FRIDAY FISH: Southwestern Fish Salad

There’s not a lot to prepping this meal though the worthwhile vinaigrette is a bit heavy on ingredients. If you’d rather go a simpler route, make a Salsa-Ranch dressing by combining ranch dressing with salsa using a 3-to-1 ranch/salsa ratio – or to taste. Have the vinaigrette and other salad ingredients ready before you make the fish as it cooks in 10 minutes.

4 servings

Ingredients

Southwestern Vinaigrette:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
2 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon chiles en adobo, chopped (can sub minced jalapeño to taste)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons local honey
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
¼ teaspoon each kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:

8 cups romaine lettuce cut or torn into bite sized pieces
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped plus 4 sprigs for garnish
Generous pinch each kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 cup grated extra sharp Cheddar or crumbled goat cheese -- plus extra for garnish
4 small ripe tomatoes, quartered
2 ripe avocados peeled and sliced
Tortilla chips or freshly made croutons -- for garnish

Fish:

1 cup flour mixed with ¼ teaspoon each: kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, chili powder
2 eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon water and ¼ teaspoon each: kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, chili powder
1 ¼ cups fresh bread crumbs mixed with ¼ teaspoon each: kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, chili powder
4 (4-5 ounce) tilapia fillets (or other white fish such as cod, flounder, etc.), rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne

Instructions

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 400 DEGREES F: Set oven rack at center.
MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: In a food process or blender, pulse together all of the ingredients except the olive oil until well mixed. With the machine running, add the olive oil slowly until it’s emulsified. You can also do this by hand with a whisk. Set aside.
PREP THE SALAD: In a very large bowl, toss together the romaine, cilantro, salt and pepper, and cup of Cheddar or goat cheese. Set the tortilla chips or croutons aside for later. Put the salad in the refrigerator while you make the fish.
PREP THE FISH: Put the flour, egg, and bread crumb mixtures into 3 separate shallow bowls. Mix the ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, and the 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne in a small cup and sprinkle both sides of the tilapia fillets with the mixture, patting the spices into the flesh of the fish. Dip each fillet on both sides into first the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and then the bread crumb mixture, shaking them off a bit after each and patting the crumbs into both sides of the fish. Place fillets at least 2 inches apart on a rimmed sheet pan lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. If one end of a fillet is a lot thinner at the end than it is in the middle, tuck that under to avoid over cooking.
BAKE THE FISH/MAKE SALAD: Bake for 10 minutes (no need to turn over) or until fish is firm, opaque, still juicy, and flakes when nudged with a fork. (approx. 140 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. The temperature will rise as the fish rests.) Meanwhile, divide the chilled romaine mixture between 4 bowls; add tomatoes, and avocado. Garnish with tortilla chips or croutons. Drizzle with vinaigrette.
PLATE/SERVE: Add a hot baked fish fillet to the center of each salad, drizzle with a little vinaigrette and garnish with the reserved grated Cheddar and cilantro sprigs. Serve hot or warm.

Notes

Cook's Notes:

Chiles en adobo are inexpensive and come in a small can or jar. They're helpful for flavoring many dishes and you can freeze what you don't use until it's needed again. Once it's frozen, cut off the size piece you need with a small, sharp knife and stick the rest back in the freezer.

If you're one or two, the recipe cuts in half perfectly. It might be easier to make all of the vinaigrette and refrigerate the leftovers -- or use a different dressing. If you have fish and salad leftover, refrigerate well-covered. To serve, let vinaigrette come to room temperature. Heat fish covered in greased hot pan for a minute or two and add to the remaining salad.