Jalapeno Garlic Grouper

Welcome to my new blog.  I, Smarmy McFadden, international playboy extraordinaire, will be your guide on this little culinary journey.  It will be primarily a way for me to share recipes and reviews of food that I eat during my many adventures. I'll do a little beer and wine tasting as well.  I should let you know that I don't actually ever cook with a recipe, so any recipes I share are approximations.  I don't spend time in a test kitchen replicating and tweaking recipes - that's for you to do - but hopefully this will give you a starting point or some inspiration.


Also, since I just decided to do this, most of the pictures I'll use initially are crappy cell phone pics. Going forward, I'll try to bust out the DSLR for cooks that I think will make the blog.


For my first entry, I'm busting out a riff on the Jalapeno Garlic Tilapia from my former two-time place of employment Johnny Carino's.  Yes, I was fired twice from the same job.  This was a really tasty dish and it was pretty cool because I used free range yard eggs to make the homemade pasta, grouper that I caught fishing just a couple days prior, and homegrown tomatoes from the garden, so there was a lot of all-natural going on.  

So, here it goes...

Jalapeno Garlic Grouper

Homemade pasta

3c All-purpose flour

1tbs Olive oil

3-6 tbs water

2 eggs

Salt

Make a pile with the flour on your clean countertop.  Use your finger to make a well in the top of your flour pile (think volcano).  Drop in your eggs, oil, salt, and 3 tbs of the water and start to work in with a fork slowly until it starts to come together as a dough.  Then knead for 5 minutes or so, adding extra water as needed.  Wrap in plastic wrap and toss in the fridge for about 20 minutes minimum to rest.  Use a pasta maker or roll out very thin and cut into quarter inch wide fettucini.  Boil for about 3 minutes.

2 grouper fillets

2tbs flour for dusting

Salt and pepper

1.2 tsp Cayenne, optional

3 cloves garlic minced

4 green onions thinly sliced

1 tbs flour for sauce

½ c milk

2 tbs Parmesan

2 tbs pickled jalapenos, diced

1 tomato diced

Lightly dust your fillet with flour seasoned with salt and pepper and a little cayenne if you like.

Sautee in olive oil over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on how thick your fillets are.  Set aside.

Sautee garlic and green onions in melted butter until onions are translucent.  Add flour and cook another 2 minutes stirring.  Add in the milk and stir or whisk to keep the sauce smooth.  Stir in the the jalapenos and parmesan and just warm through.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Place your fish on top of a bed of pasta and pour sauce over the top of the fish and pasta.  Top with the fresh diced tomatoes.