Butter Seared Fish with Spicy Avocado Hummus
This meal was a memorable one, to be sure. There are bright flavors like lemon, cilantro and jalapeños in the Spicy Avocado Hummus (which by the way, the recipe will make a large batch of- we finished ours as a guacamole with chips the next day!). The fish itself has sliced jalapeños resting on it as soon as the fish comes off the heat- an old trick I learn from my cousin. You don't necessarily need to eat the sliced jalapeños if you don't want to. The point of this is that when the jalapeños hit the heat of the freshly seared fish, it will permeate the fish with its poignant flavor and give it a slight but pleasant heat.
I sear the fish in butter instead of oil because, well, oil fried fish can simply never taste the way butter seared fish can. Browned butter will give a nuttiness, almost a sweetness to the fish, which is then evened perfectly by the zing of the jalapeños and cilantro. And then we come to a full circle and add a dollop of that spicy hummus- and this really is a treat. Oh friends, I hope you try this recipe and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Butter Seared Fish with Spicy Avocado Hummus
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 lbs any white fish fillets
Butter, for frying
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 jalapeños, thinly sliced
Cilantro, for garnish
Ingredients for Spicy Avocado Hummus:
1 15 oz can chick peas (garbanzos)
1 ripe avocado
3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemon)- or more, if preferred
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 jalapeños, chopped (remove seeds if you don't want too much heat)
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
Directions:
1. To make the hummus, add chick peas (garbanzos) to a food processor and puree until smooth. Add in the rest of the hummus ingredients, and puree until smooth. Taste for salt and acidity- add more salt and lemon juice as desired. Refrigerate until needed. (This will make a large batch- great snack with chips!)
2. Next, prepare the fish. Season both sides of the fish with the salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons butter and let it melt and slightly brown. Once melted, sear fish in batches, adding more butter as needed (about 2 minutes on each side) until slightly charred on both sides and flaky.*
3. Remove fish to a plate, and immediately place a few slices of thinly sliced jalapeño on each fillet. (This will permeate the fillets with the jalapeño flavor and a little heat). Continue this with the rest of the fillets. Serve with Spicy Avocado Hummus. Garnish with extra cilantro, if desired. Enjoy.
*Frying the fish in butter may cause some smoking. If there's too much smoking, turn your heat down a little. This can also be done outside on a grill, just make sure to brush your fish will some melted butter first.
All content is my own unless otherwise stated.