Grilled Mexican Red Snapper, Plantain & Peppers with a Kumquat Sidecar

Kumquats, loquats, magnolias, azaleas, sweet olive, dragonflies, and chameleons abounded in the yard of our little house at 921 Azalea Street in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1951. I was afraid of opening the back door without first checking to see where the chameleons were sunning. We went barefoot all summer, which made it easier to climb the trees to harvest kumquats and loquats. But, nothing was more surprisingly unpleasant than stepping on one of these lizards without shoes. Yet, I have never tasted anything so sweet and exotic as the fruit of these trees since those intoxicating days of summer in the backyard. The longing for their taste always triumphed over fear. Those were times spent all day roaming the neighborhood. We drank lemonade, made ‘perfume’ with sweet olive, fashioned clover necklaces and headpieces, ate cracker and jelly sandwiches, and chased down the Popsicle truck with our hands full of nickels when we heard its music. The memory of those unfettered, carefree childhood breaks from school still inspire this cook to suspend judgment and have a go at the kitchen.

Grilled Mexican Red Snapper and Plantain















Grilled Mexican Snapper and Plantain Recipe
2 fresh, dressed, and whole Red Snapper
Seasoning Mix: equal amounts of
salt, dried & ground medium-hot chili peppers, cumin, fresh grated lemon peel, granulated garlic, onion
olive oil
2 Bell Peppers, one red; one green; halved and seeded
Oaxaca Cheese
3 ripe Plantain
1 fresh pineapple sliced in thick rings
Juice of 2 limes
½ cup of fresh cilantro
Dozen fresh Kumquats
1 large banana leaf
Whole mango, chopped
Pickled jalapenos
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Agave nectar

Rinse and pat fish with paper towels until dry. Make a damp paste with seasoning mix, olive oil, and 2 T fresh lime juice. Rub fish inside and outside until coated well. Set aside for 30 minutes while grill heats. Peel and cut plantain into slanted slices, cover and cook for three minutes in microwave on high. Coat with olive oil while still hot and let stand. Coat peppers in olive oil after halving and seeding. Coat pineapple in olive oil. Cut mango, chop cilantro, then mix with fresh lime juice and jalapenos to taste to make salsa for fish.

Grill whole fish, fresh mixed peppers with a few kumquats, semi-cooked plantain, and fresh pineapple. Heat Oaxaca cheese in pan until thoroughly melted and pour over grilled peppers. Serve on fresh banana leaf with plantain and red snapper. Serve with sides of baked black beans (see recipe below) and rice cooked in ½ chicken broth and unsweetened coconut milk. Garnish fish with cilantro-mango salsa.
Plantain and Pineapple Sauteed in Butter and Agave nectar.










Kumquat Sidecars

Rim a chilled cocktail glass with lemon juice and granulated sugar. Mix equal parts Brandy, Cointreau, lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice. Pour into cocktail glass. Squeeze the juice of two kumquats in each cocktail. Cut fresh kumquat ¾ through and hang off edge of sugar-rimmed glass and serve. Garnish with fresh mint and lime twist, if desired.




921 Azalea Street