Fried Fish with Masa

By Leite's Culinaria

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 pound (about 8) tomatillos (husks removed, fruit rinsed and dried)
1 to 2 serrano or jalapeño peppers (stems removed and seeded)
3 garlic cloves (peeled)
4 scallions (whites and greens separated)
Kosher salt
1 small bunch fresh cilantro (6 sprigs reserved, the rest roughly chopped)
6 to 8 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
2 pounds boneless flounder (cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch slivers (12- to 18-mm), no more than 4 inches (10 cm) in length)
4 large egg whites (whisked with 1/4 cup (60 ml) water)
1 cup masa harina*
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon store-bought or homemade chili powder
2 limes (cut into wedges)
Store-bought or homemade hot sauce
Tortillas (optional)

Prep Time30mins
Cook Time30mins
Servings6

Instructions

Make the tomatillo salsa verde

Preheat the broiler and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

In a large bowl, combine the oil, whole tomatillos, serrano or jalapeño peppers, garlic, whites of the scallions, and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to mix very well and spread on the lined baking sheet.

Broil the tomatillos until they're charred and browned, about 12 minutes. Remove the scallions, peppers, and garlic, and place on a plate. Flip the tomatillos and return to the broiler until the other sides are nicely browned, about 8 minutes. (Watch them closely!) Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the tomatillos cool to room temperature.

Dump all the roasted vegetables into a food processor (not a blender) and add the roughly chopped cilantro and the green parts of the scallions. Puree until smooth. Taste and season with more salt if necessary. Cover and refrigerate the salsa until ready to serve or up to 24 hours. TESTER TIP: If your salsa seems exceptionally thick, you can thin it with a little water or a squeeze of lime juice.

Fry the fish

In a large heavy-bottomed pot or tabletop fryer, heat the oil to 350°F (177°C).

Set up 3 shallow bowls: the first with the fish, the second with egg whites and water, and in the third, whisk together the masa, rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and chili powder.

Dip the flounder in the egg whites and then the seasoned masa, shaking off any excess.

Add just a few pieces to the oil at a time to avoid overcrowding the pot and fry the masa-crusted flounder until golden brown on both sides and opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes. (If the oil dips below 350°F (177°C) between batches, wait until it comes up to temperature before frying more fish.) As the fish finishes frying, place it on paper towels or paper sacks torn open and immediately sprinkle the fish lightly with salt and chili powder.

Serve the fried fish with the salsa, reserved cilantro sprigs, lime wedges, hot sauce, and tortillas, if using.