How to Cook Citrus-Capocollo Crusted Snapper

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 25 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Citrus-Capocollo Crusted Snapper:

• 6 (6 oz) red snapper fillets, skinned
• 8 oz capocollo ham, finely chopped
• 2 oranges, zested
• 2 limes zested
• 2 lemons, zested
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp Creole seasoning blend (recipe below), plus more seasoning the fish
• 1 ¼ cups fine dried breadcrumbs
• 16 oz cold butter, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp white wine
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 6 (8’’) cedar planks, untreated

For the creole seasoning mix:

• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 2 ½ tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder

Cooking instructions for Citrus-Capocollo Crusted Snapper:

• To make the seasoning mix, place all its ingredients in a bowl and stir them thoroughly until mixed well.
• Store it in a jar and use them as necessary.
• To make the crusted snapper, warm up your oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pour in a splash of white wine into a saucepan, along with lemon juice and stir in the thyme as well as peppercorns.
• Drop in the bay leaf and heat the mixture until it starts boiling and continue to do so for the next couple of minutes, or until it reduces to half its original volume.
• Whisk in the cream until well combined and bring the mixture back to a boil.
• Boil for another 2 minutes or until it reduces further to half and drop in the butter cubes, one at a time, while beating them into the sauce until well combined.
• Sprinkle a dash each of seasonings to taste and pour it into a fine mesh sieve to strain into a bowl.
• Pour it back into the saucepan and keep warm over slowest flame.
• Fill a small pot of water to a boil and stir in fair amount of salt until it dissolves.
• Toss the citrus zests into it and blanch for a minute.
• Drain them out and dump them immediately into an ice water bath.
• Strain them out into a kitchen towel and pat dry to get rid of any excess moisture.
• Heat a small skillet over moderate heat and stir fry the capocollo ham for 3-4 minutes, until they turn crispy and the fat is rendered.
• Turn off the heat and top it into a large mixing bowl.
• Throw in the blanched zest and sprinkle the breadcrumbs plus creole seasoning mix over them.
• Drizzle a tbsp of olive oil over them and stir them all together to mix well.
• Rub some extra creole seasoning all over the fish fillets and set aside.
• Grease the cedar planks with a lashing of olive oil and place a seasoned fillet onto each oiled plank.
• Spread portions of the ham-zest mixture onto each fillet and arrange them onto a sheet pan.
• Bake them in the hot oven for 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked enough to appear flaky on touch and crust turns golden.
• Drizzle the prepared sauce over the crusted snapper and serve them on the plank itself.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons