Inside and Out’s Fresh Family Recipes

For this issue’s installment of Fresh Family Recipes, we reached out to Chef Victor Villarreal.

You may remember Chef Villarreal from the November/December 2022 issue of Madeworthy. (He and his wife Misty were the cover story.) While he and Misty made the painful decision to close their glorious seafood restaurant La Onda this last January, the good news is that Chef Villarreal is still cooking. He is doing pop-up appearances and chef dinners at various locations around DFW, and he was kind enough to share two delicious, healthy, and easy recipes with us.

Red Snapper Ceviche*

Ingredients

8 ounces red snapper, boned and skinned (you can ask for this to be done at the store)

4 ounces cucumber [Editor’s note: I used an English hothouse cucumber as these have fewer seeds]

4 ounces jicama, peeled

1 serrano chile

4 cloves garlic

2 ounces cilantro

2 ounces parsley

Juice of 4 limes

Juice of 1 large lemon

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons cracked black pepper

8 ounces Sprite (yes, Sprite)

Directions

Cut the red snapper into small cubes. Place a wire rack over a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread the snapper cubes over the rack. Place the baking sheet into the fridge and chill overnight. Do not cover the fish. This is an important step, so don’t skip it!

Cut the cucumber and jicama into small cubes. Mince the serrano (you can remove the ribs and the seeds if you don’t want as much heat) and the garlic. Chop the cilantro and the parsley.

In a large, non-reactive bowl (glass, stainless steel, or plastic), combine the snapper, cucumber, jicama, serrano, garlic, cilantro, parsley, lime juice, lemon juice, kosher salt, and cracked black pepper and stir to combine well. Allow to sit in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours. The citrus juices “cook” the fish and need time to do it.

Just before serving, add the Sprite and mix well. The Sprite cuts the sharpness of the citrus juices and elevates the ceviche from the “yeah, sure it’s good” to the “gimme, gimme, GIMME.” Serve with tortilla chips, tostadas, or fried plantains with your favorite hot sauce and/or salsa on the side. (I like it on tostadas with diced avocado and a couple of dashes of green hot sauce for lunch.) This ceviche is not a dish that will keep. Serves 2 to 3.

*Eating raw or undercooked fish can increase the risk of foodborne illness, especially in people with certain medical conditions.

Grilled Head-on Prawns with Shaved Fennel Salad

Ingredients

For the prawns

1 pound head-on prawns that have been peeled, cleaned, and butterflied (you can ask for this to be done at the store)

½ cup grapeseed oil

½ bunch thyme, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 ounce fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about a thumb-sized piece of ginger)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

For the fennel salad

1 large bulb fennel, shaved thinly on a mandoline or the slicing side of a box grater

1 shallot, shaved thinly into rings on a mandoline or the slicing side of a box grater

3 radish bulbs, shaved thinly

1 fluid ounce orange juice

Juice of half of a small orange

juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients for the marinade except the prawns in a non-reactive bowl (glass, stainless steel, or plastic). Add the prawns and rub to coat with the marinade. Allow the prawns to sit in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

While the prawns are marinating, add the shaved fennel, shallot, and radishes to a non-reactive bowl and toss to combine. Add the orange juice, lime juice, salt, and pepper, and mix the salad. This can sit in the fridge for several hours.

Preheat a grill, plancha, very large skillet, or griddle to medium-high heat to cook the prawns. (I used a 12-inch skillet.) Place the shrimp on the cooking surface, flesh side down, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly browned. Flip the shrimp and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Immediately after the prawns are cooked, place them on a plate and garnish with the fennel salad. Drizzle some of the dressing from the bottom of the salad bowl over the plate and serve with some good bread. This made a lovely romantic dinner for my husband and me when the kids were out with friends.