Hazelnut Pesto Fish

Wahoo! The darker area you see is where the bone is – not raw meat. Just sayin’.

A friend sent me this recipe a long time ago and I am not quite sure where she got it.  The original recipe is for Artic Char which is a difficult fish to find in Denver.  So I used Wahoo.  It was on sale at the WholePaycheck.  I realize my photo is sub-par.  I apologize.  But, I’m having issues with making food after dark and then there is no decent lighting to photograph it.  Maybe I need a special light?

Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove

1 cup fresh cilantro  sprigs

1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, toasted (see instructions below)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 lb Wahoo with skin

lime wedges

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375

2.  Toast the hazelnuts (Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake at 350.  Remove from oven and wrap the hazelnuts in a towel and let sit for 5 minutes.  Use the towel to rub the skin off the hazelnuts).

3.  With the motor running, drop garlic into a food processor to finely chop.

4.  Shut off motor and add cilantro, nuts, cayenne, and 1/4 tsp of salt, then blend until coarsely chopped.

5.  With motor running, add oil, blending until incorporated.  The final sauce should be coarse.

6.  Arrange filets with skin sides down, in a lightly oiled baking dish.

7.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt, then spoon pesto over fish.

8.  Bake until fish is opaque and just cooked through.  For a filet with a thickness of 1/2 inch, bake for about 20 min (this also depends on the type of fish you are using. Mahi mahi, for example, needs less time)

9.  Garnish with lime wedges!