Red Snapper with Pineapple Relish and Quinoa

As mentioned in my meal planning post for this week, I went to the beach this weekend for a bachelorette party getaway. On Saturday night, we went to a fun dinner at a this nice seafood restaurant on the water. The bachelorette herself had this incredible red snapper dish and we traded bites, since I had never tried the red snapper and she had never had mahi-mahi (my dish). Low and behold, I have a new favorite! Therefore, I decided to modify this recipe from salmon to red snapper.

This was a great fish dish, Mr. Max and I are both new fans of red snapper. You can make it either way, I think you'll find that this is a filling, tasty, simple and quick meal to make!

Nutritional facts for the red snapper include 310 calories, 10g fat, 13g carbs, 34g protein per 6 oz fillet.

 Grocery List:

• 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced 
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• 1/2 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced (original recipe uses a jalepeno, if you would prefer)
• Juice of 1 lime (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, minced
• 4 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon water
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 2 skinless red snapper or salmon fillets
• Vegetable oil spray

Start by heating your boiler. I bought my pineapple pre-cut into fresh chunks, but then chopped it down smaller to look like this.

Combine the pineapple, scallion, poblano pepper (or jalepeno), lime juice, and cilantro in a bowl then set aside.

 

Whisk the honey and water together in a bowl.

In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, coriander, ginger, garlic powder and allspice.

Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel and arrange them evenly, skinned side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush each fillet with the honey-water mixture, then evenly distribute the spices over the fish., then lightly spray the tops with vegetable oil spray. According to America's Test Kitchen, the reason they lightly spray with the vegetable oil was to ensure that no dry bits of powdery spices remained on the fish, allowing it to fully caramelize.

Pop them in the oven for about 9 minutes, until tops are golden brown. If you have a meat thermometer, the temperature should register at 125 degrees when ready. The recipe says for you to top the finished fillets with the pineapple relish and serve, but Mr. Max and I decided to roast the pineapple mix with the fish for the last 2 minutes. So set your timer for 7 minutes, take out and top with the pineapple then pop in for another 2 minutes.

For an easy side dish, I made a simple quinoa with 1 teaspoon of tamari.

Lay the quinoa and top with your fish fillet, adding any additional pineapple relish. Also served with fresh haricot verts.