Pan-Cooked White Fish with Papaya Red Pepper Salsa
Vibrant colors and fresh flavors are front and center in this lovely pan-cooked white fish recipe. When done right, fruit with fish can be an exceptional flavor combo, especially when using tropical fruit, such as papaya. Papaya doesn’t have an intense sweetness but just enough to complement the fish and other savory ingredients in the salsa.For the best flavor, choose papaya that is yellow or orange and soft to the touch. Cut it in half, then scoop out and discard the seeds. I divide my papaya into four sections lengthwise and then cut those into wedges.I remove the skin with a small knife and then cut the wedges into diced pieces about the size of the tip of my pinkie finger. Try to do the same with the onion and red pepper so that the three main ingredients are uniform in shape.For this recipe, I’ve chosen to lightly dust the fish with flour or cornstarch. This gives the fish a very light crust and helps it stay together during the pan-cooking process. If a fillet does break during flipping, it’s okay! Just keep cooking. It’ll still taste great.
Equipment
- Pan
- Bowl
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1½ teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 medium to large red bell pepper seeded and diced
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 jalapeño pepper finely minced
- 1 handful fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 cup peeled seeded, and diced papaya (about 1 medium papaya)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ pounds flaky white fish halibut, flounder, rockfish, snapper, haddock, cod, sole, or any white fish that is less than 1-inch in thickness, cut into 4 pieces and removed from refrigerator 15 minutes prior to cooking
- ½ cup all-purpose flour or cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons ghee or high-heat oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the salsa: In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey and chili powder. Then add the bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. Toss to combine. Gently fold in the papaya and then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Give it just a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.
- Pat the fish fillets with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Then, sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper and lightly dust in the flour. Place them on a baking sheet.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ghee, then add the butter to the centre of the skillet.
- Once the butter is melted and the oil is hot and slightly smoking, add the fish fillets and let them cook, undisturbed, for 3 to 5 minutes. You should notice the bottom edges becoming golden brown. The fish will be ready to flip when it easily comes off the bottom of the pan. If it feels like it’s stuck, just let it sit for 30 seconds longer, adjusting the heat as needed.
- Flip the fish over and let cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until flaky and golden brown on the bottom.
- Transfer to a platter or plates and ladle some salsa over each piece. Garnish with lime wedges and serve immediately.