Fish with Zucchini and Toasty Garlic Mojo

So the original fish of choice for this recipe was snapper; however given my limited seafood resources, I could not get my hands on any for a decent price. So, I substituted catfish, but the recipe notes indicate that almost any white fish will work in this dish. This is another Rick Bayless jem from the Mexican Everyday cookbook. It. was. awesome. The garlic mojo sauce was drinkable. Seriously. Bayless does it again!

Fish with Zucchini and Toasty Garlic Mojo
Adapted From: the Mexican Everyday cookbook, by: Rick Bayless

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
2/3 cup chicken broth
Salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Four 4- to 5-ounce fish fillets (snapper, halibut, mahimahi, catfish, bass etc)
2 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 large lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions:
Turn on the oven on its lowest setting. In a very large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, lightly browned and very aromatic, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, scoop the garlic into a food processor or blender jar, leaving as much oil as possible in the skillet. Set the skillet aside.

Add the broth to the processor or blender, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Blend until smooth.

Return the skillet to medium-heat. Generously season the fish with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, lay in the fish. When Richly browned underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip and cook until the fish gives slightly under firm pressure from your finger, about 2 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer each piece of fish to an oven-proof dinner plate. Keep warm in the oven.

With the skillet still over medium-high heat, add the zucchini and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly browned but still a little crunchy inside, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic mixture and cilantro. Stir until the sauce comes to a boil and becomes homogeneous. Taste and season with more salt if it needs it.

Spoon the zucchini and sauce over and around the fish and serve right away, with lime wedges for each person to squeeze on.



The Result:
This is probably my favorite new fish recipe. We served our fish and zucchini with brown rice, which soaked up all the yummy pan sauce. My belly is very happy. It was pretty fast to pull together and it was one I may have kept overlooking if it was not for the cookbook project. This is my last Bayless recipe for the week, and I am a little sad about it. I may revisit this book again later in my project, since pretty much everything I have tried from it has been a total hit.