It is Red Snapper prepared in leaves of Oja Santa (Piper auritum). Our friends the Spindels gave us some Oja Santa root stock years ago, and it has been thriving in a backyard flowerbed since then. Harsh winters kill the vegetation, but the plant is root hardy and returns each spring. I have only cooked with it twice, I admit, but I enjoy its beautiful foliage each year.
I didn’t want to cook at the outdoor grill this evening; I wanted to agonize over election returns instead. So, I bought a nice red snapper filet thinking to bake it wrapped in Oja Santa; I have done this once before. The Oja Santa has that licorice like scent and taste that we associate with Anise, Star Anise, Fennel and Sassafras root. All of these are safe to eat except Sassafras root (think root beer) which is reported to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing). I hate it when that happens.
I looked up a few recipes for Huachinango and Oja Santa and decided to improvise on the themes I had read. I scored the skin side of my filet, spread a tablespoonful of EVOO over it, and dusted it with Dos Pendejos spice mix Oro del Mar. It seemed appropriate since I was watching election results. Una Bola de Pendejos would have been more fitting I think, but Dos Pendejos at least covered Herschel Walker and Mehmet Oz.
In a glass casserole lined with aluminum foil, I placed a large leaf of Oja Santa then rounds of lemon slices and my red snapper filet, skin-side down. I placed 3 tbsp of butter on the flesh side and covered the filet with two more leaves of Oja Santa. 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 400F, and the fish was ready. It was tasty, but not something that I would want to eat more than once a month. Susan makes wonderful, pan-fried fish for me and this baked dish really can’t compare. Nonetheless, it was a good meal, and the whole house smelled of Oja Santa for a good while after we ate. Mmmm.
