fish over fennel salad with olive salsa

fishpumpkin seeds

Fish over Fennel Salad with Jalapeño and Olive Salsa

Fish over Fennel Salad with Jalapeño and Olive Salsa

Pescado con Ensalada de Eneldo y Salsa de Jalapeño y Aceitunas

Recipe Yield

4 servings

Cooking time

27 minutes

Rate this recipe

4.43 from 7 votes

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
  • 1 fennel bulb thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion about 1/4 of a red onion
  • 2 oranges peeled and thinly sliced or cut into segments, plus juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • kosher or coarse sea salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the salsa:

  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1 tablespoon tequila
  • 1/4 cup pitted black Italian olives in brine, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno chile thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and upper stems, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves and upper stems, chopped
  • Freshly squeezed juice of 2 limes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • kosher or coarse sea salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the fish:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • kosher or coarse sea salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 6-ounce red snapper fillets or any mild fish of your choice, such as tilapia, rockfish or grouper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

To Prepare

To prepare the salad:

  • To toast the pumpkin seeds, place them in an already hot, small sauté pan set over low heat. Stir often, being careful that they don’t burn, until you start to hear popping sounds (similar to popcorn), and they begin to turn from green to a toasty brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl.
  • Combine fennel, red onion, orange segments and juice in a mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Add the toasted pumpkin seeds. Toss once more and wait to serve with the fish.

To prepare the salsa:

  • Place the golden raisins in a medium mixing bowl and pour the tequila over the raisins. Allow the raisins to plump up in the tequila for a few minutes while prepping the remaining ingredients. Then add the olives, jalapeño, cilantro, parsley, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to the bowl with the raisins and tequila. Combine well and serve with the fish.

To prepare the fish:

  • Combine the flour, a pinch salt and a pinch pepper on a flat plate and spread. Using a small knife, score each fish filet, cutting 3 shallow horizontal lines into the skin of each fillet – do not cut through the fillets. Dust the fillets on each side with a thin layer of the flour mixture.
  • Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot and ready (test by dipping a piece of the fish to see if it happily bubbles), place the fillets in the pan skin-side down. Cook until the skin is crisped and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. If at any point the fish begins to curl, use a spatula to press the fish firmly down in the pan. Flip with a spatula or tongs and cook on the other side until done, about another 4 minutes. Transfer the fish to a plate covered in paper towels to drain. Serve on top of the fennel salad and with the salsa on the side.

Comments

18comments inFish over Fennel Salad with Jalapeño and Olive Salsa

  1. Doug

    Apr 04

    I made this dish this weekend and I loved it! The combination of flavors was truly a delight. The salsa was a bit bitter on it’s own, but was perfection paired with the fish and salad. I used kalamata olives and added an extra jalapeno for more heat. I will be making this again very soon. Thanks!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jun 15

      Yay! So glad you liked this recipe Doug!

  2. Tanya

    Jun 15

    I made this last night and the flavors are absolutely amazing. It was so simple to make and a perfect dish for a hot summer night. I made it with grouper as the fish monger said it was fresher that day. Fantastic! I love how the lime really mellowed out the jalapenos (so don’t be frightened if you don’t like spicy foods)…this is about flavor, not heat. I will absolutely add this to my rotation.

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jun 20

      Yay! So glad you liked this recipe Tanya, greetings 😉

  3. Joy Shaffhome

    May 08

    We made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! So fresh and light with great flavors! We have your cookbook as well and use it regularly. 🙂 Thank you for your dinner time inspirations!

    1. Pati Jinich

      May 10

      Thanks to you for giving my recipes a chance joy; keep cooking and having fun 🙂

  4. Dawn Rodriguez

    May 03

    I have made so many delicious meals from watching your shows – thank you for sharing all of your passion and creativity. I made this awesome recipe today. It was SO GOOD and my husband loved it. I record your show every week and always get great inspiration to cook! Gracias!

    1. Pati Jinich

      May 03

      Gracias a ti Dawn! Glad you and your husband are enjoying the show 😉

  5. Jeska Fancher

    Jun 27

    Would there be any other vegetable to sub for the fennel in this? I just can’t eat fennel nor celery. I am determined to make this as that olive “salsa” Had me Hooked!

    1. Pati Jinich

      Jul 18

      You can also use asparagus or cucumber, Jeska. Enjoy!

  6. Jess

    May 17

    I am super excited to try this recipe, it looks and sounds delicious! The only problem is, my husband does not eat any sort of fish…do you think I could do his dish with a chicken breast instead?

    1. Pati

      May 20

      Yes: of course you can!

  7. Alan

    Mar 22

    Soon good. I made this the next night after viewing the episode. The tequila, raise, olive, jalepeno relish was so good, the slaw perfectly crunchy, the fish crispy edges. So good. Thanks Pati.

    1. Pati

      Mar 24

      Glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for trying my recipe!!

  8. lloyd

    Jun 04

    i just start watching you show .i like it very much i,particulator like your attitude about your culture.

    1. Pati

      Jun 08

      Thanks!!

  9. Sunnie

    Apr 19

    You keep my weekly menu tasteful & interesting! I love vegetables & always wanted to do something with Fennel (Anise), it is a smash in my home. I made this & placed the fish on top just like you did in you show. My husband said “I like picking underneath & seeing what suprises are underneath!” Great recipe! thanks S

    1. Pati

      Apr 20

      So glad!!!

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