Pan-Seared Tandoori Red Snapper with Sauteed Sweet Corn

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The first time I ate fish was on one of my first dates with my husband, six years ago.  I had told him that I wanted to try fish, so he took me to an American "surf and turf" restaurant that he had eaten at previously.  This restaurant offered a tandoori halibut and he suggested that I order it because it was flavorful, light, and did not taste or smell "fishy" (the turn-off of every new fish eater).  I still remember that tandoori halibut and it is the inspiration for today's post!  

My husband and I went to a local fish market over the weekend, and I had set out to buy halibut for this recipe.  When we got to the market, however, the red snapper looked incredibly fresh so we went with it!  

The lesson here:  you can use any type of lean white fish and it will turn out just fine!    If you want to know what types of fish would be a good substitute for red snapper, you can check out the New York Seafood Council's handy fish substitutions chart.  I would suggest using tilapia, rockfish, or maybe halibut.  Tilapia might be a good choice if you are new to cooking and eating fish!

I started off by removing the skin from the snapper fillets; if you are using a fillet that already had the skin removed, you are one step ahead of me!  I also divided the fillets into smaller portions, leaving me with three pieces of snapper.

Next, I added half a teaspoon of olive oil to one side of each piece of snapper, and used a rubber brush to spread the olive oil evenly.  Then I squeezed a few drops of fresh lemon juice on each fillet--roughly half a teaspoon per piece--and then seasoned with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle half a tablespoon of tandoori masala on each fillet.  Using your hands, rub the masala into the fillet.  There should be a coating of masala covering the entire side of the fillet.

Repeat the steps with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and tandoori masala on the opposite side of each fillet.  Once you have prepared both sides of each fillet, wrap them in saran wrap and place in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours.

Once you are ready to cook the fish, heat 1 teaspoon of a cooking oil with a higher smoke point (such as grapeseed oil) on medium-low heat.  Add 1/2 a tablespoon of butter to the oil.  Let the butter and oil melt and move the pan around to coat the base of the pan.  Make sure to keep the heat on low, because you don't want to burn the oil and butter as it melts.

Once the base of the pan is coated, add the fish fillets to the pan.  Increase the heat to medium, and cover the pan.  Red snapper is a firmer fish, so you should cook each side for 4 to 5 minutes.  If you are using a more delicate fish, like tilapia, you may want to cook each side slightly less--3 to 4 minutes per side.

While one side of each fillet cooks, get started on the sweet corn.  Heat one teaspoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat.  Add the cumin seeds to the oil and wait until the oil heats and bubbles begin to form around the cumin seeds.  Then, add the corn to the pan.

While the corn begins to cook, flip the fish fillets over to sear the other side.  Once the fillets are done cooking, wrap them in aluminum foil to keep them warm.

In the same pan in which you cooked the fish, add the garlic and onions.  Stir them until they brown.  Then add the white wine and let it reduce slightly.  Squeeze the remainder of the lemon juice out of the lemon into the pan.

Add the fish fillets back to the pan and let them cook in the lemon, white wine, onions, and garlic for 2 minutes.  Top the fillets with some of the onions and garlic.   

 While the fish is cooking in the pan, increase the heat on the corn to high and stir.  Add salt to the corn.

Place the fillets on a plate, and top with the onions and garlic from the pan, and the corn.  Garnish with chopped chives or green onions.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 2-3 red snapper fillets without skin (or any other white fish, such as tilapia or halibut)
• 4 tsps olive oil
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
• black pepper for seasoning
• 3 tbsps tandoori masala
• 1 tsp cooking oil 
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 a small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen and thawed
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• optional:  chives or green onions for garnish

Recipe (Serves 2):

1. Coat each fillet with 1/2 tsp of olive oil per side of fillet (a total of 1 tsp of olive oil per fillet).
2. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on each side of each fillet, and season each side with salt and pepper.
3. Add 1/2 a tbsp of tandoori masala to each side of each fillet, and rub the masala into the fit using your hands to create a coating.
4. Wrap each fillet in saran wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
5. When ready to cook the fish, add the cooking oil and butter to a pan over low heat, making sure the oil and butter do not burn.  Move the pan to coat the bottom with the oil and butter mixture.
6. Add the fish fillets to the pan and turn up the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side.
7. While the fish is cooking on its first side, heat 1 tsp of olive oil and the cumin seeds in another pan over medium-low heat.  Once the oil heats and bubbles start to form around the seeds, add the corn and increase the heat to medium.
8. Once both sides of the fish have cooked, remove them from the pan and wrap them loosely in aluminum foil.
9. Lower the heat and add the onions and garlic to the pan in which the fish was cooking until the onions brown.  Let the wine reduce slightly.  Add the wine and the remaining lemon juice from the lemon.  
10. Return the fillets to the pan and cover with the onions and garlic.  Let the fish cook in the pan for another 2 minutes.
11. Add 1/2 tsp of salt to the corn and stir.
12. Place each fillet on a plate and top with the onions and garlic from the pan, the corn, and garnish with chives or green onions if desired.

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