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Ingredients
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Snapper & seasoning
Guajillo almond brown-butter sauce
Garnish & finish
Method
Snapper & seasoning
- 1
Prepare fish
Pat the yelloweye snapper fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with kosher salt (about 3/4 tsp per side total) and freshly ground black pepper. Let rest at room temperature for 10–15 minutes while you prepare the sauce; this helps the fillets cook evenly.
- 2
Sear snapper
Heat a heavy skillet (preferably stainless steel or cast iron) over medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 tbs neutral oil and swirl to coat. Place the fillets skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for 10 seconds to prevent curling. Cook skin-side down without moving for 3–4 minutes, until the skin is crisp and edges are opaque about two-thirds of the way up. Flip and reduce heat to medium. Cook 1–2 more minutes (depending on thickness) until the flesh is opaque and flakes with a fork. Remove to a warm plate and tent loosely with foil while you finish the sauce.
Guajillo almond brown-butter sauce
- 3
Rehydrate guajillo chiles
Place the stemmed and seeded guajillo chiles in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup of hot water. Let soak 15 minutes until pliable. Reserve ¼ cup of the soaking liquid; drain the rest.
- 4
Toast almonds and chiles
While chiles soak (or in a dry skillet), toast the 3 oz blanched almonds over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and starting to color, 3–5 minutes. Transfer half of the toasted almonds to a blender (reserve the rest for texture/garnish). In the same dry skillet, briefly toast the rehydrated guajillo chiles for 30–45 seconds per side to awaken flavor; be careful not to burn.
- 5
Blend chile-almond puree
In a blender or food processor, combine the toasted almonds (the half you reserved for purée), toasted guajillo chiles, 1 smashed garlic clove, 1 tbs minced shallot, smoked paprika, the reserved ¼ cup chile soaking liquid, and the ¼ cup stock (if using). Blend until very smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of additional soaking liquid or stock if needed to reach a thick but pourable consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with ½ tsp fine sea salt and ½ tsp honey if the puree tastes too acidic or bitter.
- 6
Make brown butter
In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, melt 6 tbs unsalted butter. Swirl occasionally; after a few minutes the milk solids will foam, then turn golden-brown and emit a nutty aroma. Watch carefully and remove from heat as soon as a light-brown color is reached to avoid burning. This should take 4–6 minutes. Immediately add the blended guajillo-almond purée to the brown butter and return the pan to low heat.
- 7
Finish sauce
Simmer the butter-chile-almond mixture on low for 2–3 minutes to meld flavors. If the sauce is too thick, add up to 2 tbs more stock or warm soaking liquid to loosen. Stir in 1 tbs lemon juice and taste; adjust salt or honey as needed. If you prefer a smoother sauce, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to extract as much as possible; otherwise leave as-is for more texture. Keep warm but do not boil.
Garnish & finish
- 8
Toast garnish almonds
If you reserved toasted sliced almonds for garnish, toast them for 1–2 minutes in a small dry skillet until golden and fragrant. Set aside.
- 9
Plate and serve
Spoon a smear or pool of the guajillo almond brown-butter sauce onto warmed plates. Place a seared yelloweye snapper fillet on top of each sauce pool, skin-side up to keep crisp. Spoon a little extra sauce over the exposed flesh, sprinkle with the reserved toasted almond pieces and microgreens or parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side to squeeze over the fish.