Brazil · Mutton Snapper

Grilled Snapper with Passion Fruit Sauce

Peixe Grelhado ao Molho de Maracujá

On the Brazilian coast, grilled fish often comes with a glossy sweet-and-sour sauce of fresh passion fruit and butter. It is bright, tropical and very easy.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 20 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy
Photo: Change C.C · Pexels

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the passion fruit sauce

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Season the fish. Rub the fillets with the lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper and let them sit 15 minutes.
  2. Make the sauce. Melt 1 tbsp butter and cook the shallot 2 minutes. Add the passion fruit pulp, water, sugar and salt and simmer 5 minutes.
  3. Thicken. Stir in the cornstarch mix and simmer 1 minute until glossy. Off the heat, stir in the rest of the butter. Strain out half the seeds if you like.
  4. Grill the fish. Pat the fillets dry and brush with olive oil. Grill or pan-sear skin side down over medium-high heat 4–5 minutes, flip and cook 2–3 minutes more until opaque.
  5. Serve. Plate the fish and spoon the warm sauce over and around it.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Brazil

Brazilian Garlic White Rice

Arroz Branco

Loose, fluffy white rice sautéed with onion and garlic before it simmers. On every Brazilian plate it soaks up moqueca, beans and grilled-fish juices.

  • Prep 5 min
  • Cook 25 min
  • Serves 4–6
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • ½ small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups boiling water
  • 1½ tsp salt

How to make it

  1. Sauté. Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook the onion 2 minutes and the garlic 1 minute, without browning.
  2. Toast the rice. Add the drained rice and salt and stir 2–3 minutes until the grains look dry and a little see-through.
  3. Simmer. Pour in the boiling water, stir once and cook uncovered on medium until the water drops below the surface of the rice, about 8 minutes.
  4. Finish covered. Cover, turn the heat to low and cook 8–10 minutes more. Rest 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Photo: cookbookman17 · CC BY 2.0