Pickled Red Snapper With Eggplant And Melon Food

GRILLED RED SNAPPER WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Prepare an outdoor barbecue grill with good charcoal briquets or wood chips stacked against one side of the grill and let them burn until ash white. Brush the grill lightly with olive oil, then brush the eggplant and peppers lightly with the oil. Place them skin-side down on the opposite side of the grill -- not over direct heat. Roast 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until well grilled and cooked. Remove to a warm platter and reserve while grilling the fish.
• Brush the outside of each fish with olive oil. Fill the cavity of each fish with 2 sprigs of rosemary. Rub the garlic on the outside of the fish. Season with salt and pepper, and grill the fish in the same indirect manner 8 to 10 minutes on each side.
• Meanwhile, remove the leaves from the remaining 4 sprigs of rosemary. Discard the stems, coarsely chop the leaves and reserve.
• Remove the fish to second platter and cool 5 or 6 minutes. Because the fish has already been cooked, it can be filleted easily by running a sharp knife along the dorsal fin and lifting the fillet away from the bones using two forks to tease it free gently. Place the first fillet on a serving plate, turn over the fish, and repeat the filleting process for the second side.
• Serve 1 fish fillet to each person, accompanied with the grilled vegetables. Drizzle each serving with some of the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the chopped rosemary. *If you substitute fillets for whole fish, keep in mind that they can be tricky to grill and that they cook in half the time.

RED SNAPPER WITH EGGPLANT AND TOMATO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, place 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the onion, cover the pan, and sweat the onion for about 10 minutes. Then, add the tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, the honey and 1 additional tablespoon of the oil. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for 15 minutes, until much of the liquid has evaporated. Discard the bay leaf, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Puree in a food processor, and then put through a fine sieve.
• Heat 2 more tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick pan, and fry the eggplant until the rounds are golden brown on both sides. Repeat until all the eggplant has been cooked, adding more oil, if needed, for each new batch. Drain on paper towels; season with salt and pepper.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of vinegar to the pan, and stir for 1 minute over high heat to deglaze the pan. Spoon the liquid over the eggplant.
• Clean the nonstick pan. Working very carefully with the fish fillets, salt and pepper them on both sides. Place the fillets in the pan, and over medium heat fry them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
• For each serving, place the tomato sauce in the middle of the plate, top with several rounds of the eggplant and then, carefully, with 2 fish fillets, skin side up. Serve warm.

RED SNAPPER AND EGGPLANT WITH RED BELL PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook peppers and garlic, stirring, 10 minutes, or until peppers are tender. Transfer pepper mixture to a blender and blend with lemon juice until smooth. Season sauce with salt and pepper and keep warm.
• Preheat broiler and light brush a small shallow baking pan with oil.
• Cut four 1/4-inch-thick lengthwise slices from eggplant, reserving remainder for another use. Rinse fish fillets and pat dry. Season fillets with salt and pepper and arrange, skinned side down, in prepared pan. Sprinkle each fillet with 1/2 tablespoon mint. Arrange 2 eggplant slices on each fillet, covering mint completely and overlapping eggplant slices slightly, and brush them lightly with oil. Broil fillets about 4 inches from heat until fillets are just cooked through and eggplant is golden, about 5 minutes.
• Divide sauce between 2 plates and arrange fillets, brushed with pan juices, on top sauce. Garnish with additional mint.

PICKLED SWEET PEPPERS

Steps:

• Cut red and banana peppers into strips, discarding seeds. Pack peppers into 5 hot 1-pint jars to within 1/2 in. of the top. Divide the onion, garlic and oil among jars., In a large saucepan, bring water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil. Carefully ladle hot liquid over pepper mixture, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot liquid. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight., Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 15 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

PICKLED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Cover eggplant with salt and let it rest for 30 minutes, then rinse well. This will get ride of any bitterness.
• In a sauce pan, bring up to boil the vinegar and water. Add onions, peppers, garlic and eggplant. Simmer for 20 minutes and drain.
• Mix with aji molido, oregano, and basil.
• Put on jars with one laurel leaf on each jar and cover with olive oil.
• Store for at least a week before using.
• For long-term unrefrigerated storage, process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes immediately after sealing jars.