Grilled grouper with ancho chile butter

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 Dried ancho chile; about 3x2 inches without the stem
1 small Bunch fresh cilantro
28 ounces Grouper; cut into 4x7oz fillets, each 1/2\" thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper; to taste
4 teaspoons Vegetable oil
3½ tablespoon Butter; at room temperature but not completely soft
⅛ teaspoon Cayenne pepper; or to taste
1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice

Directions

Start a medium-hot fire in the grill, or preheat the oven broiler. Fifteen minutes before you're going to grill the fillets, put the grill grate about 4 inches over the coals if it isn't already there. Brush the top of the grate with vegetable oil just before grilling to keep fish from sticking.

If your hands are sensitive to chiles, wear thin gloves. Place the chile on the counter and make a slit along the length of one side to open it up.

Dump out the seeds; tear or cut out the stem and discard it. Trim away any pronounced ribs. Put the chile in a bowl and cover it by at least 1 inch of very hot water. Let the chile soak until it's pliable, about 15 minutes.

Pick enough cilantro leaves from the bunch to measure ¼ cup, lightly packed. Wash and dry them on paper towels. Refrigerate the rest for another use.

Dry the grouper fillets with paper towels, season them with salt and pepper, and rub them all over with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Remove the chile from the water and pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the soaking water. Cut or rip the chile into rough pieces and put them in the bowl of a food processor or blender, along with the butter, cayenne, lemon juice and cilantro leaves. Pulse the ingredients, scraping the processor often until the chile is in tiny pieces and the butter has turned a rusty orange color (there will be just a small amount). Season the butter with salt and a generous amount of pepper.

Remove the butter from the processor and set it aside while you grill the grouper. (Refrigerate the butter if the kitchen is hot, if the butter has gotten very soft, or to hold it for up to 2 weeks. It also freezes well.) The butter should be somewhat soft when served, so it melts on the fish.

Place the grouper fillets, skin side up, on the preheated grate over the coals, or skin side down if using a broiler pan. Grill or broil for 6-7 minutes, until they've browned, then turn them with a metal spatula. (If broiling, don't turn them.) Grill the second side for another 3-4 minutes.

Depending on the intensity of the coals, the grouper should be done at this point; check by slightly separating the flesh in the center of one fillet with a metal spatula. The fish should be white and opaque throughout.

Place grouper fillets on plates, top each with a dollop of soft ancho chile butter, and serve right away.

Notes: COMMENTS: "The Grilled Grouper with Ancho Chile Butter is my favorite of the grouper recipes," says Revsin. "The ancho chile butter has a real earthiness that pairs with it well." Ancho chiles are dried chiles with an earthy flavor and moderate heat. Before drying, they're fresh chiles known as poblanos. They wrinkle and turn dark brown, almost black, when dried. This dish can be grilled or broiled in the oven. The total prep and cooking time is about 35-40 minutes.

Reviewed by Ann Burger on May 6, 1998; Edited by Hanneman; converted by MC_Buster. PER SERVING 316 cals, 16g fat.

Recipe by: GREAT FISH, QUICK by Leslie Revsin Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by Kitpath <phannema@...> on May 06, 1998

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