Knorr Contest Entry: Seared Mahi w/ Chorizo, Poblano & Caramelized Onion Stuffing & Roasted Garlic Tomatillo Sauce
We’re eating seared mahi mahi with chorizo, roasted poblano, caramelized onion sourdough stuffing drizzled with roasted garlic tomatillo sauce and garnished with a watercress salad tossed in a lime vinaigrette.
I’m super excited! SUPER! You heard me right. I am in the process of moving (semi-permanently) to Puerto Rico!!!, leaving my beloved San Diego behind. Technically I’ve actually been out of San Diego for a month now, traveling around the States visiting friends, old and new. I’ve only been away this short time and I already miss San Diego So Freaking Much. I was in the middle of having one of those nostalgic moments when an email popped into my inbox a few weeks ago from Blogher describing a Knorr contest calling for bloggers to develop a recipe using their new Homestyle Stock Concentrates. Now, normally a recipe contest doesn’t really get me going, but the prize for this one… oh the sweet sweet prize for this contest sure did! The top eight contestants will be cooking their recipes live at the Blogher 2011 convention in SAN DIEGO!!!! What! What! For me, that would mean a free trip home! I can’t imagine a better prize! I mean, other than a really large sum of money that would allow me to travel all over the world, San Diego included. That would rock too. 😉
Anyway, the recipe below is my entry for this contest. I diluted the chicken stock concentrate with freshly squeezed orange juice and water then used it in both the chorizo, poblano & caramelized onion sourdough stuffing as well as in my roasted garlic tomatillo sauce. I really hope that the judges like this as much as my dinner guests did so that I’m given a chance to fly back home to San Diego in September and join all the awesome folks at the Blogher Conference and be a member of the Knorr Four Panel!
For the Stuffing:
1 1/2 canola oil
2 sweet yellow onions (such as Maui or Vidalia), peeled & sliced
1lb loaf crusty sourdough bread, cut in 1" cubes
1/2lb (8oz) fresh chorizo sausage, casing removed
3 roasted poblano peppers, julienned
1/2 cup (packed) cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus extra
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra
1 tub Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock Concentrate
juice from 1 navel orange
1 3/4 cups hot water
2 eggs, beaten
For the Sauce:
1 lb tomatillos, husks removed & rinsed
1/2 tsp canola oil
cloves from 2 bulb roasted garlic
1/4 cup reserved stock/Orange mixture
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tbsp cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh jalapeno, minced
kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
For the fish:
3 tbsp canola oil
6 (5oz each) mahi mahi filets
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
For the garnish:
juice from 1/2 lime
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
2 tbsp canola oil
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
3 cups watercress
To make the stuffing:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9" x 13" glass or ceramic baking dish.
Place a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Preheat pan for 3 minutes then add oil to the pan and heat for 1 more minute. Once the oil has heated added the sliced onion to the pan. Lightly
sprinkle the onions with a pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Stir. Sweat onions over medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes, for 30-40 minutes until the onions are
caramelized and golden. Do not cook onions at too high of a temperature or they will burn and turn bitter. Reserve 1/2 of caramelized onions to use as a garnish for plating. Place the other half of
the onions into a large mixing bowl.
While the onions are caramelizing, place the sourdough bread cubes onto a sheet pan in a single layer then place in preheated 350 degree oven. Toast until moisture has cooked out of the bread,
about 20 minutes, stirring the pan halfway through. Remove from oven and place into large mixing bowl with the caramelized onions.
Meanwhile, preheat a saute pan over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add the fresh chorizo to the pan and brown, breaking up into chunks during the browning process. Once the chorizo is browned and
cooked through, remove from pan and drain on a paper towel.
Add drained chorizo, julienned roasted poblanos, chopped cilantro, 1/2 tsp kosher salt & 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper to the mixing bowl with the toasted bread & caramelized onions.
In a separate bowl, whisk together Knorr chicken stock concentrate, juice from 1 navel orange & 1 3/4 cup water until the concentrate has dissolved into the solution. Reserve a 1/4 cup of the stock
mixture for the roasted garlic tomatillo sauce. Add the two beaten eggs to the remaining mixture. Whisk to incorporate. Pour egg-stock mixture over the stuffing ingredients in the mixing bowl.
Stir to mix thoroughly, making sure all bread cubes get coated in liquid. Let the stuffing sit for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid, stirring occasionally. Pour stuffing into greased baking dish and
place in preheated 350 degree oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and let set 5 minutes before serving.
To make the sauce:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle tomatillos with canola oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper then place on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Place pan in
preheated oven and roast for 20-30 minutes until browned on top and cooked through. Pour contents of pan (tomatillos will break down and be liquidy) into a blend. Add roasted garlic, reserved stock
concentrate mixture, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno & a pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to the blender. Blend until smooth. Taste then adjust seasonings as desired with more
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Sauce can be made 24 hours in advance. Return to room temperature before serving.
To sear the fish:
Preheat a large saute pan over medium-high heat for 4 minutes.
While the pan is heating, season all sides of the filets liberally with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper.
Add oil to the pan. Swirl pan to evenly coat the bottom in oil. Add mahi filets to the pan. Sear over medium-high heat until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and sear for another 3 to 4 minutes until
the second side is golden and the mahi is just cooked through. If necessary, cook in two batches so the pan is not over-crowded.
For the garnish:
While the fish is searing, prepare the garnish. Whisk together the first 3 ingredients for the garnish. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, whisk. While whisking continuously slowly drizzle in the
canola oil to form an emulsified vinaigrette. Add watercress and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning with extra kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper as desired.
To plate:
Spoon a serving of stuffing into center of a plate. Place a seared mahi filet on top of the stuffing. Drizzle with roasted garlic tomatillo sauce then sprinkle 1/6 of reserved caramelized onions &
watercress salad around the plate. Repeat plating 5 more times for a total of 6 servings.
Total cooking time: about 2 hours
Total servings: about 6
To roast any fresh chiles or peppers, toss with a small amount of oil to coat. Using tongs, hold the chiles directly in the flame of a gas burner, rotating occasionally, until charred on all sides. Optionally, if you do not have access to a gas burner you can place the lightly oiled chiles/peppers on a sheet pan under a preheated broil. Broil, flipping occasionally, until charred on all sides. As soon as the chiles are charred, place them in a resealable plastic bag or in a bowl sealed with plastic wrap. Let the chiles steam for at 20 minutes. Once steamed the papery exterior skin of the chiles should be easy to remove with your hands. Remove skin and discard seeds and stems before using.
1 whole bulb garlic
canola or olive oil
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut off just the tip of the pointed-end of the bulb of garlic to expose the tips of each clove. Drizzle exposed cloves with canola oil then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Wrap completely in aluminum foil with the exposed-clove side facing up inside the packet. Place foil packet into oven and roast at 350 for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool until able to handle. Remove the cloves by squeezing the base of the bulb until the cloves push out.
You’d better pack your bags for BlogHer, because that looks AMAZING! Well done!
I sooo hope you win, Amanda – would love to have the chance to catch up in San Diego before you leave for PR! (So exciting!)
Girlll…. You gonna mos def win with that sexy piece of fish. I only plan to go to Blogher if you’re there. Are you listening Blogher??
Amanda, if this tastes as good as it looks (and it looks awesome) you have got to be a shoe in!
I have just discovered you blog and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. I think you are going to get that free ticket with your recipe…it sounds great.
What an amazing recipe! Fabulous! I agree with Nicole – start packing your bags. If I saw this on a restaurant menu I would order it in a flash! Gorgeous pic of an incredible recipe.
WOOHOO! Congratulations! I’ll see you there!
This looks wonderful, especially for this time of the year. Nice and light but tasty. I’m of Volga German descent, and this will go nicely with some of my favorite summer salads.
Love this blog! I live in Escondido and I cannot believe it took me this long to find you, and you’re leaving San Diego 🙁 … will you continue this blog? If so, is there anyway you can subscribe to ziplist? It’s a free service that lets you “save” recipes from web sites into one location and then create shopping lists from them. For a full time working mom, it’s a time saver!
Going to make this dish Saturday night!