Piquillo Peppers Stuffed With Fish Recipes

TUNA-STUFFED PIQUILLO PEPPERS

Steps:

• Drain the tuna and put it in a medium mixing bowl. Use a fork to break tuna into large flakes and push to one side of the bowl.
• Put capers, parsley, mint, celery and onions on the other side of the bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add red-pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil, then stir the mixture to coat tuna well.
• Use a teaspoon to fill each pepper with some of the tuna mixture.
• Arrange stuffed peppers on lettuce leaves on a platter. Garnish with quartered or halved hard-cooked eggs sprinkled with salt. Serve at cool room temperature.

STUFFED PIQUILLO PEPPERS

Steps:

• For the stuffed piquillo peppers: Pat the peppers with a paper towel to remove any excess brine. Trim the tops of the peppers.
• In a medium bowl, combine the goat cheese, manchego, chives, honey, lemon zest and juice, paprika, 2 tablespoons of the reserved piquillo brine and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and white pepper. Mix together with a rubber spatula until well combined and smooth.
• Put the mixture in a piping bag or a zip-close bag with a corner snipped off, and pipe it into the peppers, stopping 1/4 inch from the top. Refrigerate until 20 minutes before serving.
• For the herb vinaigrette: Bring the sherry vinegar, honey and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir a few times until the honey and salt have completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, add the golden raisins, and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Stir in the chives, mint, parsley and 3 tablespoons of the reserved piquillo brine.
• To serve: Spread half of the vinaigrette over a serving plate and arrange the stuffed peppers on top. Spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the peppers. Garnish with the almonds and serve immediately.

CRAB-STUFFED PIQUILLO PEPPERS

Steps:

• Make the aioli: Heat the paprika and vegetable oil in a small saucepan over low heat. When hot, remove the pan from the heat and allow the oil to steep at room temperature, 20 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Combine the egg yolk, vinegar and lemon juice in a food processor or blender; process until smooth and frothy. With the machine running, slowly pour in the paprika-infused oil and process until the desired consistency is reached. Season with salt. (The aioli can be made up to 3 days ahead; refrigerate in an airtight container.)
• Make the filling for the peppers: Combine the mayonnaise, creme fraiche, mustard, lemon juice, manchego, parsley, chives and egg in a large bowl; mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula to combine. Gently mix in the crabmeat (do not break it up too much). Season with salt and pepper.
• Drain the piquillo peppers thoroughly. Remove the seeds, making sure to keep the peppers whole and intact. Carefully spoon about 1 tablespoon crab filling into each pepper. Transfer to an ovenproof baking dish, such as a cazuela. (The peppers can be filled 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer the peppers to the oven and bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 15 minutes. Top the peppers with the aioli and return to the oven until the aioli is hot, about 2 more minutes.

STUFFED PIQUILLO PEPPERS WITH CHORIZO AND MANCHEGO

Steps:

• Coat a saute pan, over medium heat, with olive oil. Add the onion, season with salt, to taste, and toss in the crushed red pepper. Saute the onions until they are soft and very aromatic, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir in the chorizo and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the bread crumbs. Let the mixture cool. When cool, add the Manchego and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stuff the peppers with the filling and arrange them on a sheet pan. If there is extra stuffing, press a little on top of each of the peppers. Put the peppers in the oven to warm through, about 8 minutes.
• While the peppers are in the oven, combine the arugula, almonds and scallions in a large bowl. Dress the salad with sherry vinegar, big fat finishing oil and salt, to taste. Check for seasoning and divide the salad between 4 serving plates.
• Remove the peppers from the oven and arrange 2 peppers on each salad. Serve while the peppers are warm.

STUFFED PIQUILLO PEPPERS

Steps:

• To make the sauce: In a blender, drop in the tomatoes and garlic and blend until well chopped. Add the olive oil, white wine, and salt and blend until finely pureed; set aside.
• To make the stuffing: In a medium sized pot half filled with boiling water, boil the dried cod for about 10 minutes until rehydrated. Drain and put the codfish into a blender. Add the white wine, garlic, parsley, and salt and blend everything together. Then, in a medium sized bowl, whisk together the milk and flour. Add this mixture to the codfish mixture in the blender and puree until it's the consistency of mashed potatoes. Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat, pour in the codfish stuffing mixture, and cook just until the mixture is heated through. Put the mixture into a medium sized bowl and let it cool before stuffing the peppers.
• To stuff the peppers: With a small spoon, carefully stuff about 1/2 teaspoon of the codfish mixture inside each pepper. It should fill the pepper's cavity but should not be falling out. Continue until all the peppers have been filled.
• To finish the dish: In a large nonstick skillet on medium-low heat, add the sauce for the peppers. Then very carefully place each pepper in the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, or until heated through. Gently take each pepper out of the pan and place on a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over the peppers and garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.

PIQUILLO PEPPERS STUFFED WITH FISH

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is well combined. Add the fish and stir, breaking it up into small pieces.
• Add the white wine and cream and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and continue to cook the sauce until it has thickened and reduced by half. Stir in the brandy and season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, stuff the piquillos with the fish and arrange on a platter. Pour the sauce over the stuffed piquillos, garnish with parsley, and serve hot or warm.
• Substitute 1/2 pound cooked lump crabmeat for the fish.
• Stuff the peppers with about 1/2 recipe prepared Brandade de Morue (page 56).

PIQUILLO PEPPERS STUFFED WITH RAW TUNA SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, toss together the tuna, chopped parsley, scallions, olive oil, capers, mustard and chipotles. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Cut a slit in each of the roasted piquillo peppers and remove any excess juice from the inside. Carefully stuff the peppers with the tuna mixture until the pepper looks full. Garnish with parsley leaves.

PIQUILLO PEPPERS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Whisk shallots, scallion and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Slice open the top of each pepper to create a pocket. Spoon cheese into peppers, dividing it equally among them. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat; coat with cooking spray. Cook peppers, flipping once, until cheese begins to melt, about 30 seconds each side. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with parsley and thyme. Drizzle dressing over peppers and serve.