If you are trying to lose weight, or you have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or other health conditions that require changing your diet, it can be tough to find food that you like. And if you are preparing food for a family, you don’t want to have to fix separate meals for different family members.
People often complain that low-fat, low-salt food is tasteless, but it doesn’t have to be that way. All it takes is a little creativity and great, fresh ingredients.
Here is a fat-free, salt-free way to make grilled fish that is simply delicious. These instructions make enough grilled fish to serve two adults and a small child, but you can easily increase the quantities to serve more people.
You will use no oil or butter, and no salt. Yet this dish is richly flavorful. It is wonderful served with baked plantains and black beans (the traditional side dishes), or with baked potato, salad, and/or any vegetables you prefer.
I created this recipe because my husband had severe high blood pressure and had to avoid salt, but I love it. The taste is so good that you don’t need salt. If you never mention that there is no salt, your family will never know.
Ingredients:
2 fresh (not frozen) fillets of mild white fish like flounder (about 3/4 lb)
1 large or two small limes
1 small red onion
1 teaspoon of dried cilantro or half a cup of fresh cilantro leaves
1 pinch of black pepper
1. Rinse the fillets and place them in a shallow metal pan. (You can line it with foil for easy cleanup.)
Note: The fish must be *very* fresh. Ask at the fish counter for whatever mild white fish is the freshest. Ideally get fish that came into the store that day.
2. Sprinkle cilantro and pepper evenly over the fish fillets.
3. Cut the lime in half, crosswise. Then slice one half into paper-thin round slices. (If using the tiny Mexican limes, slice at least one whole lime into paper thin slices.)
4. Arrange the lime slices on the fillets, distributing them more or less evenly. Be sure to cover the thinnest parts, such as the ends and edges, which would otherwise cook quickly and burn.
5. Slice the red onion paper thin, and arrange slices on top of the fish, again, making sure to cover the thinnest parts of the fish with the slices. Then separate the rest of the onion into rings, and arrange them evenly on top of the fish.
6. Squeeze the juice from the other half of the lime (or the other lime, if using small ones) over the fish especially on any areas that are not covered by lime slices or onion slices.
7. Set the oven broiler on a fairly low broil. Put the fish in to broil for about 20 minutes and then start checking it. How long it takes to cook will depend on your oven and how thick or thin the fillets are. It can take as long as 45 minutes or as little as 20.
8. The fish is done when it has turned completely opaque white and flakes easily when you test it with a fork. If it is still translucent in the middle and/or does not flake easily, it is not done yet.
At least try this dish once exactly as specified in the recipe. Then you can try variations.
You can add a few very thin slices of bell pepper or other pepper, though I really don’t recommend it (much as I love peppers). Be careful not to overwhelm the delicate flavor of the white fish.
Another variation is to add a few very thin tomato slices. Make sure to remove the seeds and gooey stuff first!
If you really love grilled tomatoes, you can put them around (not on top of) the fish and grill them at the same time.
Important
I do not recommend trying to substitute ingredients. For example, lemon is too strong. Bottled lemon or lime juice tastes awful! Fresh limes are the secret to this dish.
The onions must be mild. You could substitute a really sweet, mild yellow onion, but red onions are best.
Cilantro (coriander leaf) is a major part of the flavor. Parsley will not work.
Do not add butter! You don’t need it, and this dish is actually not as good with butter or oil.
Do not add wine. Again, it is not needed and the recipe is not as good with it.
We love this dish! I think you will, too.
