Grilled Red Snapper and Clams in a Lovestuff Tomatillo Broth
/I have a confession to make: I'm absolutely enamored with a hot sauce called Lovestuff.
I first realized I was over the moon about the sauce when I developed a fierce determination to make recipes that incorporated its flavors to take my dishes to another level of goodness.
My borderline obsession with Lovestuff can be solely attributed to Ground Up Flavor's founder, Maurice Tyms, who sent me a couple bottles to try out last year for free to see if I liked it, and to encourage me to get creative with its flavors.
I knew before tasting Lovestuff that I would enjoy the spicy green nectar from its sexy name and label alone. Not surprisingly, I used up almost the entire bottle on my typical breakfast of eggs with English muffins in less than a week upon opening. With one bottle left for serious food business, I knew I needed to get busy in the kitchen with a recipe so I could continue my new breakfast hot sauce ritual.
Unfortunately, my schedule didn't permit a lot of time for recipe development. Knowing that this tempting, unopened bottle of hot sauce was sitting behind my kitchen cupboard for several months was difficult to say the least. But my natural patient attitude allowed me to survive this feat until I had time to develop a high quality recipe that may even get featured in one of Maurice's cookbook projects. Nice!
Now that it's Spring and I have a little more time in my schedule, I wanted to make something that is healthy, bright, and that would pair well with the flavors of Lovestuff. What could be healthier and brighter than snapper with clams in a tomatillo broth? Not much, in my opinion.
To take this Mexican-influenced seafood recipe to an even higher level, I added a frisee salad on top with a little bit of Lovestuff incorporated. It's so all so wonderfully edible and perfect for a fancy weekend dinner. The grilled red snapper is such a treat, and the clams in a mildly spicy broth of Lovestuff? Mmm, mmm, it's so complete!
Grilled Red Snapper and Clams in a Lovestuff Tomatillo Broth
Active Time: 1 Hour
Total Time: 2 Hours
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
6 whole garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small white onion, roughly chopped
1 large jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
1 lb tomatillos (about 8 medium) husked, rinsed and halved
1 ½ cups dry white wine, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
½ cup heavy ream
2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp Lovestuff Five Pepper Sauce
Juice of 1 lime
4 rainbow carrots, peeled, cut into ¼”-thick rounds
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 red jalapeno, seeded, sliced thin
1 tbsp butter
2 lbs clams, rinsed and scrubbed
Frisee Salad
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of ½ lime
Zest of 1 lime
1 tsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp Lovestuff Five Pepper Sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups frisee, trimmed
½ cup jicama, peeled, julienned
4 tomatillos, halved, thinly sliced
1 medium vine ripe tomato, cut into thin strips
¼ bunch cilantro leaves
1 red jalapeno, seeded, julienned
Red Snapper
4 (6 oz) red snapper fillets, pin bones removed, patted dry
1 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Finish
Cilantro leaves
Directions
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, jalapeno, and tomatillos over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring for 6-8 minutes, until softened.
Add 1 cup white wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook until the wine is nearly evaporated, about 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add chicken stock, heavy cream, sugar, Lovestuff, lime juice, half the carrots, chipotle pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer. Cook until reduced by 1/3, about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and add the sauce to a blender with cilantro. Puree until smooth. Let sit for one hour to allow the flavors to meld. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.
Meanwhile, add olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, Lovestuff, and sugar to a large bowl. Whisk to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add frisee, jicama, tomatillos, tomato, cilantro, and jalapeno. Toss vegetables and dressing to combine.
Lightly coat snapper fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook snapper skin-side down in a hot grill pan or in large heavy bottomed skillet for 2 minutes. Then cook on the other side for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Return tomatillo sauce with ½ cup white wine to the same skillet with remaining carrots, red jalapeno, and butter and heat over medium heat. Add clams and cover until the clams open. Discard any clams that do not open.
Serve sauce on plates and top with clams. Plate snapper over clams and sauce, and garnish with the salad and cilantro leaves. Enjoy!
If you loved this recipe, you will love my recipes for Salmon in Galangal-Tomato Compote, Halibut with Zucchini, Olives, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Mahi Mahi With Avocado-Chile Salsa & Tropical Rice
