Red Fish with Ixtapa Sauce
Cook your catch at on the islan; it’s the freshest way to eat. At Liam’s in Brownsville, SPI and Pelican Station in Port Isabel, you can order your catch with Ixtapa sauce. The restaurant was kind enough to share the recipe so you can enjoy it at home!
Ingredients
- 1 whole red fish
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) clarified butter or avocado oil
- Grilling spice of your choice
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Cilantro
- Tortillas optional
- 1 lime optional
FOR THE SHRIMP IXTAPA SAUCE
- 6 peeled deveined U16/20-sized black tiger shrimp
- Clarified butter
- Dirty Al’s Blackened Seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ yellow onion medium diced
- 1 jalapeño seeds removed, small diced
- 1 tablespoon (5 g) flour
- Juice of 1 large or 2 small limes
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup (100 g) tomatoes, small diced
- 1 avocado large diced
Instructions
- Start with a legally caught fresh whole red fish, or if you prefer to purchase your fish, you may use black drum or red snapper. With rib, skin and scales attached, filet meat off the bone, leaving the half shell. Drizzle clarified butter or avocado oil on both sides of fish to coat.
- Next, apply a generous amount of salt and ground black pepper to the exposed filet meat, or simply add your favorite grilling spice. I recommend Dirty Al’s Grill Seasoning.
- Place the filet skin side down on the hot grill and cook completely, about 10 to 12 minutes. When the meat is white with glistening juices, it is ready.
- For the shrimp sauce, place the 6 shrimp in a sauté pan on medium heat. Drizzle shrimp with clarified butter or avocado oil and add a healthy sprinkle of Dirty Al’s Blackened Seasoning. Cook shrimp until medium and set aside. Butterfly once cooled.
- In the same sauté pan over medium heat, place the chopped onion and diced jalapeño. Once they start to sweat, add the minced garlic. Cook until softened; don’t brown. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and combine.
- Let it cook until the color turns light brown, making sure the flour doesn’t stick to the pan and burn. Once the flour is toasted, stir in lime juice and deglaze the pan, making sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Then add 1 cup (240 ml) of heavy whipping cream. Set to a low simmer. Stir constantly, and the sauce will slowly thicken.
- Once the sauce is thick, add the diced tomatoes and avocado. Add the butterflied shrimp and continue to simmer on low heat until the sauce is a thick consistency.
- To serve, cover the fish with Shrimp Ixtapa Sauce and top with cilantro. If desired, serve with a side of tortillas and a lime.