Baked Grouper with Buffalo Chorizo and Chickpeas

When my dad and I headed to H Mart (an awesome Korean market with a ridiculous variety of seafood) we had no idea what we were actually making. So we got a bit of cod and a bit of grouper (which Dad had never had). Most of the cod was gone from Saturday's mess, so I was left with a bit of grouper and a bit of cod.


The other thing we had was buffalo chorizo. 

Apparently my mom bought it ages ago at the farmer's market, and then froze it. I found it while I was going shopping in my freezer (isn't it fun when you find all these new foods that are actually quite old?) and when I found this recipe I knew just what to do with it.


A few things were changed, as per usual, but the end result was far better than the fish I made the night before. :P


Baked Grouper with Buffalo Chorizo and Chickpeas
(Recipe adapted by Mo from Eating Well)


1.25 lb (I had a bit more so I used what I had) grouper, cod, or other mild, white fish

2-3 oz buffalo chorizo (or regular Spanish chorizo; about one link)
2 large shallots
The leaves of a few sprigs of thyme, about a teaspoon, whole
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine, divided (I used chardonnay)
1 (15 oz) can organic chickpeas, drained but not rinsed
1/4 + 1/8 tsp sea salt
Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 9x13" baking dish.

Chop the fish into equal-sized pieces (the original recipe said 4 pieces. I had like, 6 to start with so that wasn't happening; just chop it into pieces however large you want). Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper and place them in the baking dish.

Slice the chorizo real thin.

Chop the shallots sort of "medium". Not quite fine but not very large, either. Halve the grape tomatoes and strip the thyme sprigs of their leaves.

I took French from kindergarten through middle school, so I've no problem with French. I just wonder why they decided French was the most important language to stick as the secondary language on the label. I mean, I'm pretty sure more people speak Spanish than French here. o.O

Heat a little bit of canola or your oil of choice in a skillet, and then sauté the chorizo, shallots, tomatoes and thyme for a couple of minutes until the shallots are softened. Add 1/4 cup of wine and let cook, stirring every so often, until most of the wine has cooked out.

Can I just say that it smelled amazing just like that? It'd be fabulous as a topping for spaghetti.

Turn off the heat, then add the chickpeas, salt and pepper. Dump all of that all over the fish, which should be laid out flat with each piece to its own space, then add the remaining 1/4 cup of wine. If you have the thyme to spare, snug in some sprigs of thyme. I definitely had a lot of thyme to spare.

Cover with foil, and then bake 15-20 minutes. I think it was done at 15 but I didn't want to risk it so I put it in for another 5 minutes. Not like the fish was gonna dry out... it's being bathed in wine, after all. ;)

I steamed a few large bunches of broccoli to serve as the side.

:D

The verdict: So much better than the original fish dish. My one complaint is that is that it was kind of, er, wet. I think it'd be good if you took you foil off for the last 5 minutes so the wine has a chance to evaporate a bit. However, when I spooned it on the plate with the broccoli, the veggie kind of soaked up some of the flavors so that was nice. I'd still let it evaporate a little though. I think the flavor was slightly diluted because of all the liquid.. It was still good, though! I'd also like to sprinkle some smoked Spanish paprika on the fish, because while the chorizo flavors all the stove-top food, its flavor didn't really get a chance to get into the fish too much. Not that the fish was bland. I'd just like it to be spiced up a bit. :)

That's all, folks. Dad and I are going to go to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to see the Hall of Human Origins exhibit and then the Smithsonian Museum of American History today! (Can you believe I've yet to see Julia Child's kitchen? I've actually never made or indulged in a Julia Child recipe. But I've heard she was a peach, so I'm interested.) EDIT: Oh, wait, nevermind. I was not aware the sky was sobbing like I just took away its lollipop. Maybe we'll still go, but probably not. :|

Oh, quick fun-fact: did you know there's something called a beefalo? I just read it here. I wonder how it tastes... o.O Oh, and another, erm, "fun" fact: John Cleese says dog is delicious. That's something I don't want to confirm myself.


Today:



PS: Check out Katie's giveaway!