Swordfish Mofongo Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan or large, deep skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Fry the plantains in 2 batches until golden brown on each side, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Set aside.
• Working in batches, crush the pork cracklings, garlic and salt in a wooden mortar and pestle (a pilon) or in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the plantains and mash together to incorporate. Mash in the margarine.
• Using your hands, shape the plantain mixture into 6 balls. Serve warm or hot.

Steps:

• For the shrimp stew: Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and add to a bowl. Toss with the adobo, a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oregano, smoked paprika, olives and brine, cilantro, onion, red bell pepper and a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in half of the beer, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom, and cook down for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and the rest of the beer. Cook over medium-high heat until the liquids reduce by a third, about 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low and keep warm.
• For the mofongo: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add the corn oil. Heat until the oil reaches 325 degrees F or it bubbles when in contact with a wooden spoon.
• Add the plantains to the oil, lower the heat to low and fry, flipping halfway through, until light golden and cooked through but not yet crispy, about 15 minutes. Drain the plantains on paper towels and season with salt.
• Combine the olive oil and garlic in a mortar and pestle and process to form a paste. Season with about 1 teaspoon salt. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside.
• Add 5 to 6 chunks of the fried plantains, 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture and about 2 tablespoons of the crushed pork rinds, if using, to the same mortar and pestle. Mix until well mashed and combined. Scoop out the mofongo with a spoon and use your hands to form the mixture into a bowl, creating a cradle for the shrimp stew. Repeat 3 additional times.
• For serving: Return the stew to medium-high heat and cook until it starts to simmer. Add the peas and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and lemon juice, then continue to cook until the shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Plate the mofongo and spoon the shrimp stew into them.

Steps:

• For the salad, combine pomegranate, oranges, grapes, lime zest, lime juice, and mint leaves. Set aside briefly.
• In a small bowl, make a paste with the 1/2 cup of the lemon juice (reserving the rest - about 1/4 cup - for a lemon-butter sauce), lemon zest, and lemon pepper. Season the swordfish steaks with salt and press some of the lemon paste into the top surface of the fish to make a crust on each. Over medium heat in a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and melt 1/4 cup butter. Starting with the crust side down first, sear the swordfish steaks. It is important to leave the fish undisturbed for about 3 minutes for the seasonings to integrate into the surface of the fish and for the caramelization process to begin. This will prevent the layer of seasonings from "crusting off". Flip the fish and sear the other side. Swordfish must be cooked briefly because it easily dries out. Remove fish to a utility platter and let rest. (The fish will continue to cook even when it is removed from the heat because of a process known as "carryover" cooking. It is especially important to be mindful of this with swordfish. Do not overcook the fish. If you cook this fish in the pan until it "looks" done - it will end up being overdone after carryover cooking.)
• To the pan, add the reserved lemon juice and swirl to get all the bits in the pan. Remove from heat and whisk in cubed butter. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
• Place swordfish steaks on serving plate and drizzle with a small amount of the lemon butter sauce. Spoon citrus salad around fish.

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium-high.
• Grill the corn, rotating occasionally, until charred, about 10 minutes. Cut the kernels from the cob. Meanwhile, grill the mangoes on each side until charred, about 2 minutes per side. Place the mangoes on a cutting board and let cool slightly, then rough chop and combine in a bowl with the corn, limes, lime juice, red onion, habanero, cilantro, avocado and salt.
• Combine the ancho chile powder, coriander and salt in a bowl. Brush the fish on both sides with the olive oil. Sprinkle the swordfish with the spice rub. Grill the swordfish until the outside is nicely charred and the interior is cooked through, about 4 minutes a side, depending on the thickness.
• Place the swordfish on plates, then season with salt and pepper and divide the salsa among them. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some additional cilantro.

Steps:

• To marinate the fish: Microwave the limes in a small bowl to release the essential oils. Set limes aside until just cool enough to handle. Through the feed opening of a running blender, add 1 at a time, garlic, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, and scallions. Then, leaving the blender running, squeeze in the juice from the microwaved limes. Place the swordfish in a nonreactive container and pour the marinade over. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.
• To marinate the fiddleheads: Place the fiddleheads in a nonreactive bowl. Make the vinaigrette, by adding, 1 at a time, through the feed opening of a running blender the vinegar, garlic, and Dijon mustard. Then, leaving the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow thin stream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and pour over the ferns. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for about 6 hours. (Marinating them this way is an alternative to cooking them.)
• Make the salsa while you are heating the grill for the fish. Whisk together the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and add the olive oil in a slow thin stream while continuing to whisk. Chop the basil leaves and add to the bowl along with the tomatoes, shallots, and scallions. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. (Be sure to taste before seasoning, because the soy is likely to lend saltiness.)
• Brush the marinated fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the fish, leaving each side undisturbed for the first few minutes to prevent tearing of the flesh. Let rest, then transfer to a cutting board and carve into slices.
• Place some salsa in the middle of a serving dish, top with sliced fish and garnish with marinated fiddleheads.