Lunchbreak: Fried Red Snapper with Posole Broth

Chef Chris Curren prepares a Fried Red Snapper with Posole Broth on WGN's Lunchbreak.

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Recipe:

Fried Red Snapper with Posole Broth

Ingredients

3/4 cup dried chiles de arbol

4 or 5 dried ancho chiles

6 cloves garlic (2 smashed, 4 finely chopped)

Kosher salt

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut in half

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large white onion, chopped

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)

1 bay leaf

3 15-ounce cans white hominy, drained and rinsed

1 ea. Red American Snapper 1-2 pound average size, eviscerated and cleaned

3 cups wondra flour

3 tbsp kosher salt

1 gallon canola oil (for frying)

Directions

For the Posole Sauce:

Break the stems off the chiles de arbol and ancho chiles and shake out as many seeds as possible. Put the chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water; weigh down the chiles with a plate to keep them submerged and soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chiles and 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid to a blender.

Add the smashed garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pushing the sauce through with a rubber spatula; discard the solids.

Rub the pork all over with the cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or pot over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high. Push the onion and garlic to one side of the pot; add the pork to the other side and sear, turning, until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth, oregano, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the chile sauce (depending on your taste).

Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover and cook, turning the pork a few times, until tender, about 3 hours. Stir in the hominy and remove the bay leaf.

For the fish:

In a heavy bottom stock pot fill with oil. Be sure that the oil goes no more than half way up as it will rise when the fish is added. Heat oil to 350 degrees.

Score the fish on either side of the backbone and along the gill line and across the tail. This will allow the you to filet the fish easily after it has been fried.

Mix flour and salt together. Dredge the fish in the flour until completely coated. Dust off excess flour. Gently lay fish in oil and fry for 10 minutes. 5 minutes on each side.

Serve with chopped green onion, chopped white onion, chopped oregano, and chopped cilantro. Serve Posole on the side.