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Grilled Sea Bass with Lemon-Mint Dressing

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  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME:
  • SERVINGS: 8
  • •FAST
  • •HEALTHY
  • •MAKE-AHEAD

This recipe makes an abundant amount of spice rub—keep the extra in a jar and use it for fish, shrimp or chicken.

  1. 10 dried chiles de Arbol or dried red Chinese chiles, stemmed and broken into pieces
  2. 2 tablespoons coarsely cracked black peppercorns
  3. 1/3 cup ground coriander
  4. 1 tablespoon ground allspice
  5. 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  6. 2 teaspoons salt
  7. 1 teaspoon achiote paste (optional)
  8. Eight 6-ounce skinless sea bass fillets, about 1 inch thick
  9. Lemon-Mint Dressing
  10. Habanero and Fruit Salsa
  1. In a skillet, toast the chiles and peppercorns over moderately high heat, stirring, until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 3 minutes. Add the coriander, allspice, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate to cool, then grind to a powder in a mortar or spice grinder with the achiote paste.
  2. Light a grill or preheat the broiler. Rub a scant 1/2 teaspoon of the spice mixture all over each fillet; tap off any excess. Grill or broil the fish for about 10 minutes, or until just cooked through; turn and rotate the fillets frequently. Transfer the fish to a platter and drizzle with the Lemon-Mint Dressing. Garnish with the >Habanero and Fruit Salsa and serve.

Suggested Pairing

Chiles, spices and fruity salsa give this fish a hot, sweet edge. To match the smoke and mellow the heat, serve a barrel-fermented Sauvignon-Sémillon blend.