Roast Your Pimentos For The Perfect Avocado and Plantain Salad Dressing
Are you even a Trini if you don’t have some pimentos chilling in your fridge? The versatile, flavourful but relatively tame (most times) pepper is used to season everything from stews to chows to fried rice. Dessert is the only place Trinbagonianas don’t utilise pimentos—but there is so much potential here! With notes of cinnamon, pepper and clove the aromatic, floral beauty of the pepper delicately flavours our sweet and savoury for this week. Learn how to use the pimentos in their undiscovered dimensions this week with Chef Khary Roberts’ mind-blowingly inventive recipes.
PLANTAIN, PEEWAH & AVOCADO SALAD WITH ROASTED PIMENTO VINAIGRETTE & POACHED SNAPPER
A pungent, flavourful pimento vinaigrette coats creamy avocado, starchy peewah and sweet plantains, creating a balance of flavours like no other salad. Top it off with a piece of perfectly poached snapper and you’ve got the most enviable lunch.
Yields: 2 Servings
Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ripe plantain
- 1 medium avocado
- 1 ounce cooked brown rice
- 1 ounce cooked quinoa
- 2 ounces cooked peewah
- 8 whole pimentos
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- 2 limes
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ teaspoon prepared mustard
- 4 ounces red or black snapper fillet
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 1 bunch fresh chives
- 1 bunch chandon beni
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch local celery stems, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- Salt, to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Create a poaching liquid by adding thyme, chives, chandon beni, onion, carrot, celery, 1 lime and salt to a pot with 1 quart of water. Bring to a boil then, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool and reserve.
- Meanwhile, coat the pimientos with olive oil and place into 350°F oven. Allow to roast for 15 minutes, or until tender.
- After roasting, add pimentos to a blender with the juice of 1 lime, prepared mustard and the parsley leaves; blend until smooth. Gradually, add the canola oil to the mixture while blending, in three to four increments until blended. Season to taste.
- Bring poaching liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add snapper filet. Poach fish until just cooked about, 3 to 4 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the filet.
- Combine prepared ingredients, with the exception of the fish, in a mixing bowl and dress generously with vinaigrette.
- Plate salad as desired and serve with poached fish. You can also drizzle your vinaigrette over the fish, if you wish.
- Top with desired garnishes and serve.
About Post Author
