Since my dad is the cuisiner de notre maison, we end up eating things that have a Mexican flair to them. In fact, last night's dish was inspired by Louisiana creole cooking and more of an island flair...except he added poblanos and jalapenos to Mock-Choux which would not have contained these South American peppers, traditionally. But we're all about experimenting and bending tradition in our family. We ended up having blackened Redfish done in a skillet with surprisingly little smoke over a bed of equally hot mock-choux, a sort of creole approach to succotash or salsa. I suggested brown rice as an accompaniment; however, we had a lot of corn stuffed into that skillet with the mock-choux, and another starch didn't hit home for anyone else around the table.
First, the fish; oh the fish. What a pleasant task I had of crusting the fish in the dry rub combination pictured: cayenne, black peppercorns, white peppercorns, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, and kosher salt. It got caked onto my fingers so badly that I really didn't want to risk touching my eyes from that point forward. It was meant to be hot, and I might add it was indeed. Redfish is really interesting, because it flakes very similarly to bluefish, which is good, giving the taster really something palatable to work with in the mouth, more strandlike in nature than the sheet-like flakes of haddock and similar in nature to the strands of land-dwelling animal. Fortunately, it was not nearly as oily or intensely flavored in its oils as bluefish. Fortunately for me, who wasn't really looking for a heavy meal at that point, and fortunately for my father, who loves bluefish, redfish provided exactly what both of us love about seafood. Don't get me wrong, I love a good piece of saba on beautifully steamed and vinegared sushi rice and the oily texture of a sauteed bluefish, but the redfish was really out of this world. The blackened rub, on a similar note, was out of this world in its spice! Oh my goodness were my lips tingling as I wolfed down bite after bite of the fish, tastefully blackened in a dry skillet to toast the spiced without compromising their oils by including foreign oils and topped at the very end with a small pat of butter to heighten the richness of the meat. I couldn't have thought of a better way to keep the spices intense yet individual, without yielding to the power of a mediterranean olive oil or losing their own oils in even a neutral peanut oil, which we never use anyway. Cajun dishes are hot, and this one was no exception: I really can't downplay that anymore. The flavors were all so intense, and with the heat of the mock-choux, the meal tied itself together.
The mock-choux was supposed to be an alternative to the heat of the protein, since we knew it would be spicy with all of that cayenne and smoky with both the toasted spices and the natural smokiness of paprika. Dad simply put four poblanos, roasted, in, mellowing it further with the sweetness of both a roasted red bell pepper and a fresh green bell pepper added into the mix. He also put in two jalapenos from a farmer's market he "hit-up" on the way home, expecting the mildness we got from the last batch I picked up from Shadybrook. I have a feeling I got old peppers, because these from the other market were HOT! Not only were they hot, but they only added to the heat of the farm-fresh poblanos: this batch was MUCH hotter than what we usually find at the ethnic markets that get shipped in from other countries...or California (like another country in itself, no?). Yes I do like Californians so keep reading the blog please! ; ).
The mock choux was much spicier than intended, and the sweetness of the simmered, roasted corn and tomatoes was not enough to counteract its heat. The heat tied the dish together, but because my dad incorporated different heat "sources" if you will, cayenne and fresh peppers and roasted peppers, the heat hit every spot from the tongue to the stomach, and it even made me hiccough. Nothing he makes ususally does that to me, unless it was that unbearably toasty habanero dish he made several years ago before my tastes had changed, rather dramatically if I may add. Both parts of the meal were wonderful when placed together, even heat on heat. Mom was not so happy and didn't take seconds, but I finished off two people's worth of the mock-choux. It was THAT good. Accenting the mock-choux with freshly-squeezed lime and the fish, lemon, both tableside made the flavors perk even more. And that butter surprisingly added a hint of richness to the dish that would have been simply awesome regardless. The butter blended with the spices on the one blackened side, while keeping the flavors of the other side intact in their toasted state. This combo was incredible, donated by some cookbook somewhere that sparked my dad on the idea of doing a Cajun dish that night. Quite a long post, but hey, it was for quite a HOT and tasty meal that was worth it!
- Cajun Blackened Spice Rub - Mise en Place
Blackened Rub
cayenne pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
thyme
paprika
white peppercorns
black peppercorns
Instructions: Grind together in mortar/pestle or spice grinder and LIBERALLY apply to the ingredient to be blackened...cake it on
- Blackened Redfish on Mock-Choux
Mock-Choux
4 ears of corn, roasted
4 poblanos, roasted & chopped
2 jalapenos, finely chopped
2 medium red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, roasted & chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
juice of 1 lime, reserved
Instructions:
Roast those ingredients that need roasting, corn in oven, others on stovetop & skin the peppers. Saute the onion and garlic in 1 T or less of olive or vegetable oil & add in the peppers, tomatoes, and corn. Saute/sweat until desired tenderness of vegetables and turn off the heat. Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture and toss to distribute & serve with extra lime wedges and cilantro, both to add to the flavor (who doesn't like corn, cilantro, and tomatoes together?) and beat the heat without dairy.
