seared red snapper + tabbouleh

slowly realizing i should eat more vegetables... and proteins other than beef

Across social media, I have a series called "Hometowns" where I cook dishes from around the world and tell people if their hometown food sucks. Spoiler: It’s rare that a dish gets a bad review, but it happens.

This red snapper + tabbouleh is a perfect addition to the mix, and I gave Lebanon credit for it. It's a light, refreshing salad full of bright herbs, crunchy vegetables, and tangy lemon—everything you need for a refreshing side dish. I couldn’t ever trash tabbouleh, but I can confidently say it’s a dish that’ll always be a winner.

You can check out the video below.

watch the video here

fish

• 1.5 lbs red snapper, or other white fish

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• salt + pepper

• lemon slices

• fresh dill (optional, could be a nice touch)

tabbouleh

• 2 bunches parsley, curly or flat

• 1 large cucumber, diced

• 3 tomatoes, diced

• 1 bunch mint, chiffonade (meaning thinly sliced)

• 1 cup bulgur (i cook mine in chicken broth and cool before adding)

• 1 large lemon, juiced

• 3 green onions, thinly sliced

• feta (optional, not typically used but is always delicious)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• salt + pepper

• naan, optional

  prep the bulgur

  Place the dry bulgur in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water/broth over it and cover. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, or until the bulgur softens and absorbs the water. Fluff it up and move to the fridge to cool.

  prep the fish

  Place the snapper on a baking tray. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon slices.

  cook the fish

  I prefer to cook fish on my Blackstone, but since fish is delicate, here’s a trick. Over medium-high heat, lay down a sheet of unbleached parchment paper directly on the griddle. On top of that, add a tablespoon of olive oil and place the fish skin-side down.

  After three-ish minutes, gently flip and cook until fish reaches 130F. Don’t overcook it and be sure to get some good color on the lemon slices. Remove from heat and allow to rest.

  mix salad ingredients

  Once the bulgur has cooled, add all remaining tabbouleh ingredients to the bowl. mix.

  finish

  Dress the salad with olive oil, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve alongside fish + naan.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think!