Pargo relleno (stuffed red snapper)
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 5 lb Red snapper
Instructions:
-cleaned and prepared -for baking with -backbone removed -and head and tail left on -(or substitute sea bass -striped bass or pike ) Juice of 4 limes 2 Cloves garlic minced Salt Black pepper to taste MMMMM----------------------FOR THE STUFFING--------------------------- 4 sl White bread torn into -small pieces 1/2 c Milk 2 tb Spanish olive oil 2 tb Salted butter 1 sm Onion finely chopped 1/2 sm Green bell pepper -seeded and finely chopped 1 sm Tomato seeded and -finely chopped 1 Clove garlic minced 1/2 c Minced baked ham 3 tb Dry sherry 1 ts Worcestershire sauce 1 tb Finely chopped parsley Salt Black pepper to taste 1/2 lb Small raw shrimp -shelled and deveined 1 Lobster tail simmered -in salted water to -cover over medium heat -until -cooked about 5 minutes -and sliced into 4 pieces Rinse the fish pat it dry with paper towels and place it on a nonreactive platter. Squeeze the lime juice over the skin and rub the fish inside and out with garlic salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. To prepare the stuffing soak the bread in the milk in a small bowl. In a medium-size skillet over low heat heat the oil and butter until fragrant then cook the onion bell pepper tomato garlic and ham stirring until the onion is tender but not brown 6 to 8 minutes. Add the sherry Worcestershire and parsley mix thoroughly remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Squeeze the bread to remove the excess milk stir into the mixture and add salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drain the fish and reserve the marinade (there will be a small amount). Stuff the fish with the stuffing mixture arrange the shrimp and lobster slices on top of the stuffing and sew up the pocket with needle and thread or secure with toothpicks or skewers. Transfer the fish to a shallow baking pan lined with well-oiled aluminum foil allowing for enough overlap to pick up the fish. If the tail does not fit in the pan wrap it in foil. Pour the reserved marinade over the fish drizzle with a bit of oil place in the oven and bake uncovered until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork about 1 hour. For an even crisper skin place in a preheated broiler for the last 3 to 4 minutes of cooking time. Transfer the fish carefully to a serving platter remove the thread toothpicks or skewers and serve hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings
