Red Snapper Fillets in Romaine with Crispy Rice Cakes

Preparation time 30 minutes: total cooking time 50 minutes

Yield: 6

Ingredients

• 8 large Romaine lettuces leafs
• Boiling salted water for blanching
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley – (60ml)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint – (30ml)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar – (30ml)
• 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice – (15ml)
• 1 tablespoons of cider vinegar – (15ml)
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder – (5ml)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin – (5ml)
• 1 teaspoon of salt – (5ml)
• ½ teaspoon of white pepper – (2.5ml)
• 6 (4 ounce) Red Snapper Fillets – (110grams)

Rice Cakes  

• ½ cup wild rice – (125ml)
•  2 cups salt water – (500ml)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley – (75ml)
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil – (30ml)
• Salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat over to 400°F
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the romaine lettuce leaves and boil until pliable.  Remove the leaves from the boiling water and refresh under cold water.  Drain and pat dry and arrange 2 leaves on the bottom of a baking dish.
3. Place parsley, mint, brown sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, curry powder, cumin, salt and pepper in a blender and puree until smooth.
4. Rinse and pat the snapper fillets dry.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place one fillet on each of the remaining romaine leaves.  Scoop a spoonful of the puree onto each fillet. Fold the stem end of the romaine over the fish, tuck in the sides of the leaf and roll up into a fully wrapped parcel.  Place the fish packages seam side down in the baking dish.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile prepare the rice cakes.  Rinse and drain rice under cold water.  Add the wild rice to a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until rice grains for approximately 40 minutes or until the rice is tender but not open.  Drain the rice and rinse with cold water to cool.  Drain well and place the rice in a bowl.  The rice can be made in advance and kept cool in the refrigerator.  Bring the rice to room temperature before making the cakes.   Lightly beat egg and stir into rice with chives, parsley and salt and pepper.
6. Heat oil in a large skillet and add a large scoop of the rice mixture. Flatten into a cake with a spatula and fry for one minute on each side.
7. Serve baked fish with rice cakes and enjoy!