Jerk Grouper with Spicy Cilantro Slaw

I am exceedingly lucky that Stephanie and I work and live on an extremely similar schedule, which allows us to eat dinner together virtually every night.  However, there are nights every now and again when it doesn’t work out quite that way.  On nights when I am not going to be around, I always make sure there are meals or leftovers in the fridge for Stephanie to easily reheat.  The rarer occasion is when Steph is going to be away, and I’ve got to cook for myself.

Stephanie is very averse to spicy food, and I’m a tremendous fan of the heat, so when she’s is not around for dinner, it’s a good bet that I’m cooking up something that will cause me to perspire profusely and need a giant glass of milk to ease the burn.  I’ve amassed a good amount of recipes that involve a good amount of spice, even though I don’t get that much of an opportunity to make them…except for evenings like tonight.

This recipe originally calls for catfish, which is mild and a little lighter in texture than I’d prefer.  I tend to substitute grouper in this recipe, as it’s a little firmer while maintaining that sweet and fresh flavor.  Since it’s pan-seared (in a grill pan) it makes it easy to get a nice crust on the fish while keeping the inside moist and tender.  Besides, they didn’t have catfish.

Jerk has become widely known as the definitive spice blend of Jamaica.  Traditionally, it’s a paste made from allspice, Scotch Bonnet chiles (hotter than habaneros!), cloves, cinnamon, garlic, thyme and a host of other ingredients, depending on who’s family recipe you are following.  Admittedly, I’m not about to make a giant batch of super-spicy jerk paste for myself, so I tend to cheat and use a dried spice blend (in my case, McCormick’s Gourmet Blend, which is a good combination of spicy, hot and sweet).

The slaw is a spicy slaw, with a habanero, cilantro and lime juice giving it a massive amount of flavor.  In the end, it’s spicy combined with spicy which makes this solo-dining husband a happy eater.

Jerk Grouper with Spicy Cilantro Slaw courtesy of Cooking Light

3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced (1 3 cups cole slaw mix)
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp lime juice
1.5 tsp sugar
1 tsp finely chopped habanero or serrano chile
4 6 oz grouper fillets
4 tsp Jamaican jerk seasoning

Combine cole slaw mix, cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice, sugar and habanero in a bowl.  Set aside.

Rub grouper with jerk seasoning.  Heat grill pan to medium-high, then spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Cook fish 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked.

Eat!