Maya Citrus Salsa With Red Snapper

By Mark Bittman

Updated February 11, 2016

  • Evan Sung for The New York Times
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(607)
Comments
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Xec (pronounced “shek”) is a sweet, sour, juicy citrus salsa from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, and it makes a brilliant match with almost any kind of fish, cooked almost any kind of way. The combination here — orange, grapefruit, lemon — is not traditional to Mayan cooking, nor is it a mandate. Add lime if you have it, a bitter orange if you can find it. Don’t skip the minced habanero, though, which adds a bit of heat and yet more flavor. The fish starts on the stove for a few minutes, and is soon moved to the oven to finish cooking, for a total time of less than 10 minutes.

Featured in: From the Yucatán, a Burst of Citrus Salsa

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 orange

  • 1 small grapefruit

  • 1 large lemon

  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

  • ½ habanero or other chili, seeded and minced, or to taste

  • Salt to taste

  • 2 tablespoons oil

  • 4 red snapper fillets, 4 to 6 ounces each, preferably skin on (and scaled)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

11 grams carbs; 52 milligrams cholesterol; 244 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 604 milligrams sodium; 30 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut orange in half horizontally and section it as you would a grapefruit; do this over a bowl to capture all its juice. Remove seeds and combine flesh and juice in bowl. Repeat with grapefruit and lemon. Stir in cilantro, habanero and salt.

  2. Step 2

    Put oil in a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. A minute later, add fish, skin side down; season top with salt. Cook until skin begins to crisp, 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to oven. Cook another 3 or 4 minutes, or until a thin-bladed knife meets little resistance when inserted into thickest part of fish. Serve fish with xec, immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
607 user ratings
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Comments

Cory

The trick in using a cast iron pan is get the pan to temp first, then add an adequate amount of oil. The oil should heat in 1-30 seconds. When you add the fish or any meat, given it a little jiggle on the pan as soon as you lay it down. That allows the flesh surface to seal before the proteins react with the hot pan surface.

Lou McClelland

Excellent with a fraction of the chili called for. And a sliced avocado atop the fish.

Sheila

This is an excellent quick and delicious meal for a hot summer evening. I prepared it with different citrus, using what I had on hand...Orange and lime. A Jalapeño was not very hot, and it would have benefited from a hotter chili. Served over basmati rice with a bed of bibb lettuce. Low calorie and flavorful.

Laura

For the salsa, I’m not sure if our citrus in the UK lacks the required sweetness but in combination with the cilantro and chilli it was really harsh. I even omitted the lemon in favour of a lime. Not at all pleasant.

Julia

Quick and easy made with salmon fillets, cooked in a non-stick pan.

DDay

I did not have cilantro so I used fresh mint and this gave the citrus a bright taste.

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