Recipes Snapper in Chile-Lime Sauce (Pescado en Chile-Limón) Be the first to rate & review! Cooking whole fish doesn't get much easier or more delicious than this. Inspired by a dish she had in Mexico's coastal Veracruz region, chef Zarela Martinez, of the now-shuttered Zarela in New York City, quickly fries red snapper, then cooks it in a vivid tomatillo salsa. By Zarela Martinez Zarela Martinez Facebook Twitter Website Zarela Martinez is a Mexican chef, author, restaurateur, food television host, and product developer. She and her son, celebrity chef Aarón Sánchez, host the podcast Cooking in Mexican from A to Z.Expertise: Mexican regional cuisines.Experience: Mexican-born Zarela Martinez rewrote the story of Mexican cuisine in the U.S. when she opened her game-changing New York City restaurant Zarela in 1987. This legendary dining spot replaced ignorant culinary stereotypes with brilliant, fearless explorations of regional Mexican specialties embedded in their own distinctive contexts. Zarela is the author of Food from My Heart, The Food and Life of Oaxaca, and Zarela's Veracruz, which was also the companion to a 13-part PBS television series. In 2013 she was inducted into the James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America. In the same year, Harvard's Schlesinger Library acquired her unpublished papers, an invaluable documentation of a lifetime dedicated to enlightening food-lovers everywhere about Mexican cuisine and culture. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 13, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Con Poulos Total Time: 40 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients 1/2 pound tomatillos, husks removed Salt 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped 4 jalapeños, seeded and chopped 4 cilantro sprigs 3 garlic cloves 1/2 cup pure olive oil One 2-pound red snapper, cleaned 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Directions In a small saucepan, sprinkle the tomatillos with a pinch of salt. Cover with water, bring to a boil and cook just until the tomatillos change color, 5 minutes. Drain and let cool. Transfer the tomatillos to a blender, add the lime juice, onion, jalapeños, cilantro sprigs, garlic cloves and 1/4 cup of water and puree. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil. Season the fish inside and out with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the fish to the skillet and fry over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden and crisp, 15 minutes. Tilt the pan slightly and spoon off the oil. Add the sauce and cook, spooning the sauce over the fish, until it is hot and the fish is cooked through, 5 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, transfer the fish to a platter. Add the butter to the skillet; swirl until melted. Season the sauce with salt, pour over the fish and serve. Suggested Pairing Lively, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc. Rate it Print