OK! Magazine USA – July 03, 2019

OK!OKMAGAZINE.COM 41

Snapper Filling

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• 2 skinless red snapper (or perch or
  tilapia) fillets, about 6 oz each


• 1 tbsp sambal oelek or other Asian
  chili paste


• 1 tsp pure ground ancho chile


• 1/2 tsp kosher salt


• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice


• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Chipotle Cream

• 1/2 cup sour cream or Mexican crema


• 1 canned chipotle in adobo, minced


• Pinch of pure ground ancho chile


• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Mango Salsa

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into
  1 /8-inch dice
  
  
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeded
    and cut into 1 /8-inch dice
  
  
  • 1/3 cup chopped red onion
  
  
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  
  
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped
    fresh cilantro
  
  
  • 1/2 tsp pure ground ancho chile
  
  
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  
  
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  
  
  
  

Guacamole

• 1 ripe Hass avocado, peeled,
  pitted and cut into 1/2-inch dice


• 1 Roma (plum) tomato, seeded
  and cut into 1/4-inch dice


• 2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro


• 2 tbsp minced red onion


• 2 tsp seeded and minced jalapeño


• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice


• Kosher salt, to taste

Tacos

• 18 corn tortillas


• Vegetable oil


• Six 1/2-inch-wide cannoli forms


• Lime wedges


• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

RED SNAPPER MINI TACOS WITH

MANGO SALSA AND GUACAMOLE

1.To make the snapper filling: Heat the

olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over

medium-high heat until it’s very hot but

not smoking. Add the fish and cook,

carefully turning once to avoid breaking

the fillets, until lightly browned on both

sides, about 3 minutes.

2. Mix the sambal oelek, ground ancho
   and salt together. Spread generously
   over the fish and continue cooking until
   the fish is barely opaque when flaked with
   the tip of a small knife, about 2 minutes
   more. Remove from the heat and add the
   lime juice and cilantro. Let the fish cool
   completely in the liquid.


3. To make the chipotle cream: Whisk
   all of the ingredients together in a
   small bowl.


4. To make the mango salsa: Combine all
   of the ingredients together in a medium
   bowl, seasoning to taste with salt.
   5.To make the guacamole: Combine all
   of the ingredients together in a medium
   bowl, seasoning to taste with the salt.


5. To make the tacos: Using a 3-inch

round biscuit cutter, cut out 18 rounds

from the tortillas. Pour enough vegetable

oil to come about 3/4 inch up the sides

of a heavy, deep skillet and heat over

medium-high heat until the oil is

simmering. Line a baking sheet with

paper towels and place near the skillet.

Have ready six small (1/2-inch-wide)

cannoli forms.

7. Working with one tortilla round at a
   time, use kitchen tongs to dip a round in
   the oil just until it softens, about 3
   seconds. Transfer to the paper towels.
   Place a cannoli form across the center of
   the round. Let the round cool slightly, and
   fold up the sides to make a taco-shell
   shape. Holding the round and the mold
   together with the tongs, transfer the shell
   to the hot oil and fry until the shell holds
   its shape around the form, about 15
   seconds. Let go of the shell, and continue
   deep-frying until the shell is golden
   brown, about 30 seconds more. Return to
   the paper towels. Let cool. Slide the warm
   form out of the shell.
   8. Drain the fish and discard the
   marinade. Heat a large nonstick skillet
   over medium heat. Add the fish and
   cook, turning once, until warmed
   through, about 2 minutes. Don’t
   overcook. Remove from the heat.
   Smear about 1/2 cup of the guacamole
   over the fish and set aside to warm the
   guacamole, about 2 minutes. Transfer to
   a bowl and use two forks to break the fish
   mixture into bite-size pieces.
   9. Divide the fish filling among the
   taco shells. To each taco, add about
   1 tablespoon of the salsa and a drizzle of
   the cream. Transfer to a platter, add the
   lime wedges and sprinkle with the
   cilantro. Serve immediately, with any
   remaining salsa, guacamole and cream on
   the side.
   10. Note: You’ll have tortilla scraps from
   cutting out the mini-taco shells. Just cut
   them into irregular chip-sized pieces, fry
   them up and salt lightly. Serve the chips
   along with the tacos and any leftover
   guacamole and salsa.

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

anyone who walks through our door as

an A-lister. We don’t like to call out

anyone specifically, but I’ll say that

most of them are obsessed with the

various soup dumplings at each venue.

Why did you choose to share your fish

taco recipe with OK! readers?

This dish has been on my menus for 20

years! It’s actually quite simple to make

and always a crowd-pleaser.

You’ve served as a judge on Chopped

for over a decade. Do you have any

favorite memories?

Definitely when we shot a

special Mother’s Day episode where

the judges all got to cook and compete

for charity with their mothers. My

mom is so special to me, so getting to

share that experience with her was epic

— and we won!

What’s next for you?

I'm currently working on a follow-up to

my first cookbook, Share, and in the

next couple years you’ll see new

restaurants both in and out of NYC.

So stay tuned!

T

SERVES

4–6

OK!

— Chef Judy Joo