Religious Red Snapper

Last Friday, the husband and I were in the neighborhood of a Central Markup and couldn't resist stopping by. The trip wasn't entirely a whim: I had a list of spices and other ingredients I needed to replenish that I figured I'd get eventually at the flagship Whole Paycheck downtown--once it had bulk agave nectar back in stock. But, hey, since I knew I didn't need the agave immediately and since Whole Paycheck can sometimes take a while to get its stock replenished, why not take advantage of a situation when it presents itself?

Lucky for us, we visited during Central Markup's seafood extravaganza. I'll admit that I'm not entirely sure why the store was doing this themed event since it didn't have a lot of relevant products on sale. That said, though, the store was offering to prepare a whole fish a customer purchased any way she or he wanted. Since we've yearned to buy a whole Gulf red snapper, since they're cheaper that way, but haven't a clue how to properly make use of it, the husband and I decided we'd splurge and get some fresh fish.

The size of the two fillets we ended up with were a bit disappointing, but watching the fish market attendant scale our fish (watch those flying scales!) then slice and dice the poor thing was quite enthralling. He even offered us the remains, but I turned him down. Sure, I could have given the head, tail and other parts to the feline children outside, but then I'd have to clean up after them. The idea of gathering up and disposing of fish remains after Momma and her ravenous kids had had their fun (not to mention the flies and other insects) was not terribly appealing to me, Gentle Reader. I just have to live with my wasteful decision, which weighs on me surprisingly.

Now what to do with those fillets! One I knew for sure was destined for the freezer to be enjoyed later. The other I'd already decided I'd prepare for supper over the weekend. I even held out some hope I'd be able to halve it, with one portion also destined for the freezer. Alas, that did not happen.

I've never prepared Gulf red snapper, and I was agog at the possibilities. Did I try something new? Did I try something simple so the husband and I could savor the wonderful flavor of the fish au naturel? Did I try to adapt one of our favorite fish recipes and hope the ingredients worked well with the snapper? Or did I collapse under the weight of my indecision (and my wastefulness at having turned down the opportunity to take home the rest of the fish that we'd paid for) and freezer both fillets?

In times like these, I turned to this very blog for help.

I revisited the post from our trip last year to Galveston, which stirred memories of that pepper-and-potato-encrusted snapper at Gaido's I'd damn near had an orgasm over while eating. But...did I dare try to recreate that fish at home? Could I live with myself for setting up such an expectation that would surely be met with bitter disappointment (and self-loathing for having wasted a pricier ingredient)?

I dared.

I knew I wouldn't do the potato part of the crust, so I had to find a substitute. One ingredient immediately came to mind: panko. I'd bought a sizable bag of the stuff on our last trip to Whole Paycheck, knowing how well those Japanese crumbs work for various dishes. Additionally, panko happens to be key to a chicken Parmesan recipe the fine folks at America's Test Kitchen made over for its book The Best Light Recipe. And since I had a red bell pepper in the 'fridge and could either thaw or acquire a new green bell, I started to think I just might be able to pull this off--with a little skill and a lot of praying (hence the name of the dish).

Religious Red Snapper1 red snapper fillet
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 1/2 C panko
1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
1 T water
1/8-1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
Spices of your choice for seasoning in the quantity of your choice

1. Halve and remove the ribs and seeds from the bell peppers. Find another purpose (freezing is good) for one-half of each pepper. For the remaining halves, slice and dice them into small pieces--but don't mince.
   
2. In one shallow bowl, combine the egg whites and water, then whisk together.
   
3. In a second shallow bowl, combine the panko and diced bell peppers.
   
4. In a third shallow bowl, combine the flour, ground black pepper and the spices of your choice. (I used a half-teaspoon of a salmon rub blend we'd bought at Williams-Sonoma years ago. It has paprika, crushed red pepper, chili pepper, oregano and other herbs.)
   
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
   
6. Line a cake pan or other suitable rimmed bakeware piece with foil, then place a wire rack on top.
   
7. Lightly dredge the fillet in the four-spice combo, shaking off the excess.
   
8. Dip the fillet in the egg whites.
   
9. Coat the fillet in panko, place the fillet on the wire rack, obsessively pick out the remaining diced bell pepper pieces from the shallow bowl of panko and place atop the fillet.
   
10. Spray the top of the fillet with vegetable oil cooking spray.
    
11. Bake the fillet for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Nutritional Info
I have none to provide, Gentle Reader. Red snapper is pretty healthful fish, and the panko is pretty low in calories and carbs. Use your best guess.

The Faudie's Futzings
I really can't say I futzed with the recipe since the entire thing is a futzing. Allow me, though, to justify a few of my choices:

• I only used a half-teaspoon of the salmon rub because I was afraid I'd overwhelm the taste of the fish if I used more. Unfortunately, the result was that I couldn't taste the spices at all, so that half-teaspoon was a bit of a waste.
  
• I only used a quarter-cup of flour because the fillet wasn't very big, and I didn't want to wind up with a lot of wasted flour.
  
• I sprayed the top of the fillet with cooking spray because that's the trick to getting a crispy crust without frying, or so sayeth the fine folks at America's Test Kitchen. Also, using the wire rack is essential for the crispy crust because air needs to be able to flow all around the breading to eliminate soggy bottoms.

Speaking of tip and tricks from the fine folks at AKT, the book from which I took the original recipe advises that spraying the tops of the panko with cooking spray adds a "small amount of oil that "adds that 'fried' flavor to the crumbs, giving your food the illusion of being truly fried without making it greasy or adding too much fat, and ensures that it will emerge from the oven gorgeously golden."

You tell me, Gentle Reader--does the fillet look gorgeously golden?

We paired the fish with a pilaf mix we'd also bought that day at Central Markup. It combines some dal (my favorite!) with basmati and wild rice. While the mix is wonderfully colorful in the tradition of Persian pilafs, the cooked mix is dull and bland--both in its color and in its flavor. Strike that--the cooked mix has no flavor to speak of. The husband and I were very disappointed with it but aren't ready to give up on it. Next time, perhaps we'll throw in some curry powder or use chicken broth instead of water when preparing it.