Cook on the other side just a
minute until you are sure the fish is completely cooked. The final
amount of time will depend on how thick your fish is. Check the fish
to see if it is done by cutting a bit into the thickest part. If it's
white and no raw parts are showing your fish is done.
Plate your fish and divide the sauce amongst the four dishes. You're
all set.
I served this dish with sautéed red and yellow bell peppers for
color and a sliced avocado half (per person) with a sprinkle of sea
salt. One healthy meal.
Send email to Zola at zolacooks@gmail.com.
For more information on Zola and to see more of her recipes, visit her
Web site at
www.dinnerwithzola.com.
Send feedback to Zola at this address:
dinnerwithzola@hotmail.com
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