Tropical Lake Whitefish with Citrus, Avocado, and Plantain
Just because lake whitefish is usually caught through the ice doesn’t mean you can’t go tropical with it!
I used an assortment of citrus here, including a pomelo, grapefruit, orange, and clementine, but you could use any citrus, just try to mix a few together.
You could serve this without the fried plantain, but I find that it adds a nice sweetness and also makes the dish more filling. Use semi-ripe yellow plantains for this dish.
- Prep Time30 min
- Cook Time15 min
- Total Time45 min
- Yield2 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pomelo
- 1 grapefruit
- 1 orange
- 1 clementine, mandarine, or tangerine
- 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon minced red onion
- 1 large, or 2 medium, plantain(s), yellow
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 avocados
- 2 pieces skin-on lake whitefish fillet
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Preparation
Segment each of the citrus fruits except for the lime. Follow this guide to learn how to segment.
Toss the segmented citrus in a bowl with the juice of half of the lime (save the other half), cilantro, and red onion. Set aside.
Cut the tips off of the plantains, then cut in half lengthwise. Remove the peels.
Cut each piece in half, so you have 4 pieces (if using 2 plantains, skip this step).
Heat the oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat. Add the plantain pieces and cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Reduce heat if the plantains look like they may burn.
Drain on paper towels. Add a piece of paper towel on top of the plantains and use a plate or a firm spatula to gently press down on them, essentially squishing them so they flatten out slightly. You still want the to retain their general shape.
Mash the avocado with a pinch of salt and the juice from the other half of the lime.
Heat the oil back up in the skillet over medium high heat.
Salt both sides of the fish.
Add the fish to the pan, skin-side down and jiggle the pan immediately so the pieces move around and don’t stick.
Now press them down with a spatula so they don’t curl up on you.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily, spooning hot oil over the tops of the fish, so the tops cook without flipping them. This method of cooking ensures you don’t overcook the fish.
Drain on paper towels, and season with black pepper.
Put two pieces of plantain on each plate, pile with 1/2 of the mashed avocado, top with a piece of fish, then spoon over the citrus salsa. Top with a cilantro leaf. Enjoy!
